REVIEW: Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew

/ / Reviews / 3 Comments

How many combinations of cold brew and cold foam do we think Starbucks has up its sleeve? The newest to the lineup is the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew. This one has the Starbucks signature Cold Brew with vanilla syrup, plus a hazelnut cold foam and a chocolate cookie topping.

Dear reader, I’m not going to chocolate/hazelnut-coat it for you. This one just didn’t hit the mark in my book. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. I find it easiest to break this review into a set of bullet points with my thoughts. Here goes:

  • The biggest thing missing from this drink was the hazelnut. I didn’t get a hint of it at all. I honestly thought the cold foam was chocolate versus hazelnut because the chocolate flavor was MUCH more prominent. That said, I did like the chocolate crumble topping. It got a little melty with the cold foam and was a nice treat to finish off at the end when it got to the bottom of the cup.
  • Despite the cold foam not having the flavor it should, it was its usual, nice foaminess with good volume on the top of the drink. It settled in nicely with the Starbucks Cold Brew, making the beverage smooth and easy to drink.
  • I will say the flavor got better as I went along. It took me about an hour or so to finish it, and I liked it a little more at the end. It could be attributed to that cold foam hitting the bottom of the cup, or it could be that I was warming up to it.

A final random musing: I do not know if this is part of the Starbucks revamp we’ve been hearing about in terms of its products and customer service, but I could NOT get the lid off this cup. Did the cups change? Someone, please let me know in the comments to make me feel better about my apparent hand weakness. This lid was absolutely locked. It made me feel better about driving with it and carrying it up three flights of stairs to my office, but apologies for not getting a photo with the lid off, internet friends.

This drink was okay but definitely not knock-your-socks-off good. We’ll see how long this one sticks around!

Purchased Price: $4.95
Size: Tall
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 180 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 19 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of protein and 145 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Starbucks Midnight Drink

/ / Reviews / 1 Comment

Starbucks’ latest winter launch is all about cozy vibes—think mixology-inspired flavors with a touch of hygge. This new limited-time lineup includes the Blackberry Sage Refresher, Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher, and the Midnight Drink.

According to Starbucks’ development team, the inspiration came from customers looking for something refreshing and soothing during the colder months, as well as the growing mixology trend of pairing fruit and herbs together.

Visually, they designed the drink to have a deep violet hue with hints of red to evoke a winter sunset or the warmth of a cabin retreat.

I was all in on the concept, as I’m all about interesting flavor combinations and cozy winter vibes. So, I decided to try the Midnight Drink. I usually go for Refreshers with coconut milk, such as the Pink Drink or Dragon Drink. This one features the Blackberry Sage Refresher base with coconut milk and blackberry inclusions.

From the first sip, the flavor felt well-balanced—sweet but distinctly herbal, almost savory. The savory note might just be my brain associating sage with Thanksgiving turkey, but it definitely added depth. Unfortunately for me, it’s peak cold and flu season, and I’ve been eating a lot of elderberry-flavored lozenges, which have a similar flavor — fruity but herbal.

The more I sipped, the more I appreciated the flavors, but it definitely tasted medicinal. That might be some people’s jam, but it’s not mine. I can’t have orange-flavored things without thinking of liquid Motrin or most grape-flavored things without tasting Dimetapp.

Like all Refreshers, I love how the freeze-dried fruit rehydrates in the drink. It adds a nice texture, and I always enjoy eating the fruit pieces. It was my first time having blackberry like this, and it worked well!

I love the bold innovation and strongly believe Starbucks should keep it up. But this particular fruit-and-herb pairing isn’t for me.

Purchased Price: $5.75
Size: Grande (16 fl oz)
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 140 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, and 55mg caffeine.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Sundaes Ice Cream

/ / Reviews / 8 Comments

After being a pivotal part of the Ben & Jerry’s European scene for years, the pre-packed Sundae has finally arrived in the States. Like 2021’s Topped lineup, these new flavors bring a plussed-up-pint experience to your home freezer. Ben & Jerry’s Sundaes combine all the usual chunks and swirls of B&J’s classics adorned with a new whipping topping and extra chunks. Interestingly, the first significant drop from the company this year saw the ice cream containers getting larger with Scoop-apalooza, and these new Sundaes are the first time I can recall seeing a 14.4-ounce package as opposed to the standard 16-ounce pint.

The newly added whipped topping has a texture very similar to Cool Whip. It doesn’t deflate like a proper whipped cream, but it also tempers quicker and is softer than your average ice cream base. However, it is devoid of an off-putting artificial taste. It’s firm enough to hold up some light chunks and swirls, but it’s a notable contrast to Ben & Jerry’s dense, full-fat ice cream. Now, onto the individual flavors:

Cookie Vermont-ster

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cookie swirls topped with a fudge-swirled whipped topping and fudge chips.

This packaged ode to the epic Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop sundae experience is essentially a slight deviation from the classic Milk & Cookies pint, and it delivers just as much satisfaction as that lineup staple. Here we have fudge chips instead of chocolate chocolate chip cookies and a fluffy whipped topping that elevates the creaminess of the already smooth and delightful vanilla ice cream.

The biggest addition by subtraction to this flavor profile is the lack of double chocolate cookies, allowing the chocolate chip cookies to take center stage as the lone non-swirl mix-in. This brings a defined brown sugar flavor and excellent chewy cookie texture to nearly every bite. The fudge chips’ crunch is a welcome addition, but chocolate is definitely a complimentary taste amongst all the sweet vanilla and buttery cookie bliss.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 130g) 370 calories, 21 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 35 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Dulce De-lish!

Salted caramel ice cream with pecan toffee pieces and caramel swirls topped with caramel-swirled whipped topping and sea salt fudge chunks.

This is, as the name implies, absolutely delicious. The salted caramel ice cream is smooth and buttery, perfectly accented by the caramel swirls, which bring a solid, sticky sweetness to the rich, dense base. The whipped topping works seamlessly with the ice cream, accentuating the creaminess without particularly standing out, and the pecan toffee pieces bring a pleasant little crunch against all of the smoothness in the pint.

The only way this could be better is if the sea salt fudge chunks were also filled with caramel, but there’s so much caramel up and down this flavor that it’s much less of a need and more of a (selfish, caramel-loving) want.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 137g) 370 calories,18 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 36 grams of total sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Turtle Sundae

Buttery ice cream with fudge-covered almonds and pretzel swirls topped with a caramel-swirled whipped topping and fudge-covered pretzel pieces.

The buttery ice cream base is a lot like a sweet cream in that it provides a relatively blank flavor canvas but leans into the rich, buttery notes over the creamier, dairy-laden ones. It is exceptionally smooth and decadent and plays well with the fluffy caramel-laced whipped topping for a balanced, satisfying experience.

I don’t get quite as much pretzel swirl as I would like, but the ample amount of fudge-covered almonds and pretzel pieces bring more than enough crunchy saltiness to deliver on the turtle concept. I usually associate turtles with pecans, and while there are none here, I get some nutty, earthy pecan nuance from the pretzel pieces that tie the whole flavor together well. Fun fact: this is the only one of the initial four launch Sundae flavors to be new and exclusive to the US, which is a fitting homage to the turtle’s Midwest Chicago roots.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 134g) 400 calories, 23 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 30 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Choco-lotta Cheesecake

Chocolate cheesecake ice cream with chocolate cookies and chocolate cookie swirls topped with fudge-swirled whipped topping and sea salt fudge chunks.

I’m not sure I would ever guess “cheesecake” while digging into this sundae, but despite that, I think this is DIVINE. The chocolate cheesecake base doesn’t have a notable tang or anything I would immediately associate with Philly’s finest. But it has a very rich and decadent chocolate flavor that is more refined than the normal chocolate from Ben & Jerry’s. There’s a hint of cheesecake flavor there, but it is predominantly an incredibly deep and luscious chocolate flavor that only gets deeper with the double whammy of chocolate cookies and cookie swirls.

The cookies mixed in throughout the base make the flavor eat like a rich brownie batter with little pockets of gritty saltiness akin to a chocolate pie crust, and it is wonderful. Once again, the whipped topping is a great addition to the profile and the sea salt fudge chunks stand out more notably than in any other flavor, adding a nice pop of saltiness when they find their way onto my spoon. While some cheesecake pieces may have driven the concept all the way home, this is an undeniable creation that simply works and will deliver satisfaction for bonafide choco-lovers like myself.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 125g) 380 calories, 20 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product samples from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

REVIEW: Little Caesars Bacon & Cheese Crazy Puffs

/ / Reviews / 4 Comments

When Little Caesars debuted its Crazy Puffs in 2024, initially available in just Pepperoni and 3 Cheese & Herb flavors, I was genuinely gobsmacked by how much I enjoyed them. The compact, dense, yet satisfyingly snackable size, novel cupcake-y shape, a textural masterpiece of the crispy edges, gooey cheese, and doughy interior, and even the amount of food that came in each order for a surprisingly reasonable price were all thrilling.

The only thing faster than me pouncing on the opportunity to review the new Bacon & Cheese flavor was the employee who handed them to me in a cute miniature box only about five seconds after I ordered them, really living up to that “HOT-N-READY” tagline! (Okay, it was more like “LUKEWARM-N-READY” in this case, but I actually didn’t mind that, as I could appreciate the flavor and texture more without a burnt tongue.)

At first glance, these Puffs really didn’t look different from the original pepperoni-less ones since, in terms of size, color, and texture, the small, craggy bacon bits happen to look a lot like burnt bits of cheese. But, unexpectedly porky and salty for its modest quantity, the taste of the bacon actually reminded me a lot more of ham. This was an interesting change from the original flavor lineup, and the difference was solidified even further when I made it to the middle of my first Puff and encountered the sharp taste of the small, slightly congealed poof of cheddar-forward filling.

It had a nostalgic school lunch quality, reminding me of a rounder, less-likely-to-scald-the-roof-of-your-mouth Hot Pocket. While that was fun, the cheddar’s taste was harsher than I would prefer. It was noticeably different than the cheese on top of the Puff, which seemed to be Little Caesars’ usual familiar blend of mozzarella and muenster, forcing me to realize that when it came to my enjoyment, the cheese on top stayed on top.

That being said, the things I loved so much about the original generation of Crazy Puffs persisted here. The interior had a delightful chewiness (my order was slightly dry, but I’m willing to chalk that up to the natural hit-or-miss nature of chain restaurants), and those edges were still crispy, this time so pronounced that they made the center of the Puffs look dramatically sunken in, which made them even more fun to eat.

I ultimately preferred the original flavors, but that wasn’t so shocking or disappointing since they set such a high bar: in the grand scheme of pizza products, the Cheese & Bacon Crazy Puffs perform nicely, and if my local-ish Little Caesars was more conveniently located, I would love to try them again. It’s not easy to find something that combines portability, a solid portion, a reasonable price, a short wait time, and a delicious taste on top of all of that, so these are nothing to roll your eyes at. (They may, however, be something to roll your eyebrows at, at least if you’re Eugene Levy—go watch his fun Super Bowl commercial for these and you’ll see what I mean! Little Caesars is not liable for any eyebrows that escape in a flurry of zany adventures while consuming their products.)

Purchased Price: $4.34
Size: 4 Puffs
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 740 calories. Other nutritional numbers are not available at the time of writing. < p/>

REVIEW: McDonald’s BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese

/ / Reviews / 5 Comments

After this McDonald’s Angel Reese Special Meal, I hope there will be a Caitlin Clark McCrispy Cheesy Special topped with a feverish chipo-trey sauce, three bacon strips, and three cheese slices on a half courtato bun. (Yeah, I shoehorned that into the word “potato.”)

The headliner of the Angel Reese Special is the BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, or as McDonald’s also calls the meaty burger, the QPC, which is an acronym that has never crossed my lips. I don’t say it because I fear things could get confusing when I want to point out a particular Japanese mayonnaise on a burger, “It’s Kewpie, see?”

Speaking of condiments and toppings, Applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, pickles, onions, and a tangy, sweet barbecue sauce top the cheeseburger with a 1/4 lb beef patty and sesame seed bun. The meal also comes with a medium fries and drink. Because the Orange Hi-C is being promoted with the celebrity special (you can get any soft drink you like), and it’s been a while since I’ve had one, I ended up with the basketball-colored drink.

Peeling back the bun reveals a hodgepodge that, at first glance, could be mistaken for a skeleton driving a car with a pickle steering wheel and secured in the automobile with a bacon strip seat belt. (You don’t see it? Well, the HFCS in the Hi-C could be making me imagine things.) Despite the number of loose toppings, the steering wheel and skeleton, the BBQ sauce and cheese act as glues to prevent the vegetation from falling out. Also, with the onions, pickles, and BBQ sauce, I can’t but help think of the McBeloved/McDespised McRib.

Of course, this burger’s flavor doesn’t remind me of the McRib because the sauce is noticeably different. It tastes like something I’ve had from Sweet Baby Ray’s — sweet, tangy, and with a mild spicy kick. But its overall flavor is reminiscent of many other “bacon western BBQ” cheeseburgers I’ve had, which all have a flavor dominated by the sauce followed by the beef, bacon, and cheese. As for the plant-based toppings, the pickles make their sour sides known with bites that end up with them, and the onion slices are a bit muted when up against the sauce.

I wish the BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese was a permanent menu item. However, I’m not saying that because it’s a mind-blowing burger. It’s just good. But I really want to have the option of having a tasty bacon barbecue cheeseburger whenever I go to McDonald’s, which is something the menu will lack when this goes away.

Purchased Price: $12.99* (Angel Reese Special Meal)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 35 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 115 milligrams of cholesterol, 1460 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 36 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.

Scroll to Top