Oh, hey! Doing YouTube videos again because my phone’s video camera feels neglected and is sick of all the TikTok dance videos I never post. If you’ve been following this site for more than a decade, you know that this is like the fifth time I’ve restarted doing YouTube videos. Anyhoo, enjoy. And thanks to General Mills for the sample!
If the exploding patriotic red and blue stars and stripes on this bag are any indication, it is officially America’s birthday. That makes me excited because, in snack food language, that means in about four weeks, it will officially be Halloween; the pumpkin is a-comin! But before spooky season begins in July, Doritos has unleashed a new chip flavor by way of every fireworks-fueled party’s greatest asset — a bowl of warm and gooey queso.
I went into this bag of chips optimistic that I would enjoy them but also nearly positive that I knew what I was going to taste. Last year, I wrote about Fritos Flavor Twists Queso, and being that the new Doritos Twisted Queso comes from the same company, it felt intuitively like a quick and easy rebrand. A twist, a corn chip, a queso — same thing, right? I was wrong!
These new Doritos were not what I was expecting, and in this case, that’s a good thing. I like the Queso Fritos Twists quite a bit, but these are even better. Yes, Fritos Twists are possibly the greatest corn chip form factor ever, but the flavor of these new Doritos is notably different in the best way.
Twisted Queso starts with a nice salty, layered cheese taste that quickly gets perfectly accented by a nice salsa-adjacent pepper flavor. There is a bit of heat that rounds out the profile, but these are instantly more dynamic and deep than I remember from the Fritos, and I really enjoy them. These taste much less like the other chip with Queso in the name and more like a cheese-ified version of the often overlooked Salsa Verde Doritos, an all-time chip in my book.
I had to make sure I wasn’t going crazy and do a little bit of ingredient sleuthing work to confirm what my tastebuds detected — and I was right. There are three key differences between Twisted Queso Doritos and Fritos Twists Queso. The Doritos use jalapeño pepper instead of bell pepper, which accounts for that little peppery kick. They also use Romano and cheddar cheese, whereas the Fritos just use cheddar. The Fritos also contain tomato powder, which keeps them feeling a bit sweeter, whereas the Doritos more prominently feature garlic powder. Long story short — they’re not the same recipe at all.
In the battle of corny twisted queso chips, there is a clear victor, and one that surprisingly stands up with the best of what Doritos has to offer — a true cheesy jalapeño delight.
Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 2 5/8 ounces
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (11 chips, 28g) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 190 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugars, 2 grams of protein.
As Selena Gomez’s hit song said, the heart wants what it wants. My heart wants more Oreo collaborations—not because I crave connection to a favorite star, but because Oreo’s celebrity collaborations yield interesting and inventive flavors. As we junk food fans know, wild possibilities are endless. If we work together, can we manifest a Judge Judy or Weird Al Yankovic Oreo?
In the meantime, I’ll let Selena Gomez Oreo Cookies imbue some glamor and spice in my life. Dressed in pink foil packaging, the cookies follow the Post Malone Oreo as the latest limited edition Oreo-celebrity collaboration. Selena’s signature Oreo is a “horchata-inspired” sandwich cookie. Broken down, the sandwich consists of chocolate cinnamon wafer cookies and two crèmes: chocolate cinnamon and sweetened condensed milk with cinnamon sugar.
Yes, you read “cinnamon” three times in that last sentence. While the individual cinnamon-kissed components are fantastic, the spice somewhat dominates the cookie. The wafers taste like cinnamon cookies touched with cocoa, something like chocolate speculoos. Both cremes are delicious, but the sweetened condensed milk crème is so good that future Oreo muse Weird Al might write a song about it. Its rich milkiness carries a hint of caramelization that makes regular Oreo crème seem like a sugary bore in comparison. Its cinnamon sugar crystals add more flavor than texture without much noticeable grit or crunch.
As one bite, the Oreo loses the nuances that make each component exciting. Cinnamon takes over, and while the cocoa is enough to make the cookie taste different from any number of Cinnamon Toast Crunch products on the market, it’s not enough to taste very chocolatey. I’m not sure both cremes needed cinnamon elements, and I would have loved more of the condensed milk creme to balance out the flavors. Like a cup of cinnamon hot cocoa on a cold day, the cookies’ unexpected combination of sweetness and spice hits the spot, but I didn’t like them as well as the Post Malone Oreos.
Like that product, the Selena Gomez cookies include embossed wafer designs (like headphones, a heart, and the star’s signature) and a QR code on the package that leads to exclusive content for fans.
Whether you adore Selena (Selenators, there’s an embossed wafer dedicated to you!) or cinnamon (cinna-minions, show yourselves!), these Oreos are a must-try. While I would have preferred more chocolate or condensed milk creme, I will still finish the package as I dream up new collaborations. If Selena can convince costars Steve Martin and Martin Short to collaborate on a Double Stuf Oreo, I’ll buy a second package.
Purchased Price: $5.29
Size: 10.68 oz package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.
Right after the introduction of Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets, I felt it was inevitable that Taco Bell would eventually follow up with chicken tenders and shared that with no one who could confirm I actually thought that. Why did I come to this conclusion back then? Well, I had a gut feeling because Taco Bell didn’t stuff those chicken nuggets into a flour tortilla that ended up in my gut.
So here we are with the chain’s new Crispy Chicken Strips made in the same way as its nuggets. And they also come stuffed in tortillas! You can purchase them as a two-strip pack with your choice of dipping sauce. Or you can get one of them in a taco with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, purple cabbage, and your choice of Spicy Ranchero Sauce or Avocado Ranch. Or you can get two of them in a burrito with the same stuff that’s in the taco. Since I felt like I needed to spice up my life, I decided to order the taco and burrito with the Spicy Ranchero Sauce. However, I also picked up an order of chicken strips.
Let’s start with the Chicken Strips on their own, which I got with a Spicy Ranch Sauce. Compared with the chain’s nuggets, which have a satisfying crunch, these strips had an exterior that was less so. It also didn’t stick to the chicken very well, as after my first bite, I noticed the coating started to peel off from the poultry. Of course, your results may vary.
The lightly seasoned coating, infused with Mexican spices, tastes fine and is similar to the nuggets, but it is enhanced by a sauce. While they taste fine and the poultry is tender, I don’t think I’d repurchase them because an order is just TWO pieces that made the sleeve they came in look very roomy.
Although it’s the same chicken, I enjoyed the strips much more in the taco and burrito. Oddly, even though they have the same ingredients, I preferred the messier taco over the burrito because I felt like I could better taste all the ingredients in it.
The highlight of both was the Spicy Ranchero Sauce, which complements the spices in the chicken’s coating. The peppery and smoky condiment made every bite a tasty one, and while “spicy” is in its name, I thought it was pretty mild. No Baja Blast Mountain Dew is needed. There were also acidic bursts from the tomatoes in the pico de gallo and an intense cheesiness from the cheddar.
As for texture, I felt that the chicken maintained most of its crispiness in the taco better than in the burrito. That makes sense since I know through personal experience with bubble wrap that it can get quite stuffy in a burrito. However, not all crunch is lost with the burrito because the purple cabbage does maintain some in the flour tortilla sauna.
Overall, if you want to experience Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Strips, I’d recommend getting either the taco or burrito that features them. Again, getting them on their own seems like you’re not getting your money’s worth because it’s only two. Though, I think my gut would feel better if it came with three for the same price.
Purchased Price: $4.99 (Chicken Strips), $3.59 (Taco), $7.19 (Burrito)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chicken Strips), 8 out of 10 (Taco), 7 out of 10 (Burrito)
Nutrition Facts: Crispy Chicken Strips – Not currently available on the Taco Bell website. Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Taco – 240 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 640 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar (including less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 11 grams of protein. Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Burrito – 500 calories, 20 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 1310 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar (including 1 gram of added sugar), and 23 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
Leading up to summer – and definitely when it officially arrives – I think we all have similar goals. We’d like to be doing something that isn’t our daily grind, ideally not sweating our faces off, and sipping on a beverage that transports us to somewhere else. If we have to be where we are and a bit jealous of anyone on a vacation (even if they’re probably wearing a sunburn and more mosquitos than their pictures indicate), we deserve a refreshing drink that promises fizz, fun, and a splash of something extra.
Dunkin’ sees this need and offers us the Pink Spritz Refresher, a fruity mix of guava, passion fruit, and orange served over ice and shaken with sparkling water. Continuing its trend of celebrity endorsements, the ad for this drink features Paige DeSorbo of Summer House fame. Is this worth mentioning? I can’t say because I’m pretty uncool and have never seen that show. I can tell you about the drink though!
I read our recent review of the Tropical Guava Refresher, and when I received my Pink Spritz Refresher, questions immediately formed in my head. My drink was pink-forward in color but also carried an orangey sunset tinge. It looked kind of…familiar. Thirsty and ready to find out what it tasted like, I took a sip and found it pleasantly tart, sweet, and bubbly. I initially thought the flavor of passion fruit came through most with guava coming in second and orange being mostly in the background. As a passion fruit fan, I’m pleased to see that flavor gaining popularity and making more appearances. The overall blend was reminiscent of a tropical punch and sort of made me feel like I was drinking tropical Jolly Ranchers. The sparkling water had the right amount of carbonation, with plenty of crisp bubbles, yet still remained laid-back and not overly bubbly.
As I continued to sip and thought more about what I was tasting, things were leaning in the guava direction. I looked at my Dunkin’ app and checked the ingredients. It turns out that the Pink Spritz Refresher uses the same concentrate as Tropical Guava, but where the Guava version is made with green tea, the Spritz version uses sparkling water. Dunkin’ is calling this the Summer of Refreshers, but in light of this development, perhaps it’s also the Summer of Redundancy? I suppose it was silly of me to think that they’d have two different flavors that both featured guava in the rotation at the same time, but I do feel a bit like the folks at Dunkin’ are trying to pull the sun hat over our eyes. At the price of $3 for a medium all summer long, I can’t be mad about it. The Pink Spritz is true to its refreshing moniker and a very enjoyable thirst quencher if you’re craving something cold and caffeinated to take your tastebuds to the tropics.
Purchased Price: $3.32 ($3 deal in-app, regular price $4.39)
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 130 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 28 grams of total sugar, and 1 gram of protein
