REVIEW: Kit Kat Peppermint Stick

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Kit Kat Peppermint Stick wrapper

In the shift from spooky season to holiday cheer that happens overnight, the junk food subculture marks the equally important transition from pumpkin spice season to the winter of merri-mint. While I stock my candy cupboard with mint chocolate like Andes or York Peppermint Patties year-round, the white chocolate (or, more often, white crème) and peppermint concoctions of the winter season represent a flavor pairing as timeless as milk and holiday cookies.

Kit Kat Peppermint Stick makes me wish these flavors were more accessible throughout the year, but if wishes were horses, we’d all enjoy free sleigh rides.

Kit Kat Peppermint Stick coating

The Kit Kat’s white crème base is a sweet combination of creamy vanilla and peppermint flavors. The peppermint is refreshing and noticeable, but not overwhelming. On the scale of pastel dessert mints to Life Savers Pep-O-Mint (which I cannot taste for more than three seconds without spitting them out and re-pledging my allegiance to Wint-O-Green), the minty strength lies slightly above an Andes mint. Anyone who likes mint but is wary of a toothpaste quality will welcome these Kit Kats to their holiday candy dish.

Kit Kat Peppermint Stick center

The Kit Kat’s pleasant creaminess does temper what could be a sharp peppermint flavor. The combination reminds me of peppermint ice cream, a milder version of the seasonal Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, or Russell Stover’s long-gone Rosebud Mints. If you still remember the latter, you may need to ask Santa for an anti-wrinkle cream this year.

Like many peppermint candies, Kit Kat Peppermint Stick contains an extra flourish in the form of “crunchy candy bits,” which are essentially crunchy red and green nonpareils. They add a light crunch and visual interest, but no additional flavor. I like them as an alternative to candy cane pieces; they don’t detract from the light crunch of the wafers.

In addition to the single-size bar, Kit Kat Peppermint Stick is available in a bag of individually wrapped snack-size pieces. Whether you are adding a festive flair to your holiday celebrations or hoarding candy under the justification that it contains peppermint oil and is therefore a useful digestive (Who would do that? Not me!), add Kit Kat to the top of your Nice List.

Purchased Price: $1.24
Size: 1.5 oz (42 g) bar
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 220 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Oreo Cups

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Snack food all-stars Reese’s and Oreo have collaborated to grant fans not one, but two best-of-both-worlds mash-ups: Reese’s Oreo Cups and Oreo Reese’s Cookies. A cookies and creme peanut butter cup AND a peanut butter and chocolate sandwich cookie? Whichever product speaks to your preference, we can all agree that both brands have been reading our diaries.

I tried the candy half of this collaboration. Available in Standard Size, King Size, and Mini varieties, Reese’s Oreo cups consist of a milk chocolate and white crème shell filled with peanut butter confection and Oreo cookie crumbs.

Reese’s connoisseurs may also think of this cup as a collaboration between two past varieties: Reese’s Crunchy Cookie Cups and the seasonal Werewolf Tracks Cups. Like the former product, Reese’s Oreo cups contain delightfully crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs. Like the latter, they use half milk chocolate and half white creme to achieve a unique taste and cool colorblock look. With all this mixing and matching of parts, maybe Dr. Frankenstein was in charge of engineering this collaboration.

If Frankenstein did channel his unchecked scientific ambition into candy, I would argue that he played it safe with the Reese’s Oreo cup. The white creme doesn’t taste much like an Oreo’s center, but it adds extra sweetness to the cup. The Oreo cookie crumbs add fantastic texture to the peanut butter filling, but I wish I could taste more of the wafer’s characteristic dark cocoa flavor. The crumbs are concentrated at the bottom of the cup, which creates a cool layering effect, but a whole wafer would have been a more exciting way to achieve Oreo flavor.

Despite the Oreo’s subtle flavor, the cookie crunch—in satisfying contrast to Reese’s perfect, smooth peanut butter—is the best part of the candy. I wish I had found the Mini variety at my local store rather than the King Size pack. I suspect the cookie’s texture and flavor might be more pronounced in a smaller cup. Readers, confirm my hunch?

Although the cookie flavor is generally lacking, Reese’s Oreo cups are crunchy, sweet, peanut buttery, and very easy to eat. It’s hard to achieve snack food perfection, but this flavor pays respectable homage to two brands that already have.

Purchased Price: $1.97
Purchased at: Walmart
Size: 2.8 oz (79 g) King Size package
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 2 cups) 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein

REVIEW: Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Nuggets

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Many of us here at The Impulsive Buy hold strong candy convictions in our hearts (including candy heart convictions, but let’s wait until Valentine’s Day to debate those). Here is a Whitman’s sampler of mine:

  • Hershey’s chocolate is at its absolute best in nugget form.
  • Chocolate and warm spices pair beautifully.
  • July is not too early for pumpkin spice season. After a season of sticky humidity, I’m ready to pre-game fall.

Given the above statements, it’s not a surprise that I really liked Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Nuggets, Hershey’s limited time ode to autumn’s favorite beverage. Described as “extra creamy milk chocolate with pumpkin spice latte flavored crème,” these nuggets are soft, creamy, and rich inside and out.

If you’ve ever tried the Hershey’s Nuggets Truffles line (and if you haven’t, you absolutely should—add that recommendation to my list of convictions above), know that the Pumpkin Spice Latte Nuggets are a version of that product. Inside the creamy milk chocolate shell is flavored creme, which is thick, supple, and ganache-like. The nuggets melt easily in your mouth, in the summer sun, or if dropped into a steaming hot PSL. As far as luxuriousness goes, they are a worthy opponent to brands like Lindt or Ghirardelli.

The pumpkin spice creme filling is flavored delicately but very well: there is enough warm cinnamon spice to complement the chocolate without overwhelming it or tasting too artificial. The flavor certainly reads as pumpkin spice, but the latte part is missing. I could not taste any coffee flavor whatsoever, even after savoring three nuggets. (Man, these reviews are hard work.) Hershey’s Nuggets have dabbled in coffee flavors before, namely the fantastic Café Espresso and Caramel Macchiato varieties that appeared last holiday season in stocking-stuffer-size assortments and are now available exclusively online. I expected a spiced twist on one of those products, but Hershey’s swapped the coffee for hot chocolate instead.

Although Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Nuggets has one unnecessary word in its product name, the candy itself is a decadent seasonal delight. The nuggets’ smooth chocolate, luxurious filling, and warm spices are more than enough to forgive the misnomer. Just as I yearn for a chilly autumn breeze in the dog days of summer, I hope that Hershey’s will grant us more seasonal flavors.

Purchased Price: $6.79
Purchased at: CVS
Size: 8 oz (227 g) bag
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 3 pieces)150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry

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Just in time for the hot summer months and to join the annual deluge of s’mores-flavored products, McDonald’s has rolled out its new Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry. It combines McDonald’s ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate bits, graham crumbs, and white marshmallows.

While my photos make my McFlurry look like it’s been hanging out in a woodworker’s shop, talking about joinery techniques and snickering every time the butt joint is mentioned, I assure you that this dessert has all the flavors of the classic campfire treat.

The mix-ins give varying textures that contrast the creamy nature of the sweet ice cream. While I described them as “marshmallows” above, they’re similar to the crunchy marbits you’d find in a cereal, and they’re a little bigger than the marshmallows you’d see in an instant hot cocoa packet. They may be small, but they do pack a sweet punch. And with their crunchiness, they are an excellent addition to the dessert.

Bringing all the chocolate flavor are small dark pieces floating in the white frozen dairy. Even though Hershey’s has partnered with McDonald’s on the dessert, the bits didn’t instantly evoke thoughts of Hershey’s milk chocolate and its distinctive flavor. It tasted a little darker to me. Nevertheless, they added a choco flavor that was as sweet and tasty as the marshmallows. They also had a nice candy bar snap to them that complemented the crunchy marshmallows and creamy ice cream.

Finally, we have the mostly crunchy graham crumbs, which I was concerned wouldn’t be noticeable, as many s’mores-flavored products struggle to convey the graham flavor effectively. But my first spoonful from the McFlurry allayed my fears. As Yoda once said, “The graham is strong with this one.” There were moments when I got more of a waffle cone flavor, but that is definitely not a complaint. Hey! I just came up with a brilliant idea. How about a s’mores treat that involves toasting marshmallows and dumping them into a waffle cone with some chocolate in it? Did I just invent something? (Searches internet) Nope. It’s been done many, many, many, many times.

All together, the mix-ins and ice cream create a delicious treat that evokes the sweet campfire delicacy. The next time I indulge in the McDonald’s Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry—and trust me, there will definitely be a next time—I think I’ll enhance it with some hot fudge to give it the feeling of melted chocolate.

Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: Regular
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 460 calories, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 57 grams of sugar (including 47 grams of added sugar), and 10 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.

REVIEW: Reese’s PB&J Big Cups

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I’m a big fan of the current Renaissance Reese’s is having these days. It feels like we’ve had more peanut butter cup innovation over the last 12 months than the previous 12 YEARS, and I, for one, am there for it. I have to admit, I’ve had mixed feelings about some of the newer creations, but on the whole, I am just happy for all the new treats.

In addition to some heavy hitters that dropped recently, like the Caramel Big Cup and Red Velvet, we now have PB&J with strawberry and grape flavors! Honestly, the only real surprise is how long it took Reese’s to come out with such a classic peanut butter pairing, especially as we’ve had things like cereal, sugar cookies, and pretzels featured in peanut butter cups. But the wait is over! It’s peanut butter jelly time sans baseball bat.

Let’s start with the grape, if only because it comes first alphabetically.

After opening the package, there is a whiff of chemically grape and then the familiar peanut butter and chocolate combo. That fruity scent almost brings to mind the grape flavor of Big League Chew. I cut the first cup in half to get a view of the inside and was disappointed at the ratio of peanut butter to jelly inside. If this were a sandwich, it would absolutely not pass muster. This is disappointing for two reasons: 1) It throws off the flavor balance in the candy. 2) I KNOW Reese’s can and has done better! The ratio in the recent Chocolate Lava Cup and the aforementioned Caramel Cup was much better.

The chocolate and peanut butter you know and love are the same as you’d expect, with the artificial grape flavor playing a distant third. It tastes very fake when my tongue could pick it up. I even pulled apart the cup to get a better taste, and it was hard to get much flavor, even with a finger swipe of just the sticky purple goop itself. What is there is very reminiscent of grape Kool-aid with a bit too much water mixed with it.

Now, onto the strawberry.

The initial scent upon opening these is oddly both stronger *and* weaker. Stronger in that there’s definitely more there, more present than the grape, weaker in the sense that it smells less like the intended flavor. It’s less of a specifically strawberry fragrance and more of a generically sweet, fruity candy scent. That didn’t bode well.

As with the grape, the strawberry layer is pitifully thin and utterly lacking. Interestingly, it had a stickier consistency though. It reminded me of the squeeze tube-type candy like Ooze Tubes.

Just like with the grape, the flavor was faint and very artificial. It reminded me of mixing green gummy bears into Sprite and letting them sit long enough to start dissolving. It was like someone turned down the flavor without turning down the sweetness.

All in all, both flavors are good for peanut butter cups but really weak if you’re specifically looking for peanut butter AND JELLY cups.

Purchased Price: $3.19 each
Size: 2.8 oz
Purchased at: CVS (Grape), Cumberland Farms (Strawberry)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 190 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 22 grams of total sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

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