REVIEW: Burger King Franken-Candy Sundae

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Burger King Franken-Candy Sundae with Halloween crown

Burger King has had fun with its Halloween-themed menus in recent years, and this year is no different.

From least interesting to most interesting (in my opinion), the 2025 menu includes the following: Mummy Mozzarella Fries, mozzarella sticks in a mummy box; Vampire Nuggets, chicken nuggets shaped like bats and fangs; the Jack-O-Lantern Whopper, with bacon, American cheese, and an orange bun with black sesame seeds; and the Franken-Candy Sundae, vanilla soft serve with “franken-candy” purple syrup, Oreo crumbles, and green and purple popping candy. It is this last item that I’m reviewing here.

Burger King Franken-Candy Sundae with Oreo crumbs and popping candy

The vanilla soft serve is soft and liquid-y enough that I was able to consume it with a thick metal straw. It’s just what you expect: sweet and satisfying, if uninteresting. And Oreo crumbles need no introduction. They add both flavor and textural contrast.

Burger King Franken-Candy Sundae with purple Franken-Candy syrup

The interesting parts of the sundae come from the “franken-candy syrup” and the popping candy. The syrup mostly sticks to the side of the cup, and I can’t really tell what it’s supposed to taste like: It’s just sweet, and the name “franken-candy” doesn’t offer me any clues. It does taste like candy, but I don’t know what kind. Texturally, it’s something like melted white chocolate.

The popping candy is coated in a confection to keep it from popping prematurely, and I felt a need to let some of the pieces melt in my mouth so I could savor the popping qualities. If I just bite down on them, they’re mildly crunchy. I can only guess that the popping is supposed to mimic the electricity Dr. Frankenstein used to bring his creature to life.

Burger King Franken-Candy Sundae soft serve

Like Dr. Frankenstein, Burger King has simply stitched together preexisting ingredients to create something new. But unlike Frankenstein’s monster, this sundae is visually appealing and tasty. All the elements work together for a fun, tasty, and slightly spooky treat.

I associate popping candy with Fourth of July fireworks, so I would love to see BK bring this back in a red, white, and blue version for the summer.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 360 calories, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 grams of carbohydrates, 270 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of fiber, 42 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Galactic Brownie Ice Cream

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Baskin-Robbins Galactic Brownie Ice Cream scoop

Was Baskin-Robbins’ Galactic Brownie Ice Cream supposed to be a collaboration with Little Debbie, but one company pulled out at the last minute? So instead of Baskin-Robbins Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream, we have an ice cream that sounds like it was influenced by a store brand version of Cosmic Brownies.

Or did this happen because the folks at Baskin-Robbins were inspired by Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownies Ice Cream?

I guess the universe will never know.

October 2025’s Flavor of the Month features brownie batter-flavored ice cream, brownie pieces, rainbow chips, and chocolate icing swirls. The colorful chips stand out in the vast darkness of chocolatey ingredients and are much easier to spot than planets in the sky with the naked eye, without any help from a stargazing app on your phone.

The brownie batter base was tasty, and it did a great job of replicating its intended flavor. The included chewy brownie pieces, which were roughly the size of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, made the brownie flavor stand out more. However, I wished there were more baked good chunks because I counted only three in my scoop. The swirls added a chocolate taste that differed from the ice cream base and brownies.

Baskin-Robbins Galactic Brownie Ice Cream brownie piece

While there weren’t many brownie pieces, like stars in the evening sky, there were A LOT of rainbow chips. There were so many that every spoonful I took had at least one. They added a slight sugary kick that cut through all the chocolate, but they mostly brought big bangs of crunch that contrasted the soft, chewy, and gooey ingredients in the scoop. Actually, they were probably the crunchiest mix-in I’ve ever had in ice cream. With that said, as a texture person, I do love their addition, but I wish there were fewer of them and more of the brownie chunks.

Baskin-Robbins Galactic Brownie Ice Cream was a treat for my brownie-loving taste buds, but because of the highly uneven brownie-to-rainbow chip ratio, I can’t say it’s out of this world.

Purchased Price: $4.39*
Size: 4 oz scoop
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 310 calories, 18 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 2 gram of fiber, 31 grams of sugar (including 26 grams of added sugar), and 5 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: Tillamook Limited Edition Espresso Chip Ice Cream

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Tillamook Limited Edition Espresso Chip Ice Cream Container

I’ve never really thought about it until recently, but does coffee ice cream have caffeine? Well, it does, according to the internet and my bloodstream, which is circulating caffeine throughout my body as I type this at around midnight after eating a few scoops of Tillamook’s latest flavor — Espresso Chip.

I could use some Melatonin Mint Ice Cream, Tillamook.

The limited edition flavor combines rich espresso ice cream with crunchy, chocolatey espresso bits. I don’t recall ever having had a bad Tillamook ice cream flavor; I’ve only had great flavors and those that were good, but could’ve been better. And I feel this is another good flavor that could’ve been a little better, or perhaps I should say a little bitter.

Almost every coffee-flavored ice cream I’ve tasted had a strong and sweet taste that could give you coffee breath. However, the base in this Espresso Chip tasted a bit mild compared to the others. The coffee is present, and it’s very similar to those other ice creams. However, using the word “espresso,” I was expecting it to be a bit more potent and possibly more bitter than a standard coffee-flavored ice cream.

Tillamook Limited Edition Espresso Chip Ice Cream without lid

But it wasn’t just the ice cream base that was milder than expected; the same can be said about the espresso bits. I’ve crunched on many chocolate-covered espresso beans in my caffeinated lifetime, and I know they tend to bring it when it comes to coffee’s flavor and bitterness. However, while I had hoped the ones in the ice cream would compensate for the mild base, they ended up being almost as mild. I thought they did kick up the bitterness a minuscule bit, but maybe that’s just my taste buds forcing me to believe they were, but actually weren’t.

Tillamook Limited Edition Espresso Chip Ice Cream under the top layer

If one or the other were stronger, I could forgive this ice cream a little bit. But because both are almost equally mild, it’s disappointing. It’s a limited edition flavor, so it’ll eventually disappear from shelves. But if it returns, I hope it gets reformulated with a stronger ice cream base or stronger espresso bits or both.

Now that I’ve gotten all my complaining out of the way, I’ll still finish this container in a timely manner. It’s good. It hits the coffee flavor, it apparently gives me caffeine, and the espresso bits add a crunchy texture to the party. However, I wish the party were louder.

Purchased Price: $9.49*
Size: 1.5 qt tub
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup – 92 g) 220 calories, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar (including 18 grams of added sugar), and 4 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: Popeyes x Hot Ones Smokin’ Rojo Chicken Sandwich

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I haven’t been into all these Hot Ones food products because, well, I’m scared.

I watch these Hot Ones clips on YouTube, and I see celebrities sweating and crying, and I wonder, do I want to subject myself to that because I don’t have a movie or TV show to promote? But a wise person once said, “Pain is a fleeting feeling. Oh, hey, that rhymes.”

So here I am with the Popeyes x Hot Ones Smokin’ Rojo Chicken Sandwich, featuring a crispy chicken fillet with a Los Calientes Rojo spread and pickles on a toasted brioche bun. Of the three menu items advertised, the sandwich falls within the middle range of spiciness. However, spiciness can be perceived differently by each person, so what Popeyes and Hot Ones consider spicy might be popping eyes out caliente to me. Fortunately, it was not that intense.

Before I get into how hot this sandwich was, I must say that the Los Calientes Rojo spread was indeed tasty. It’s smoky, tangy, and peppery with a hint of sweetness. That flavor pairs well with the Cajun spices in the chicken and tangy pickles. But while taking my first bite, all that flavor kind of took a back seat to the sauce’s spiciness. Actually, the bun, chicken, and pickles help soften the blow from the spicy sauce because when I tried the orange sauce on its own, it was noticeably spicier.

After taking a couple more bites, the heat was not relenting. It was also at this time that I could feel my head’s bodily fluids wanting to excrete from where they excrete from. My nose started running, and my scalp began sweating. While I was enjoying the sandwich’s flavor, it was at this point that I really felt the need for something to help combat the heat.

BONUS REVIEW!

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Monster Cookie Shake

A wise person once said, “With milk from mammals that go moo, spiciness can be soothed. Oh, hey, that rhymes.”

The limited time only shake features Chips Ahoy-flavored syrup and Oreo cookie crumbs blended with ice cream, finished with whipped topping and more Oreo cookie crumbs. My order didn’t appear to have Oreo cookies blended into it, but I didn’t really care at the moment because I needed to give my mouth some cooling relief. However, to make up for that, I pushed down whatever crumbs sprinkled on the whipped topping.

The Chips Ahoy-flavored syrup doesn’t remind me of the Nabisco-branded chocolate chip cookie, but it has an artificial brown sugar cookie dough taste that’s not bad. Whatever Oreo bits my straw sucked up, they added chocolatey hits to my tongue. It’s a fine-tasting shake, that’s a nice change of pace from a Jack’s Oreo shake, but it doesn’t shake up the shake world.

One last thing. I hate to nitpick about the shake that helped me weather the spicy storm known as the Popeyes x Hot Ones Smokin’ Rojo Chicken Sandwich, but if it’s a “Monster Cookie” shake, shouldn’t it have M&M’s? That is one of the definitive ingredients in a Monster Cookie recipe. Maybe the chocolate Oreo crumbs are the stand-in for the chocolate candy?

Thanks, Jack in the Box Monster Cookie Shake, for putting out the fire in my mouth.

Purchased Price: $7.99 (Sandwich), $6.29 (Shake)
Size: Regular (Shake)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Sandwich), 6 out of 10 (Shake)
Nutrition Facts: (Sandwich) 620 calories, 33 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat (that can’t be right, but that’s what the website says), 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1450 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 29 grams of protein. (Shake) 800 calories. No other nutrition information is available on the Jack in the Box website.

REVIEW: Blue Bell Classic Pecan Pie Ice Cream

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Blue Bell Creameries, based about halfway between Austin and Houston, has been around for 118 years, and that’s how long it took them to come up with perhaps the most Texas-y flavor possible, Classic Pecan Pie. Maybe brisket-flavored ice cream would be a little more Texas-y, and I would definitely give that a try, but Blue Bell doesn’t really do daring or extreme flavors, so instead, it went with the official state pie. If you’ve never been to Texas, trust me when I tell you there is some sort of law that every BBQ place and café is required to have pecan pie on the menu.

I can’t tell you the difference between “classic” pecan pie and non-classic pecan pie, but I can report that this ice cream flavor is pretty dang tasty. It features brown sugar ice cream with roasted pecans, pie crust pieces, and a pecan pie filling swirl. So basically, Blue Bell took all the separate components of a pecan pie and did some reconstruction.

The first thing I noticed is that Blue Bell was quite generous with the pecans, both in terms of the sheer number and the size of the pieces. That was a bit of a surprise considering that pecans can be pricey. The pecan pie filling was perfectly gooey and sweet, and the pie crust pieces added some nice flaky texture. It was hard to discern the brown sugar flavor of the ice cream, but it served as a solid base for all the other ingredients. Blue Bell pretty much nailed this one.

One thing that would make this better, but also defy the laws of science, is that wonderful warm/cold contrast you get when you have a scoop of ice cream slowly melting over a piece of pecan pie fresh out of the oven. But if, like me, you don’t know how to bake a pecan pie, or, like me, are a little bit lazy and don’t want to mess with cutting a slice of pre-made pie and then having to push buttons on the microwave to warm it up, this is almost a perfect substitute.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: Brookshire Brothers
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 280 calories, 16 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

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