REVIEW: Kit Kat Ghost Toast

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Only a junk food enthusiast will experience an emotional rollercoaster ride upon the release of a new Kit Kat flavor. This time, Kit Kat Ghost Toast, the brand’s newest seasonal Halloween flavor described as “crisp wafers in cinnamon toast flavored creme,” elicited the following reactions, in this order:

  • Delight. Ghost Toast! How cute! It rhymes!
  • Concern. Can ghosts even eat toast? Won’t the crumbs just fall through their hollow bellies directly onto the ground? Is this why they moan and rattle chains? Are they hungry for toasty warm bread they’ll never experience? Since I misplaced my Ouija board, I’ll never know.
  • Relief. On the bright side, Kit Kat has chosen an appealing flavor with whimsical wordplay that is neither overdone (like boo-berry) nor unhinged (imagine a boo-loney or ghoul-ash Kit Kat!).

Sufficiently in spooky mode, I bought a bag of snack size bars from Giant Eagle’s Halloween candy display. From the winking ghost on each wrapper to the candy’s orange-colored creme, these bars are well-dressed for the season. They will make a fun addition to any treat bag or scary movie night.

The Kit Kats may emit a scent reminiscent of a Christmas candle, but their flavor makes up for it. Ghost Toast tastes so much like a dream collaboration between Kit Kat and Cinnamon Toast Crunch that my initial concern swelled to a panic. Is the ghost on the Kit Kat wrapper the spirit of CTC’s former baker mascot, Wendell?

While it may be too late for me, don’t let this conspiracy theory divert you from the Kit Kat’s delicious cinnamon flavor. The cinnamon is strongly concentrated within the crisp wafers, a smart choice to achieve a perfect pairing of taste and texture. One crunchy bite will remind you of cinnamon-sugar toast or cereal.

The creme has some cinnamon flavor, but the familiar sweet, white chocolate-esque taste of Kit Kat’s white creme shines more. Further supporting the Cinnamon Toast Crunch vibe, the cinnamon-tinged creme reminds me of the Cinnadust-infused frosting released by Betty Crocker. Some might find the creme too sweet to be true to the flavor of cinnamon toast, but Kit Kat Departed Soul Iced Cinnamon Roll just doesn’t have the same zing.

Kit Kat Ghost Toast is cinnamon toast meets creamy candy sweetness. The cinnamon in the wafers elevates the cinnamon flavor significantly. It is such a major improvement on the brand’s past cinnamon endeavors (namely the okay-but-forgettable Churro Kit Kat) that you will be shocked not to see Cinnamon Toast Crunch branding on the wrapper. Try it before the season is over—or be haunted by the missed opportunity.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 9.8 oz bag
Purchased at: Giant Eagle
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 2 bars) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Hostess Mystery Flavor Twinkies

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Unless he commits a series of particularly heinous murders or, god forbid, becomes an elected official, it stands to reason that we will not know the name Dude Dad in five years. (To be frank, I didn’t know it before buying this box of Twinkies.) Like 98% of all modern day internet characters, he is transient by nature, and will be gone as quickly as he appeared, a mildly concerning but short-lived rash in YouTube form.

It is fitting, then, that he is the spokesdude for Twinkies’ new mystery flavor; mystery flavors, be they for soda or snack cake, are not made with permanence in mind. Instead, they exist as a quick way for their brand to make a buck when all of their standard offerings are lagging.

So what IS Twinkies’ new mystery flavor? Opening my first package, I got a slight odor of “mildly burning plastic.” That dissipated quickly, however, and I was left with the scent of straight-up Twinkie. The spongy outer cake is traditional Twinkie, so no clue there. The cream, however, was distinctly different from a traditional Twinkie filling and, quite honestly, all over the map. My first thought was, “Oh, this is just cream cheese flavored?” And then, “No, wait— this is definitely berry.” By my third dip, I was convinced it was something tropical—pineapple, perhaps—but I was getting cotton candy notes by the fourth taste.

In the end, I had no idea. I tried the filling from two more Twinkies and had similarly diverging tastes each time. I even managed to add Key Lime and “something citrusy” to my list of guesses, and if I had to absolutely wager on something, I’d go with “Key Lime pie.” I’ll keep trying to guess because, hey, these are pretty decent, so I don’t mind having to eat them. (It’s worth noting that if this is a Key Lime Twinkie, it wouldn’t be the first time. There was a Ghostbuster-related “Key Lime Slime” flavor in 2016, of which we said, “The lime flavor is very subtle. It tasted like a regular Twinkie with a faint citrus flavor.” Which, yeah, precisely—these too.)

Visiting Hostess’s Instagram didn’t help; comments on their post about the mystery flavor yielded a wide and hilariously diverse range of guesses, including Cherry Limeade, blue raspberry, Pina colada, bubble gum, Twizzler, raspberry lemonade, birthday cake, peanut butter fluff, and Swedish Fish, to name just a few.

Visiting Dude Dad’s Instagram helped even less. However, I did get to see him attempt a humorous video exploring the differences between state’s firework laws, one where his wife did a better job mowing than him, and one where he and his wife went rollerblading wearing loud 90’s attire while singing along to “This Is How We Do It.” I think I’ll add “How did this guy get 1 million followers” to my list of mysteries. Thanks for the double mystery, Hostess!

Purchased Price: $3.48
Size: 13.58 oz box/10 pack
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cakes) 280 calories, 9 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 370 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 32 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Takis Cobra and Kaboom Tortilla Chips

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I can’t help but think about G.I. Joe and yell “COBRA!” whenever I look at the Takis Cobra design. The serpent’s red color really drives that thought into my head. But unlike Cobra’s attempts at world domination, these Takis Cobra Tortilla Chips don’t fail.

The reddish rolled tortilla chips are Worcestershire sauce flavored and have a medium level of heat, according to Takis’ heat thermometer. The sauce is not listed as an ingredient, but whatever natural and artificial flavors are used, they hit all the right notes in the dark sauce. There’s a pepperiness and vinegary tanginess with a hint of garlic and citrus. All of that creates a seasoning that’s gosh darn tasty and recognizable as the famous sauce I can never spell correctly off the top of my head.

The heat doesn’t come until a few moments later, and I agree with the thermometer that it’s a medium heat in the Takis universe. Cobra is definitely spicy but pales in comparison with Fuego or Blue Heat, which I need to take a break from with a cool liquid when eating them. As someone who likes to make a quick dipping sauce with Worcestershire and ketchup when my local McDonald’s forgets to include the Hot Mustard sauce I ordered with my McNuggets, I very much enjoy the flavor of these Takis. In fact, these make me disappointed that there has never been a Worcestershire potato chip in the US.

While Takis Cobra is as new as new can be, Kaboom has been out for a bit. It made its debut in Canada and it’s interesting to note that the Canadian version is ketchup and sriracha flavored, while this US version is described as “sweet and spicy sriracha flavored.” However, these rolled tortilla chips taste more like spicy ketchup than sriracha to me because of the wonderful vinegary tang, tomatoey punch, and noticeable sweetness these have. But that doesn’t bother me one bit because I am all for having more ketchup-seasoned chips in the US. Why does Canada get to have all vinegary and tomatoey fun?

Kaboom’s heat is also in the medium range, but I found them to be slightly spicier than Cobra. But it’s not hot enough to take away from its great flavor.

If I had to pick between the two, I would prefer Kaboom over Cobra because its ketchup taste tickles my taste buds more. Sadly, the former is a limited edition offering, while the latter seems to be a permanent addition. But I hope Takis brings back Kaboom every year for the summer season.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product samples from Takis. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: Received free samples
Size: 9.9 oz bags
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Cobra), 9 out of 10 (Kaboom)
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 12 pieces) Cobra – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Kaboom – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: GoodPop Ore-Ida Fudge N’ Vanilla French Fry Pop

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Ore-Ida getting into the ice cream game is not something I had on my radar for the second half of 2024, but I am totally here for this experimental weirdness. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by any unusual brand collaborations these days, and despite not seeing this one coming, it does make sense. Although I am not personally a fan of dunking my fries into a milkshake, I know it’s a popular move, and I do enjoy the two in tandem, as the sweet and salty complement each other well. To emulate this burger joint staple, GoodPop has taken a creamy dairy-free oat milk base and coated it with chocolate fudge sprinkled with real crispy potatoes.

As a mission statement, GoodPop only uses dairy and gluten-free ingredients, so it’s no surprise they know how to do a decadent vegan ice cream bar well. The oat milk base is nice and creamy, with a touch of fluffiness and decent density. The flavor is unmistakably oat milk for those familiar with dairy versus nondairy frozen desserts, but it’s a safe and satisfying execution of a plain/vanilla profile. The finish has a touch of the taste of the way Play-Doh smells, which probably sounds like a bad thing, but I’ve tasted this in a lot of oat milk bases, and I don’t mind it at all.

Where this bar really shines is in the chocolate coating. You could have fooled me into thinking this was a full-on milk-laden Häagen-Dazs exterior because of the fantastic flavor. Bittersweet in its profile, it has a luxuriously melty mouthfeel and the perfect level of thickness to really carry and enhance the enjoyment of the novelty treat.

But what about the potatoes? The potatoes totally work and deliver a big, bold, satisfying crunch that ties the whole experience together like a Christmas bow. A decent amount of fried potato flavor comes through, too. Not so much that it’s distracting from the overall sweet presence of the dessert, but enough to stand out from your average Nestle Crunch-style rice coating.

My one gripe with the potatoes and the bar as a whole is that it could be a bit saltier. There is some salt there, and it’s largely dependent on the density of the potatoes in any specific bite, but because the potatoes are covered in chocolate, there are times that that salty pop doesn’t come through. It’s far from non-existent, but I wanted a little more for a product that’s supposed to boldly emphasize its sweet and saltiness.

As a vegan ice cream treat, this is about as good as it gets. With a bit more salt and a bit more availability, this could become an all-time collaboration between two standouts of the frozen food aisle.

Purchased Price: $9.99
Size: 9.32 ounces
Purchased at: Online
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Post Limited Edition Mint Chip Oreo O’s Cereal

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Cookie-based cereal is far from new. Cookie Crisp, the gold standard, has been filling our mornings with sweet, sweet sugar since 1977. In that almost half-century, it has tried its hand at multiple iterations—oatmeal, peanut butter, and sprinkles, to name a few.

Oreo O’s cereal, which came out 20 years later, is a relative youngster by comparison. It disappeared for a bit—well, everywhere except for South Korea—but came back in 2017. Over the years, Oreo has also messed about a bit by featuring an LTO Golden Oreo version and a “Mega Stuf” variety that incorporates creme-flavored marshmallows. But that’s it.

It’s interesting to me that a product known for endless flavors has been fairly conservative regarding the cereal version. Well, maybe the tide is turning, beginning with Mint Chip. In case you missed it, Mint Chip is the Oreo flavor of the moment. It is currently on shelves in cookie form and now as a cereal. So, is the cereal good enough to warrant branching out with new cereal varieties?

Here’s the deal — this cereal is quite minty. But unlike the deplorable Froot Loops Sherbet Scoops cereal I begrudgingly consumed for my last review (in case you missed it, it’s designed to “cool” your mouth), the mint here actually made sense. It was subtler than the mint of a Mint Oreo cookie but still noticeable and moderately enjoyable. (Really, how much you enjoy the mint in these is entirely contingent on how much you enjoy mint, you know?) I cannot, however, understand how this was mint chip and not just regular mint; the mint “flavor crystals,” for lack of a better term, were of a little “chippier” texture than the rest of the cereal, so, maybe that’s it. (Note: I have not tried the Mint Chip Cookie, though Sean recently reviewed it.)

The chocolate—which purports to be made of real Oreo cookie pieces—was predictably Oreo-wafer-like in taste. (That said, I don’t know how distinct the chocolate Oreo wafer taste truly is. It’s really when combined in concert with the creme that we get the cookie’s real essence.)

One thing that surprised me was how these held up in milk. The last bite was truly as crunchy as the first, a quality that is both terrifying and wonderful. On the one hand, I wish all of my favorite cereals had this sustainability, but I also shudder to think what petrification may be occurring with my internal organs.

While I found these Mint Chip Oreo O’s to be perfectly fine, I don’t feel compelled enough to buy them again. Now, if they’re interested in trying out a peanut butter version—peanut butter being the best Oreo variant by far—then sign me up.

Purchased Price: $4.93
Size: 16.5 oz box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

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