REVIEW: Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies

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Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies Package

What are Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies?

They are Keebler’s Chips Deluxe Cookies with not only milk chocolate chips but also white chocolate chips and candy sprinkles.

Sometimes birthday cake-flavored products are released to celebrate the significant anniversaries of a brand or company. Even though Keebler turned 167 years old last month, I don’t think these commemorate that. But now that I think about it, it was about a year ago when Nutella-maker Ferrero purchased the Keebler brand from Kellogg’s.

So Happy First Anniversary Under Ferrero, Keebler!

How are they?

I’ve had a lot of birthday cake-flavored products since the introduction of Birthday Cake Oreo in 2012. Most of them have a similar flavor profile — frosting and/or a little chocolate or golden cake batter flavor. That’s the standard my taste buds expect when it comes to the flavor. But these cookies are, let’s just say, a different take.

Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies Candle

They certainly do look the part with the colorful sprinkles providing a festive cake-like appearance. But when I eat them, why do my taste buds think of coconut? I mean, it’s faint and doesn’t happen with every bite, but it’s a bit odd. Maybe it’s the sprinkles, white chocolate, something baked into the cookie dough, or a combination of them causing that.

While these don’t remind me of birthday cake, they also don’t taste like chocolate chip cookies. I occasionally notice the milk chocolate, but with the mingling of other ingredients, they’re more of a nondescript tasting cookie. They’re not bad per se, but I can’t say I love them.

Anything else you need to know?

This review was posted on this site’s 16th birthday. I really should’ve made reviewing a birthday cake-flavored product on this day an annual thing. Maybe this review will start that. Or perhaps this is the last year?

Also, when was Ernie the Elf replaced with android Ernie the Elf?

Conclusion:

Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies look festive, but there’s no party in my mouth when I eat them.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the product. (Thanks Keebler!) Doing so did not influence this review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 9.5 oz package
Purchased at: Received from Keebler
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Chex Mix MAX’D Chili Jalapeno

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Chex Mix MAX D Chili Jalapeno Bag

What is Chex Mix MAX’D Chili Jalapeno?

Chex dropped its latest “MAX’D” variety featuring a cheesy, zesty kick with a splash of lime.

Chex Mix MAX D Chili Jalapeno Back of Bag

How is it?

It’s still hard to get used to a savory flavor on a “Muddy Buddy” textured Chex piece. When you associate a certain texture with a certain taste, it really throws you for a loop when it’s the complete opposite.

That being said, I did semi-adjust to the Chili Lime MAX’D pieces in time, and this is probably my favorite MAX’D variety. It’s slightly better than the other two I’ve tried thus far.

Chex Mix MAX D Chili Jalapeno Bowl

The chili flavor was an indiscriminate spice bomb, so the cool blast of lime on the finish was a real saving grace. The citrus balanced out the mix as a whole, which wreaked havoc on the back of my tongue. They weren’t quite Ghost Pepper Chex Mix level, but they probably rival the Flamin’ Hot line of Lay’s snacks in the heat department.

While the chili was kind of a bummer, the Jalapeno Cheddar non-blasted Chex pieces were fantastic. I’ve somehow avoided regular Jalapeno Cheddar Chex Mix my whole life, and these were a revelation. The jalapeno flavor dust wasn’t as caked on, but it was still somehow more recognizable than chili. The bag even smelled like the pepper.

Anything else you need to know?

Chex Mix MAX D Chili Jalapeno Pieces

This mix has the perfect role players in pretzels and cheddar crackers. Everyone’s favorite Chex Mix piece, (and probably my least favorite) the bagel chip, wouldn’t have worked here. I’m also glad they kicked those crappy little breadsticks to the curb.

I imagine this MAX’D line is gonna continue down the “spicy” path, but I would really love to try a sweet mix with Muddy Buddy pieces front and center.

Conclusion:

I liked MAX’D Chili Jalapeno, and I think you’ll like ’em too, but they feel like a first draft. All the pieces are there, but I wish the flavors were flipped a little. If the flavor blasted pieces were Jalapeno Lime, and the regular Chex were Chili Cheese, this snack may have been near perfect.

If anyone at General Mills is reading this, please make a Sweet Chili or Pizza Chex Mix next. I’ll even accept them in the MAX’D variety.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 4.25 oz bag
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 140 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 380 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal

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Kellogg s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal Box

What is Kellogg’s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal?

It’s a sweetened multi-grain cereal with pineapple, banana, orange, and mango flavors.

How is it?

Of the four fruits listed, pineapple is the only one I can truly distinguish with my non-toucan-sized nose.

Like regular Froot Loops, there aren’t any differences in flavor between the colors. So mix and match all you want, it’ll all taste the same in your mouth. And what does it taste like? Well, I can best explain it by taking the opening sentence of this review and adding some delete HTML tags to it, like this:

A sweetened multi-grain cereal with pineapple, banana, orange, and mango flavors.

If your tongue can pinpoint the banana in this, that would be more impressive than it being able to tie a cherry stem into a knot.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal Closeup

When eaten dry, the pineapple and orange flavors are most noticeable. Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to get a hint of mango in the aftertaste. But don’t eat this dry! When eating it with my usual Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, it tastes much better, and the fruitiness comes out more. Also, eating it dry allows the underlying multi-grain cereal to be more prominent in the aftertaste. I also noticed is that, even with milk, the flavors don’t have the same punch as original Froot Loops.

Anything else you need to know?

Even though the colors don’t determine any flavors, it’s hard to ignore the green ones. I understand the yellow one, which represents bananas and pineapples. The orange one is self-explanatory, and it probably also represents the mango. But I don’t understand the green ones. Looking at the box, do they stand for coconut tree leaves or the pineapple’s crown? It could also be mango, but a green mango means it’s not ripe.

Conclusion:

Overall, Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal was a bit of a letdown. As someone who enjoys banana, naturally or artificially flavored (Hello, fellow banana Runts lovers!), I wish I could taste it in this. Also, I do wish it had the same fruitiness level as regular Froot Loops.

Purchased Price: Way too much of eBay
Size: 10.1 oz box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3 cup without milk) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Volcano Queso and Scorpion BBQ Takis

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Limited Edition Volcano Queso and Scorpion BBQ Takis

Because Photoshop exists, I will not be posting on the internet pictures of my face with my blue-green colored tongue to show Limited Edition Volcano Queso and Scorpion BBQ Takis’ new color-changing effect.

But I will post my thoughts about how two limited time only tortilla chips taste.

Limited Edition Volcano Queso Takis

Volcano Queso is described as habanero pepper cheese flavored tortilla chips. With it including habanero, I was expecting the spiciness to be a bit more extreme. But I found the heat level to be less than anything with Flamin’ Hot seasoning. The cheese seasoning tastes like nacho cheese, so when combined with the habanero, the combo is like chili con queso, which is expected with a name like Volcano Queso.

Not having a habanero-level of heat was, at first, a little disappointing. But after eating a few more, I didn’t care about that because I realized these chips are fantastic just the way they are.

Limited Edition Scorpion BBQ Takis

While the Volcano Queso met my cheesy expectations, Scorpion BBQ was **researching scorpions** all metasoma, no venom. I assumed with the word “Scorpion” in its name that the snack would provide some burn. Instead, they have a slight kick.

No, “slight kick” is too strong of a phrase to accurately describe it.

It’s as if I was moving around rocks, and underneath one of those rocks was a scorpion, which freaked me out and caused me to accidentally drop the stone on the scorpion, squashing it. The feeling I notice with these Takis is as if the ghost of that scorpion stung me with its ghost tail, which made me think, “Did I feel something? Nah.”

The barbecue flavor is smoky, slightly sweet, and if you eat enough, you’ll probably also feel as if you might’ve gotten tapped by a ghost scorpion, but it’s also kind of blah. Scorpion BBQ was definitely a letdown in terms of spiciness and flavor.

Now let’s go back to the color-changing effect. I understand having my tongue turn blue-green definitely contrasts the color of the rolled tortilla chips. But I wish the Volcano Queso turned my tongue orange and the Scorpion BBQ made my mouth black.

Overall, get the Volcano Queso Takis if you love chili con queso, but you can skip Scorpion BBQ, even if you love BBQ.

Purchased Price: Way too much on eBay
Size: 9.9 oz bags
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Volcano Queso), 5 out of 10 (Scorpion BBQ)
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz) Volcano Queso – 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Scorpion BBQ – 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Snapple Name the Flav Juice Drink

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Snapple Name the Flav Juice Drink Bottle

What is the Snapple Name the Flav! Juice Drink?

Get out your Nancy Drew magnifying glasses – it’s another mystery flavor! This time, iced tea and juice slingers Snapple are dropping a nameless, unidentified juice with an associated contest – buy a bottle, guess the flavor, text in a proposed name, go to their website to vote for your favorite. The prize? Well, keep that magnifying glass handy…

Snapple Name the Flav Juice Drink Glass

How is it?

Enjoyment-wise, it’s a pretty good juice. Not too heavy, not too sweet, but bright and refreshing for summer. The coloring is deeper than the actual flavor.

Now, for The Case of the Mysterious Juice Flavor. I grabbed my bestie Ned Nickerson and we headed out to the old mill to investigate. Definitely fruity, but what kind? I leaned towards cranberry mixed with strawberry, perhaps…how about a combination of the two – CranBerry?

This guess still didn’t sit right with me, so I checked the ingredients list. Pear and grape juice concentrates. Yeah, I guess? It’s not your standard-issue snack food/juice grape flavor – it’s far more subtle. And pear is a tough flavor to make stand out. I think in a blind taste test, we would all come up with totally different guesses, because it’s not CLEARLY anything.

Snapple Name the Flav Juice Drink Ingredients

Anything else you need to know?

It’s a contest, but the prize is also a mystery. Wait – shouldn’t I know the endgame so I can scale my work accordingly? Are we talking about a 12-pack of Diet Peach Tea? Or a lifetime supply of Bret Michaels’ Trop-A-Rocka? That’s two very different levels of engagement for me.

The official rules are an interesting read. There’s a “Bragging Rights Winner,” aka – the public vote winner – with two caveats: 1) Snapple may or may not name the product after the winning entry! “Actual use of the Name is not part of the benefits for winning the Promotion,” and 2) “Entrants acknowledge there is no monetary value associated with receiving the most votes and winning the Promotion.” – hmmmmmm. So, no prize money?

There are also “surprise and delight” random prizes mentioned, with no indication of what they are or how they’re determined. Vague…

Snapple Name the Flav Juice Drink Winner

Conclusion:

If you’re into contests for the sake of contests, you’re gonna LOVE this. If you love mystery flavors or a big Snapple fan, you’re gonna like this. Everyone else, it’s worth a try. It’s a tasty juice without all the naming hoo-ha.

Purchased Price: 2 for $2.00 (on sale)
Size: 16 oz bottle
Purchased at: Duane Reade
Rating: (juice) 8 out of 10, (contest) 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (16 oz bottle) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of sugar (including 20g of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein.

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