REVIEW: Little Debbie Snickerdoodle Creme Pies

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Little Debbie Snickerdoodle Creme Pies Box

What is it?

Little Debbie’s Snickerdoodle Crème Pie is the newest addition to the product line that includes the classic Oatmeal Crème Pie, beloved by kids and former kids alike. Will these Crème Pies earn a place next to the adored oatmeal variety?

How is it?

Little Debbie Snickerdoodle Creme Pies Split

The Snickerdoodle Crème Pie is made of two cookies with vanilla crème sandwiched in between. It’s a simple snack, but sometimes the simplest things can be the best.

Little Debbie Snickerdoodle Creme Pies Top

In this case, it’s just kind of boring. The cookies are soft, cakey, and moderately sweet with cinnamon flavor but lack anything to make them stand out. They’re not rolled in cinnamon sugar like a normal snickerdoodle but have cinnamon bits that add textural interest. They’re unevenly distributed, though, being completely absent from some cookies. The vanilla crème is inoffensive when eaten with the cookies but also doesn’t bring much excitement. When eaten alone, it leaves a waxy residue, like bad cake frosting.

Anything else you need to know?

Little Debbie Snickerdoodle Creme Pies Whole

I was shocked at how tiny these are. The Oatmeal Crème Pies I eat are much larger, and it sent me down Google hole to find out what was going on. It turns out there are actually two Oatmeal Crème Pie sizes commonly available. The large is often marked for individual sale and seen in convenience stores, and the smaller can be seen in multipacks at grocery stores. The Snickerdoodle Crème Pies seem even smaller than those. What I’m saying is that if your preferred size is the Triple Decker Oatmeal Crème Pie, you should plan on eating several of these.

Conclusion:

These are serviceable yet unremarkable cookies. Those who love snickerdoodle cookies might love them, but others will probably find them unexciting.

Purchased Price: $2.29
Size: 9.57 oz/8 pack
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cookie) 150 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 mg milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar (including 14 grams of added sugars), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Churro Shake

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Sonic Churro Shake Cup

Giddy at the prospect of living within a reasonable distance of a Sonic for the first time in my life, I couldn’t wait to make up for lost time by downing the new limited edition Churro Shake. Technically it doesn’t officially debut until August 1st, but us early birds can order now using the Sonic app.

I was greeted by a generous helping of the super-dense, velvety-smooth whipped cream that I always think of as “the good stuff.” That whipped cream, in turn, was topped with a sparkling smattering of cinnamon sugar (plus, like all Sonic shakes, a cherry, though that addition didn’t seem particularly relevant to this flavor).

Sonic Churro Shake Cherry

The shake consists of vanilla ice cream mixed with cinnamon sugar and caramel, but the taste of vanilla definitely packed the strongest punch to me. That might seem disappointing for a treat whose name gives the word “churro” top billing, but honestly, I didn’t think the relative subtleness of the churro-esque elements was a bad thing. Sonic’s vanilla soft serve is so dang good that all a new flavor has to do is complement it, and this shake certainly succeeds. Sure, mine was not quite as brown as the promotional images promise, but cinnamon and caramel are both substances where a little goes a long way, so I still appreciated how they added plenty of extra richness and warmth to this decadent dessert without making it too overbearing.

Of course, another notable discrepancy between the promo image and the shake I was actually served was the namesake itself. In the promo image, the churro peeks jauntily out from the top like a crunchy feather in the shake’s cap. In my shake, the churro was ostensibly AWOL. It’s understandable how something so dense and doughy would sink straight to the bottom, but I couldn’t even see a hint of the sweet snack submerged within. It wasn’t until I caught myself thinking, “What a pleasant churro-inspired shake” mid-sip that it occurred to me that there actually was supposed to be a real churro somewhere in there that was actually intended to be a major component.

Sonic Churro Shake Digging

With some tactical spoon maneuvering, I was able to recover it. It’s a good few inches long and wasn’t the half-hearted mix-in I might have expected. It had the characteristic sweet-with-a-cinnamon-kick flavor, plus that coveted crispy exterior and softer (but not too soft, since it had just gone diving in a lake of ice cream, after all) interior. It’s just unfortunate that there wasn’t really any clear way to enjoy such a large chunk at the same time as the rest of the already-formidably-thick shake, so I had to take a break to munch it down before continuing my slurping. I also could have done with another churro piece or two in there, but hey, I’ll take it.

Sonic Churro Shake Churro Closup

This shake may not be reinventing the wheel (or the cinnamon-and-sugar-dusted snack), but it is extremely delicious. If you’re blessed by proximity to a Sonic like I now am, do yourself a favor and pick one up before it’s gone on September 25th.

Purchased Price: $5.09
Size: Medium
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 960 calories, 46 grams of fat, 29 grams of saturated fat, 560 milligrams of sodium, 120 grams of carbohydrates, 84 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Post Waffle Crisp Cereal (2022)

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Post Waffle Crisp Cereal Box

I didn’t ask for the return of Post Waffle Crisp Cereal because I didn’t know it was gone.

Honestly, it’s been over a decade since I’ve had a bowl of it. When I discovered it was discontinued, I wondered why because, from what I remember, it’s a great tasting cereal. Well, I guess since I didn’t buy it, I’m part of the reason why it got axed. I took it for granted and didn’t give it the love it deserved. Although, now that I think about it, I rarely saw it on shelves. So maybe it’s not that I didn’t give it love. Instead, Waffle Crisp avoided me, so I couldn’t give it the love it deserved. Yeah, that’s it.

But now it’s back, and I got a free sample, so I can reconnect. And after enjoying it again, I wonder why I’ve been so cold to Waffle Crisp. Maybe it’s me and always being interested in the hot newness instead of the classics. Although now that I think about it, perhaps it’s Post’s fault because it seems so focused on pushing new Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles products into other grocery store aisles that it distracts me from other Post cereals. Yeah, that’s it.

Post Waffle Crisp Cereal Dry

But I’ll forgive Post because the box has filled my office with an enticing artificial maple aroma. Its flavor fills me with regret because I have denied my taste buds this delicious cereal for so long. With one sniff and taste, there’s no denying this is a waffles and syrup-flavored cereal, although there were moments when I could’ve sworn I tasted Cap’n Crunch, which is what I said about another waffles-flavored cereal. After finishing a bowl, I wanted to eat more. So I did the adult thing. I ate another bowl. Because that’s what adults can do.

Post Waffle Crisp Cereal Milk

But it’s not just the flavor that gets me; it’s how the cereal is like waffles in another way. Those holes in every piece are good at capturing and holding milk, much like the pockets on a waffle contain syrup. But even though they’re milk sponges, they maintain some crunchiness thanks to their denseness. As for the after milk, because a noticeable amount of syrup flavor ends up in it, it’s a wonderful way to end a bowl of cereal.

While I haven’t experienced Waffle Crisp as much as I should have since its debut in 1996, I’m glad it’s been given another chance, and I’ve been given another opportunity to provide it with the love it deserves.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.5 oz box
Purchased at: Received from Post
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/4 cup) 160 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams of sugar (15 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Doritos Tangy Tamarind

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Doritos Tangy Tamarind Bag

Despite having several beverages with tamarind in them, I can’t tell you what it is.

Its name makes me think of an obscure wind instrument or an obscure children’s cartoon character known for making body noises that sound like an obscure wind instrument. But it’s none of those things because I imagine a beverage with either one blended into it would taste horrible and not provide the sour flavor that tamarind offers.

I’m not even going to do the usual thing I do when I don’t know what something is or want to spoil the plot of a TV show/movie I haven’t watched yet — check Wikipedia. I’m just going to be clueless about tamarind until, I dunno, someone decides to share what it is in the comments below that hopefully gets lost among explanations that other folks fabricate.

Doritos Tangy Tamarind’s bag evokes thoughts of cheese. Wait. Is tamarind orange in color? Again, I’m ignorant of the, um, whatever it is. Is it a fruit? Is it a root? Is it a plant? Or is it an ant? Is it used as ink? I don’t know what to think.

Doritos Tangy Tamarind Closeup

With its dark red seasoning, the chips could be mistaken for something on the Flamin’ Hot side of the family. They smell like regular corn tortilla chips with a sweet aroma that includes a little something that hints at spiciness.

Doritos Tangy Tamarind Back Bag

The back of the bag offers a big hint that things will get spicy. However, its kick is a few levels below what one’s mouth will experience when eating something with Flamin’ Hot seasoning. Along with the spiciness are a light sweetness and a sour flavor that’s probably supposed to be the tamarind. But I’ve had a lot of lime-flavored Frito-Lay chips, like Hint of Lime Tostitos and Doritos Twisted Lime, and this sure tastes a lot like lime. Again, I have no idea what tamarind is, so maybe it’s part of lime’s family tree. With most chips, the sourness level is about equal to the chip’s spiciness, and that balance, along with hints of garlic and onion powder, makes for a great tasting chip.

Doritos Tangy Tamarind Plate

With that said, I can’t help but think these chips are a less spicy version of Doritos Flamin’ Hot Limon that came out in 2020, which I loved. So if you liked the taste of those chips, but you’d enjoy them more with a tad less heat, Doritos Tangy Tamarind is here to tantalize your taste buds. Even if you don’t know what tamarind is.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 2 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 11 chips/28 grams) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast

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Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Can

What is it?

Baja Blast has washed down Nachos Supreme with authority for nearly two decades. Introduced in August 2004 as the first ever fast food exclusive soda collaboration between Pepsi and Taco Bell, the fan favorite has been allowed to spread its bubbly wings over the past eight years. Not only can the popular pop be bought in 20-ounce bottles and 12-packs at Walmart, but in 2022 it expanded into the burgeoning low-calorie energy drink market via Mtn Dew Energy.

How is it?

Baja Blast was designed specifically to complement Taco Bell’s salty and spicy food, so the profile has always been kind of mild and admittedly isn’t a favorite of mine from the Mtn Dew lineup. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll get the Zero Sugar version anytime I get a fountain drink at Taco Bell, but on its own, it doesn’t pack a whole lot of “wow” factor compared to the original, Code Red, or recent limited editions like Spark.

Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Glass

The flavor is hard to pin down because it’s so mild, but regular Baja Blast is described by PepsiCo as “a tropical lime storm,” and that’s fairly accurate if we’re talking about a very mild and sweet storm, like a key lime storm. Take that bit of sweet key lime and collide it with the classic inevitable Dew flavor and some nondescript citrus, and you’ve got your Baja blanket. To go along with the mild flavor, the can delivers a low level of carbonation with fairly wide bubbles that I want a bit more presence from. Even though the smoothness may be preferable for some, I like a nice bubbly burst and think some tighter bubbles would bring out more citrus storminess.

Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Pour

Anything else you need to know?

One of the features of Mtn Dew Energy is its use of fruit juice, and that small 5% of fruit juice does have an impact here, and it’s not a good one. The use of white grape juice concentrate makes the Energy version of Baja a touch less sweet than its purely artificial-based counterpart, which is a detriment to the flavor as a whole. I even get some grape juice flavor in the finish that builds the more I sip, which isn’t surprising since it’s the second ingredient. It’s very drinkable, and I’m sure it would go swimmingly with a Crunchwrap Supreme, but as a flavor, it’s not an improvement over the original.

Conclusion:

Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Caffeine

Mtn Dew Energy remains a good but not great line, with only one or two flavors that really impress me. I could see myself repurchasing this if it was on a good sale but will likely reach for a bolder, punchier lime when I want my citrus craving quenched.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 16 oz can
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 180 milligrams of caffeine.

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