REVIEW: Doritos Golden Sriracha

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A few years ago — or you know, a decade or so ago (time is a construct which escapes me) — sriracha was the flavor du jour. Mad food scientists in R&D for all the big food conglomerates were busy sticking the angry chili sauce in all of their products. McDonald’s did it. Taco Bell did it. Cheez-It and Pringles imbued their respective crackers and crisps with the much-beloved condiment.

Heck, even Doritos traveled down this road in 2019 with its Screamin’ Sriracha offering.

And so, a scant five years later and apparently running low on ideas, they’re back in an attempt to reignite snackers’ passion for the spicy sauce. Is this new version any different? And in a world packed with choices hoping to capture your snacking dollar, are they worth a go?

Well, the answer to the first question is a definite, “I don’t know, but it certainly looks that way?” I didn’t have the first iteration (I honestly don’t even recall seeing them in my area), but looking at pictures from our very own review five years back, the initial Sriracha Doritos were, well, “screamin’.” Violently red and absolutely blasted with seasoning, this was a very different chip.

The 2025 variant, by comparison, is a soft yellow color with mild, minimal seasoning specks. And, truth be told, it’s a pretty mild flavoring overall. If you’re familiar with sriracha, you know the drill — tangy, a bit vinegary, a little garlicky background, and the heat. This chip captures the tang pretty well — a sweet, ketchup-like zing — but I’m afraid it misses a lot of the nuanced undertones that make sriracha work so well. There’s a bit of vinegar, sure, but it’s slight. I don’t notice anything of a garlic nature. The heat kicks in on the back end of the first chip and is milder than the eponymous sauce, so if you can tolerate at least the teensiest bit of heat, these should pose no problem.

In the end, I found myself wishing these chips were just more. More seasoned. More fiery. More interesting. As it stands, if you’re looking for heat, you’d be better served choosing from Doritos Flamin’ Hot versions. And if you’re looking for a Doritos with sriracha flavor, might I suggest applying actual sriracha sauce to a regular Doritos chip? Because if you’ve never done that, you should.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 9.25 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (28 g) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cheese Pizza Cheetos Puffs

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Cheese pizza-flavored Cheetos Puffs? Why not? I like Cheetos. I like pizza. Two great tastes that taste great together?

Kind of.

As soon as I opened the bag, I was walloped with the familiar scent of Cheetos, layered beneath a hint of tomato and a punch of basil.

Basil, you ask? Yep, I was equally as confused. Unless I’m ordering a margherita pizza, I don’t typically expect basil to be among the predominant flavors in my pizza, especially not a cheese pizza, which by its very nature is assumed to be pretty basic, right? And yet, its presence was undeniable. Basil just feels a bit too “fancy” for lack of a better term.

Appearance wise, these are puffy Cheetos, the same ones you’ve come to know and love… just a hint redder in their orange-ness. Never fear, though! They will leave your fingers equally cheese dusted.

And now for the part you’ve all been waiting for… how did they taste?

Exactly like they smell: Cheetos, with a hint of tomato and a heavy pinch of basil for some reason. The basil flavor really does steal the show, edging out the tomatoes and even the cheese to take center stage. Now, I don’t have anything against basil, but it really feels out of place here. Maybe if they’d been called Margherita Pizza Cheetos Puffs, or even just Pizza Cheetos Puffs, it wouldn’t seem so… wrong. I feel like calling them specifically “Cheese Pizza Cheetos Puffs” and featuring a slice of pizza on the bag with not a hint of green in sight misaligned my expectations.

I was hoping for a fond callback to my beloved Keebler Pizzarias Cheese Pizza flavored chips (RIP), instead I got some cheese, some tomato sauce, and a whole lotta basil to drown them out.

Purchased Price: $5.39
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 150 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbs, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 1 gram of total sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Strawberries & Creme M&M’s

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Frequently for Valentine’s Day, M&M’s likes to bring us some new flavor involving strawberry or cherry because, of course, February is when those summer fruits are in season.

We have had Cherry Milk Chocolate, Strawberry Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Cake, and White Chocolate Strawberry Shake. And I swear there was a Valentine’s raspberry version in there somewhere, but I can’t find it.

For 2025, the flavor is White Chocolate Strawberries & Crème. And you might be thinking, “That sounds an awful lot like White Chocolate Strawberry Shake.” And you would be right.

I don’t have any of the Strawberry Shake variety with me, but the new Strawberries & Crème version tastes just like I remember the 2023 flavor. The main difference is that Mars removed green from the color scheme and replaced it with an extra shade of pink. (Though green was explainable, I still thought it was an odd choice. I fully support the new pink and red colors.)

So, even though it’s the same, how is it? It reminds me of strawberry milk: creamy, fruity, and artificial. I happen to like strawberry milk in all its fake-flavor glory, so I approve! Aside from the flavor, it’s the same white chocolate you find in other limited edition M&M’s. If you don’t like white chocolate, stay away, but I like it. (It might get cloying if you eat too many, but built-in moderation isn’t a bad thing!)

If Mars wants to rerelease an enjoyable candy with a new name and an improved color scheme, I certainly won’t complain. Especially since Valentine’s candy is probably the best thing about January and February.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 7.44 oz bag
Purchased at: Dick’s Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (16 pieces) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 19 grams of sugar including 17 grams of added sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso

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Dunkin’ is bringing some exciting espresso energy into the new year. On December 31st, it announced the limited time “Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso” beverage in partnership with pop singer Sabrina Carpenter.

If you don’t know who that is, her hit song “Espresso” single-handedly helped Americans pronounce espresso correctly. Hint: it’s not ex-presso!

Because Starbucks popularized the iced shaken espresso, I had to compare the OG (Starbucks’ Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso) to this Dunkin’ offering.

Starting with beverage build: While the beverage may seem simple – espresso, brown sugar, and oatmilk – there are differences in how each is made.

First, the espresso itself: Dunkin’ uses what it calls “bold espresso,” which I assume is a standard dark roast. Starbucks uses blonde espresso, a lighter roast with a higher caffeine content. Second, the brown sugar: Dunkin’ calls it “brown sugar notes,” whereas Starbucks specifies “brown sugar and cinnamon together.” Lastly, I will quickly note that both list “oatmilk,” but spoiler alert: this ingredient makes a huge difference in taste.

Now, onto the actual beverage experience and taste test: The first thing I noticed was size (insert one of Sabrina Carpenter’s dirty jokes here, as she often makes them). I usually don’t order Dunkin’ and Starbucks simultaneously, but the value comparison was striking when compared side-by-side. A small iced at Dunkin’ is 16 ounces, whereas a small at Starbucks is 12 ounces. The latter is 15% more expensive and 4oz less! +1 to Dunkin’.

However, I’d rather have less of a good thing than more of a “just okay” thing. Flavor-wise, Starbucks’ version just tasted better. It had more depth – the brown sugar tasted less corn syrup-like and more deep and developed with the cinnamon as the final note.

Dunkin’s version, on the other hand, started strong. It was more espresso-forward, but I couldn’t get over the aftertaste. It wasn’t overpowering but faintly artificial and what I can only describe as “eggy” or yolk-like tasting, which I attributed to the oatmilk. Dunkin’ typically uses Planet Oat oatmilk, while Starbucks uses Oatly.

Ultimately, Dunkin’s drink reminded me more of a “regular” Starbucks Iced Shaken Espresso—not quite delivering on the promise of a Brown Sugar Oatmilk Espresso.

Sabrina made me do it, but I’m sticking to Starbucks for this shaken espresso rendition!

Purchased Price: $4.89
Size: Small (16 oz)
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 120 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar (including 18 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream

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Cinnabon is the Febreeze of a shopping mall. When you are within the aroma radius of a Cinnabon, all the other smells are enveloped by the enticing lure of cinnamon, cream cheese, and dough. While the Eau de Cinnabon is strong, the flavors of one of its famous cinnamon rolls are even stronger. However, that bold taste is not what you get with Baskin-Robbins’ Flavor of the Month Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream, which features cinnamon roll ice cream, dough pieces, and cinnamon cream cheese swirls.

The cinnamon roll base has a mild cinnamon flavor with a little something else that makes it taste a little bit different than a straight-up cinnamon-flavored ice cream. While the actual baked good has a bold flavor from the spice, it doesn’t hit the taste buds as hard here. With that said, it doesn’t lack flavor or anything like that, but again, it’s just that I wish the warm spice punch was more potent. Not even the cinnamon cream cheese swirls did anything to amp things up.

As for the cream cheese, the same thing I’ve written about the cinnamon level in this scoop above can be written about the cream cheese taste. While it’s definitely noticeable and gives the ice cream scoop a pleasant tanginess, it’s as slight as the spice.

As for the dough pieces, they don’t seem to add any cinnamon or cream cheese taste. They’re just there to provide a texture similar to the cookie dough pieces you’d find in any chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. As someone who loves those chewy pieces whenever they show up in ice cream, I have no complaints about their texture, but I wish they added something to help enhance the flavor.

I know I sound down about Baskin-Robbins Cinnamon Roll Ice cream, but I definitely did enjoy it. Again, I just wish the cinnamon and cream cheese notes were stronger instead of tasting closer to what I imagine eating the cinnamon and cream cheese-saturated air inside a Cinnabon location is like.

Purchased Price: $4.39
Size: Single Scoop
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2.5 scoop) 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

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