Good Health Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels (TKMaxx)

I don't like to think that I'm prone to being swayed by marketing, but of course I am. I first came across these peanut butter filled pretzels a couple of months ago, but baulked at the price (£2.89 for a 141g bag) and left them in TKMaxx. Then they happened to crop up in one of Fabien's vlogs,                      and by the time I saw them on Hebe's instagram page I just had to try them. Luckily, Hereford TKMaxx had a single bag left -which I saw as the final sign that I was absolutely meant to treat myself to them.

I'm going through a bit of a pretzel loving phase at the moment. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that I'm enjoying munching on a bag of pretzels with a glut of peanut butter (for dipping) more than my nightly chocolate bars at the moment. I know. Shock. 

These pretzels were in a completely different shape of course, and were made in the land that's famous for peanut butter: America. Hebe did forewarn me that they were lacking on the generosity of their fillings, but I was still excited to get stuck in.

The pretzel shells were perfectly crisp, and I adored the abundance of large salt crystals that adorned them. Peanut butter is nothing without a hefty saline kick after all. But where was that peanut butter at, I wondered. Hebe wasn't kidding; the image on the front of the packet spoke lies. The shells cracked satisfyingly between my teeth, but each pretzel parcel was (at maximum) a third full. I thought we could rely on our American cousins to provide proper portions, but alas, apparently that's just a stereotype. This was a huge shame too, as the peanut butter was delicious - there just wasn't nearly enough of it.

That said, I found these peanut butter filled pretzels to be frustratingly moreish, but you'll need a large drink to have with them. Pretzels are naturally thirst-making, and these are especially so. I can't help but think they're the perfect movie night snack though. Give me a glass* of Rioja, a bag of these Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels, and pop WonderWoman on and I'll be one happy girl.

If you want to try these pretzels but don't have any luck in TKMaxx, I have found them on iherb!

8/10

*lets be honest, I mean bottle -it's Saturday after all!

Mrs Freshley's Cinnamon Swirl Bun (A Taste Of The States)

As you may have gathered from my many lengthy rambles about cinnamon buns, I bloody love the things. In fact, I love most cinnamon based treats, and have now renamed Mondays Cinnamondays. It's the buns that especially fill my heart with joy though and so It should come as no surprise that when A Taste Of The States recently gave me a gift card to spend on their website that the Mrs Freshley's Cinnamon Swirl Bun made its way into my basket. If you regularly read these posts you'll know that I'm also no stranger to Mrs F's cinnamon products, having tried their Cinnamon Twirls and, more recently, their Cinnabon Cinnamon mini ring donuts.

At 113g it was a sizeable affair, slightly larger than both Tesco's cinnamon buns and the Kanelbullar that I'm (more than a little bit) in love with. As you know, Cinnamon buns are often covered in cream cheese frosting; but given the long life span, ambient nature and the distance this bun had travelled, I was pleased to see that Mrs F had opted for some kind of icing instead. It was also shorter, wider and less tightly coiled than the cinnamon buns I'm accustomed to.

Oh jeez. You remember I said that the Mrs F cinnamon donuts were like a cake hybrid? Well imagine a cinnamon bun crossed with a glazed doughnut and you'll get the gist of what this cinnamon swirl bun was all about. It was soft, sweet, spicy - and even better when warmed in the microwave for 15 or so seconds!

The glazed coating was sheer genius, and I was left wondering why other companies don't jump on the bandwagon and glaze their buns. It's safe to say that it's not for the clean eaters though, and should probably come with a notice that they're best reserved for dedicated sugar fans only. Noms.

The Cinnamon Swirl Buns from A Taste Of The States cost just £1.39 (although they're currently out of stock, please keep an eye on their website as they're regularly restocked) you can also get a massive 20% discount off them (and anything else that catches your fancy on their website) with the code: AMYSEEKS20.

9/10

Thank you to A Taste Of The States for the gift card!

White Chocolate M&Ms (A Taste Of The States)

M&Ms, another one of those global brands that believes that us Brits prefer safe flavours. Crispy, standard or peanut. That's our lot. Over in America it's a completely different kettle of fish however, with new releases including Coffee Nut, Strawberry Nut, Caramel and White Chcoolate. Now the latter aren't particularly groundbreaking and so you'd think we'd be trusted to buy them and therefore make them commercially viable in the U.K... but apparently not. Fortunately for us, A Taste of The States is more understanding than M&Ms and has imported them on our behalf. 

I've long been convinced that American M&Ms are bigger than the British ones, and I certainly thought this was the case with these white chocolate versions. The sugar coating was the same colour spectrum though.

I'm glad I didn't expect luxury white chocolate, because I'd have been disappointed if I had. The insides of the M&Ms was wonderfully, albeit slightly sickly, sweet but that's what M&Ms are about. I mean, they've take on white chocolate and covered it in crispy sugar. They're not meant to make you delight in the depth of flavours, but instead aim make you smile from the sugar hit (and perhaps from the artificial colours) and it that way, they've succeeded. 

Please bring these to the U.K M&Ms! In the meantime though, you'll have to get your fix from A Taste of The States, but thankfully the kind souls there are offering you 20% off with the code AMYSEEKS20. Life isn't so bad, eh? 

8/10 

NEW! Jelly Donut Oreos

Last week might've been doughnut week on the blog, but in a bizarre twist of fate this week has borne far more Doughnut success than last. Firstly, the lovely Heather made my absolute favourite doughnut in the world again this Wednesday (see the bottom of the post for the evidence) and then I received an extremely kind offer that I simply couldn't refuse from another talented baker (@annecupcake) who offered to send me her spare pack of Jelly Donut Oreos. Yes. You heard that right, but I'll repeat it just incase you think your eyes are deceiving you. Jelly donut Oreos. I'll let that sink in.

I was having a pretty shoddy day yesterday when I opened the door and discovered a parcel had been left on my doorstep. See, they're really not a figment of your imagination! They really do exist. 

Why don't we get these exciting flavours Mondelez? Is non peanut buttery peanut butter or non-cheesecakey strawberry cheesecake the best you can do for us Brits? I really hoped that they would live up to expectations. 

Once again I couldn't get over the difference in generosity of filling between British and Stateside Oreos. There's easily an extra 50% in these bad boys. Unfortunately, our American cousins don't seem to have to give a product description so it's often a bit of a guess as to what each component is meant to taste like.

Christ. I didn't expect that. There's a sugary doughnut flavour to the cookies. I expected a plain golden Oreo base, but it didn't taste that way. Perhaps it was my wishful thinking but I'm convinced that they tasted of ring doughnuts. 

The outer ring of Creme tasted like normal Oreo filling. Not bad, nor anything to shout about, just very sweet. The magic happened in the centre though, where the 'jelly' resided. It had a berry taste (raspberry perhaps) but once combined with the cookie gave for a full on jam doughnut biscuity experience. Hell to the yes! 

Now I bet you're wondering what the difference is between these and standard jam creams or even the Jammie dodger swirled I reviewed recently. For one, the cookies are crunchier, and secondly they really do taste of doughnuts. The flavour has baffled me in the same way that the (sadly now discontinued) Tesco jam doughnut yogurts did. I don't know quite how Oreo have managed it, but somehow they've nailed it.

Doughnut lovers need to try these American Oreos. I just hope that they're available to purchase in the U.K soon. Anne, I'd like to thank you once again for bringing the Jelly Donut Oreos into my life! 

10/10

I present to you, the incredible Tandem PB&J doughnut...

Mrs Freshley's Cinnabon Cinnamon Mini Donuts

If you follow me on instagram you might've seen that I've recently discovered long life doughnuts. Yes. Doughnuts that you can keep in your cupboard for that moment when the cravings strike. Of course they're not a British creation (one day hopefully Mr Kipling will jump on the bandwagon) but for now we'll have to make do with importing packs of Mrs Freshley's from the states. God bless America. 

You can find my insta-review of the Mrs Freshley's Crunch mini donuts here, but this was the pack I was more like excited about...

I feel that cinnamon is essential to life's happiness, especially cinnamon buns (again, if you follow me on instagram you'll know that cinnamon bun Sundays are back thanks to a recent IKEA trip). A real Cinnabon is on my foodie bucket list, but mini Cinnabon donuts sounded like a good option to tide me over until I can visit America (or London most likely). 

As with the Crunch version, this pack contained six mini ring donuts -but this time they were leaden with a heavy cinnamon coat. Yes, not dusting, coat. This means they're a little messy to eat, but that didn't bother me in the slightest.

Again the texture was like a doughnut-cake hybrid. Despite their long-life status* they're remarkably soft, although the Cinnabon donuts were slightly more crumbly than the Crunch versions. The cinnamon made them a winner in my books though, and the ample covering ensured for a sweet, spicy hit with every mouthful. 

These mini donuts are morsels of joy for fellow cinnamon loving sugar junkies!

8/10 

*they didn't have a BB date on them, so I don't know how long-life they are!

NEW! Reese's Crunchy Cookie (Online)

There's a new Reese's Cup in town. Well there's kind of two, if you count the British and American markets separately. You see, the Reese's Pieces Cups are now available to buy from Sainsbury's, but there's also a brand new variety Stateside: Cookie Crunch. 

As a huge fan of the American mini Reese's filled Oreos (please, don't insult my tastebuds by suggesting that the British ones are anything other than disgusting) I was looking forward to trying the new cups, but I'd promised myself that I wouldn't buy any more chocolate. Then one night when the insomnia was driving me utterly crazy, I consoled myself by placing a 2am order with American Fizz. Damn it. I kicked myself even harder when the parcel arrived with an item missing and half of the snacks broken and/of battered. American Fizz have truly gone downhill.

Anyway, the pack contained two crunchy cookie filled cups, which appeared no different to the standard cups. I found myself wondering if the crunch would be as disappointing as it had been in the Reese's crunchy cups and toenail cups -sorry, pieces cups. 

Ooh. Look at that slice through! There were plenty of Oreo-esque pieces to be seen in the standard orange coloured centre. Texturally Reese's delivered on its promise at long last too: the cups were crunchy, with an odd -but enjoyable- grittiness. 

Unfortunately, the cocoa biscuit flavour overshadowed the peanut butter. I shouldn't complain I suppose, as they are meant to be cookie cups, but as a peanut butter lover I felt the ratio was slightly off. For this reason, I imagine king sized versions of the cookie cups would be incredible as they always have a greater filling ratio. To be honest I always find the King Size Reese's products to be superior anyway! I'm still not sure they'd beat my favourite white chocolate Reese's cups though.

The crunchy cookies are an unusual peanut butter cup and at least Reese's have more successfully brought the cookie element into their core range more successfully than KitKat. They're worth a try, but I'd recommend waiting until the king size Crunchy Cookie cups make their way to British shores.

7/10 

Mrs Freshley's Reese's Peanut Butter Swiss Rolls (Protein Pick & Mix)

It's been ages since I've reviewed any foreign imports, despite recently munching my way through a whole host of Japanese products courtesy of Nat (of Lot-o-Choc blog) on top of the vast array of treats I bought back from Malaysia. The main reason I haven't written reviews is because I'm not sure if and where you can find them in the UK, but please let me know if you want the low downs on what was good and what was terrible. These Reese's peanut butter flavoured Swiss Rolls are available to buy in the UK though, and were a birthday present from Nat (she's good like that). A quick google shows that they're available from Protein Pick & Mix.

I have tried a couple of Mrs Freshley's products before with varying degrees of success. The banana pudding cupcakes were rather good, as were the cinnamon twirls, but the peanut butter brownie was less impressive. I found myself really hoping that Mrs F had done these peanut butter Swiss rolls proud as they sounded absolutely marvellous. 

Let's just start by acknowledging the size of these cakes. Cadbury's mini rolls are 27g each, whereas this two pack was a whopping 79g. The packet suggests that one roll is a serving, but I don't have that kind of restraint and so ate both in one sitting.

Unfortunately the covering had shattered in transit, but that meant I got to peel off the chocolate as I would with a Jaffa cake. Yes, the peanut butter drizzled chocolate was thick enough to peel, and whilst it was far from the most superior I've tasted, it was about on par with Reese's (in other words it was weirdly addictive). 

Swiss roll cake is traditionally made without butter and that's why it tends to be drier than your normal sponge. At least that's what I was reminding myself whilst devouring Mrs Freshley's offerings. The cake has a taste and texture that's not dissimilar to our British Cadbury's versions, however the filling was very different -thank goodness for that...

...Yes, I could actually taste peanut butter, hurrah! Where Mrs F's brownie had failed to get the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate right, these mini rolls were gloriously nutty. I'm not sure the photo does them justice, but I thoroughly enjoyed the combination. Noms.

These Swiss Rolls aren't dainty enough to serve your nan for a posh afternoon tea, but there's nothing wrong with that. They might be clumsy and full of additives, but they're charming and pack a peanutty punch, which means they get the thumbs up from me!

8/10

Oh Henry! Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar Review

Since starting this blog, I’ve reviewed many an American chocolate peanut butter bar, but one I hadn’t tried until only recently was Nestle’s Oh Henry! Bar. Until then my only experience with Nestle’s PB bars had been pretty diabolical; I couldn’t stand the sickly sweetness of their Butterfinger bar, but then I hated the Hershey’s version too -5^th Avenue- and they’re of course the masterminds behind my beloved Reese’s. Still, I haven’t spotted the Oh Henry!s in any local stores, and wasn’t fussed enough to pay for one to be delivered from American Fizz. Fortunately for me I received a very kind offer from @pretty.vacant on instagram, who had spotted them at her local market and kindly offered to send me a couple of bars towards the end of last year, what a gem!

“2 peanutty caramel fudge bars in milk chocolate.”

I wondered: would they taste like Snickers? Or more like M&S’s ‘The Nutty One’?

I love how the American’s have a tendency to split their standard chocolate bars into two. It’s not because I want (or possess the self-restraint!) to save half for another time, but because I can savour the enjoyment and of course it means that the chocolate ratio is higher -and who doesn’t want that?

Slicing one of the fridge-cold bars in two revealed a distinct layer of fudge topped with a peanut studded caramel enrobed in milk chocolate. There’s something oddly satisfying about a bar so well structured!

Whilst Reese’s chocolate is nothing to shout about, I’m not a fan of Nestle’s chocolate -U.S or U.K for that matter. The casing for the Oh Henry! Bar however was better than expected; that’s not to say that I’d want a bar of it on its own, but it certainly didn’t detract from the other components and imparted a chocolatiness that was more than acceptable.

The fudge layer was just as soft, chewy and sweet as I’d hoped but lacked the characteristic creaminess of Cadbury’s fudge bars. The bottom layer of M&S’s ‘The Nutty One’ was noticeably more luxurious, however the Oh Henry’s fudge held its own far better thanks to the more generous ratio that made up the bars’ composition.

The caramel would have certainly erred on the wrong side of sickliness had it not been for the abundance of chunky chopped peanuts that evenly embedded it. The salinity of the nuts offset the sweetness well though, and brought the flavours back into a far better harmony. Again, the quality of the caramel was pretty standard, but then I guess America’s Oh Henry bar isn’t consumed for its superiority.

Comparatively the Oh Henry! isn’t that similar to a Snickers due to the lack of nougat, but I much preferred the fudge element and would probably always choose it over a Snickers if they were more widely available. All is certainly not lost however as I find myself grateful once again for M&S’s ‘The Nutty One’ which is much more like an inexpensive version of the Oh Henry!

7/10

Snickers: Rockin' Nut Road & Almond 2 To Go (American Fizz)

Today's double review is a bit baffling. Why am I reviewing not one but TWO American Snickers bars when I'm not particularly keen on either of the British flavours? I guess I'm still a bit confused as to why I'm not a huge Snickers fan when peanuts, caramel, milk chocolate and nougat are all absolutely delicious in my books! It might be because I prefer smooth nut flavours (I very rarely buy crunchy peanut butter) but then I love M&S' The Nutty One, so god knows! Anyway, I keep on buying and trying Snickers (including the Crisper) hence the purchase of these two bars from American Fizz.

Rockin' Nut Road

“Almonds, caramel and marshmallow-flavored nougat wrapped in dark chocolate."

A dark chocolate covered snickers is a new one for me. As you'll know, American chocolate is a different entity to our British stuff. This bar was the colour one might expect from plain chocolate, which was fine by me given my dislike of the darker, more bitter flavours.

Slicing it in two revealed the caramel encased almonds atop the nougat, which was hidden inside the chocolate. The layers were satisfyingly distinct.

Unfortunately the flavours just didn't quite work together for me. The marshmallow flavoured nougat tasted a bit odd, more like an overly sweet version and was ultimately quite jarring. The almonds were crispy, and the caramel of standard Snickers quality, but altogether the combination was far too sickly -yes, even for my sugar addicted tastebuds. The dark chocolate wasn't great either, reminding me of the super cheap value range cooking chocolate -not good.

4/10

Almond 2 To Go

Snickers have simply swapped their standard peanuts for almonds here, and given that the nuts were my favourite component of the Rockin' Nut Road, I was hoping for better things from the Almond Snickers. The 2 to go actually comprises of two (almost full size) bars.

The tiers were slightly less pretty and more smoothed in the almond bars, but I didn't mind that as long as the taste was better.

Fortunately it was much tastier. Although the milk chocolate was sweeter (of course) the nougat was less so and this resulted in a better harmony between the flavours. It's a shame that the UK doesn't make more chocolate bars using almonds really, as the combination can work very well.

Almond Snickers isn't a bar that I'd rush out to buy again in a hurry, but I wouldn't turn my nose up if I spotted a good deal either. Meanwhile, my search for the White snickers continues...

7/10

MEGA POST! Sweetly Subscription Box AND discount! (Online)

Lord knows how many American treats I've sampled since starting this blog. I fell in love with the country and their never ending supply of super sweet goodies a number of years ago, and my obsession hasn't even begun to wane yet. Cue my absolute glee when I received an email from Sweetly, inviting me to try their brand new American themed subscription box. Yes please!

So who are Sweetly and what do they offer exactly? 

"Hi, we're Sweetly and our mission is to deliver enjoyment and satisfaction through the medium of candy (sweets, if you prefer). We started Sweetly as we had grown tired of the the same old chocolate bars and sweets and wanted to give our taste buds something new to munch on. We visited the great country of America while visiting some old friends and that is where we fell in love with American candy. When we arrived back in the UK we craved for more American sweets but not only for ourselves, we wanted to share the sweet American taste with friends, family, co-workers and more importantly, you!
And that's how Sweetly was born."

Almost a month ago my Sweetly Box arrived, and if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my excitement when I opened the parcel and uncovered all the goodies. I don't know about you but I'm often disappointed when I place an order online, for it to be delivered and only be half full. The day the Sweetly came felt like Christmas in comparison, for the box was jam packed full of all sorts of goodies. I expected a couple of candy bars, and some sweets but not the can of pop, pick and mix like sweeties and the little sachet of Kool Aid!

Even better yet, I hadn't tried many of the goods before, which was altogether astonishing given how much I've spent on Imported goods this year. In fact I've been trying to get hold of a whatchamacallit for months now, but every time I place an American Fizz order it's ourt of stock. The MoonPie also filled me with excitement, again it's something I've been eyeing up for a while, but my local shop sells stock that's over a year out of date (apparently it's allowed because it's 'Best Before').

Some of the treats I have tried already,  so if you want you can read my reviews of Twinkies, Butterfingers and Nerds.

5th Avenue

I had my doubts about the 5th avenue bar, and considered it to be a chocolate covered version of Nestle's Butterfinger. Given my ongoing love affair with Hershey's, I almost didn't want to try the 5th avenue for fear of ending our relationship.

Opening the bar, and snapping it in two confirmed my worst fears. Yes, this was all too reminiscent of the horribly sickly Butterfinger. I bit the end, but alas, that's all I could manage. The chocolate was pretty decent for American stuff though.

2/10

Whatchamacallit
I really enjoyed this caramel, rice crisp, and peanut filled bar and would describe it as a peanut butter toffee crisp. The combination of textures and flavours worked well together, and I'd be more than happy to buy them in future.

8/10

U-NO 

U-NOs are made by Annabelle's, who alsoproduce the Rocky Road S'mores bar. The U-NO bar is described as 'a smooth rich milk chocolate bar with a truffle-like center covered in milk chocolate and ground almonds.' It's a whopper of a bar though, but I'm afraid the taste wasn't fantastic -it made me think of the cheap Christmas truffles you might find in poundland at Christmas time. That said, it was very chocolatey, and fulfilled my chocolate cravings.

6/10

Mallo-Cups
Boyer say that here are 'seldom better combinations in candy than gooey marshmallow and chocolate'. I'm not sure I agree with that -peanut butter and, well anything?- but I do like chocolate, and marshmallow so was looking forward to tucking in. The centres were gooey, more like Marshmallow Fluff, and the chocolate was waxy -but I was hit by a shock! The chocolate contained coconut, which gave the Mallo-Cups a much more unusual edge which was rather pleasant. Coconut and chocolate isn't my favourite, so I probably wouldn't buy them again, but if you're a fan then give the Boyer cups a go sometime!

6/10

Gatorade
The iconic American drink that I have never tried. I rarely buy lemon or lime flavoured drinks but was more than happy to find out what all the fuss was about. I was disturbed by the colour however -it looked like it would make me glow in the dark! The other surprise was that it wasn't carbonated (I always assumed that 'ade' =fizzy, cherryade for example). Unfortunately it really wasn't my cup of tea but now I can tick it off my 'must try one day' list at least!

4/10

Lemonheads
Ahh these little box of bright yellow nuggets packed a punch. They were like zingy, hard coated, chewy centred jelly beans and were one of my favourites in the Sweetly box!

8/10

Now and Later Extreme Sour Watermelon Soft Chews
I'm really not good with really sour sweets -Tangfastics are abour my limit- so I was a bit cautious when trying these. I needn't have been though, sour fanatics might be disappointed, but they delivered a tartness that was enjoyable! The texture was like chewits too which meant that my fillings stayed in place too, hurrah!

7/10

Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid
I know I said I don't often by lemon or lime flavoured drinks, but pink lemonade is my exception to that rule -don't ask me why, not much makes sense in my mind anyway! The packet advised to add either sugar or sweetener and to dissolve in water, but I was feeling rebellious and poured mine into Cream Soda. It was genius though! I felt both girlie, smart and Kool with my pint of 'homemade' ;) pink lemonade.

8/10

Starburst GummiBursts
Rob and I fought over the 10 or so sweets in this little pack. Each sweet was packed full of flavour (especially the red ones!) and I really wish that they would be released in the U.K

9/10

MoonPie Chocolate Double-Decker
I've heard the MoonPie likened to Wagon Wheels on a number of occasions, but this wasn't just any MoonPie, it was the double-decker version! The MoonPie comprised of layers of marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate, which sounded rather delicious to me. Now as far as I was aware, Graham Crackers are the U.S equivalent of our digestive, i.e a staple, crunchy biscuit type affair. Well the 'cracker' in the Moon Pie was more cakey than that -but honestly? It made it even scrummier. 

After eating one half, I popped the rest in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. This happened to be another lightbulb moment -all the marshmallow went stringy, whilst the chocolate had started to melt. I made an awful mess eating it, but it brought out the child in me and made me grin (isn't that the Wagon Wheel thing?).

9/10

Summary
I'm super impressed with Sweetly. In fact its the best subscription box I've tried to date, and if I weren't constantly buying snacks to review on the blog I would most certainly sign up. Sweetly costs £13.99 per month and there's no delivery fees. Each box contains 12-14 full-size treats (including at least 5 premium items) which the company says is worth more than £30 in retail value (and I believe them), so it's fantastic value for money. You've got just 6 days if you want to get your hands on November's box, otherwise I think it would make a fab Christmas present for fellow sugar addicts! For 10% off your first order enter SEEKSNEWTREATS10! Click here to visit their website.

Sweetly = 10/10

Thanks very much Sweetly for sending me one of your first boxes!

NEW! Red Velvet Filled Muffins (Tesco)

I doubt you're as sad as me. I've been patiently waiting for November to begin and for Tesco to release their Christmas lines. For the past two years the supermarket has sold Mince Pie Cookies and white snowman cookies, but this year they've gone down a decidedly less traditional route with the three new additions in their fresh bakery: Black Forest Cookies, Salted Caramel Filled Muffins and Red Velvet Filled Muffins. Now I'd wonder what on earth red velvet has to do with Christmas (and it's only the red hollies on the packaging that give the theme away) but I really can't talk as I often make a red velvet -gluten free- yule log for the big day. Plus, it's red velvet, I'm always game for red velvet.

At £1 for 4 sizeable muffins, the price can't be complained about either. I couldn't actually find them on Friday in my home town when I found the Merry Mince Pie Flapjacks, but did find them in another store yesterday-so keep looking if you don't have any joy at first.

"4 Red sponge chocolate muffins with cream cheese flavoured filling."

Their sugar dusting did little to conceal the poor flat tops (something I couldn't compute as the packaging didn't appear squashed) although I have to congratulate Tesco on the redness of the cake. The colour doesn't really show up very much in the photos, but I can promise you they had a red hue, and I appreciate how much more difficult the colour is to achieve now that it's so much harder to get hold of the super-artificial red food dyes. I noticed both the softness and the substantial weight of the muffin as soon as I picked one out of the pack; it was easy to slice in two, with a very close crumb and a fair amount of cream cheese filling. So far so good. 

The trouble was, red velvet can be so hit and miss. Sometimes it's bone dry, other times it's flavourless -and unfortunately these muffins fell into the latter camp. Had I blind taste-tasted the cake I'm sure I would've told you I was eating a dense Victoria Sponge. I mean, it tasted good, but it just wasn't red velvet and certainly lacked the chocolatey kick that I hoped for. 

The filling in the middle was super sweet and tasted almost like buttercream. The lack of characteristic tartness was evident, although unsurprising considering it actually doesn't contain any cream cheese (only cheese powder)! Say what?

I'm gutted, These are perfectly tasty little (albeit very sweet) muffins, but they miss the mark on two crucial factors:
1) For a festive muffin they're not very Christmassy
2) They're not red velvet!

Here's hoping the salted caramel fairs better...

6/10 

Birthday Cake Oreos (American Fizz)

It's my Birthday!

I lie. It's not, and it won't be for a good few months yet. But why not cheer oneself up with Birthday cake anyway? Or even birthday cake biscuits for that matter? I'd heard good reports from fellow foodie Sarah (of Waffley Versatile) about the chocolatey Birthday Cake Oreos, so when I spotted the golden version on American Fizz in the treasure trove -AKA the clearance section- I just had to buy them.

Stateside Oreos, for those who don't know, come in large sharing style, resealable packs (which UK Oreos are now producing too as Kev's Instagram informed me). They're packed with a good number of cookies (approx 30), which are much more generously filled than their British counterparts. I hadn't got the foggiest idea how Oreo could emulate the flavours of Birthday Cake into their biscuits -or cookies- but I was more than happy to find out.

The golden Birthday Cake Oreos had a creamy coloured filling, flecked with hundreds & thousands style brightly coloured sprinkles. The sugary scent was overwhelming but enticed me in. Come on kettle, boil already!

Armed with a big mug of coffee in which to dunk my Oreos, I cwtched up on the sofa and got ready to feel like the Birthday Girl. I separated the first half of my Oreo: first you twist it, then you lick it, then you dunk it - remember the ad?

The golden biscuit tasted, well, plain. But then I always find the golden versions far less spectacular than their dark & rich chocolatey siblings. The filling was creamy, super sweet (much more so than in the British Golden Oreos) and reminded me of buttercream. That's where the cakey-ness halted though. Yes they were yummy. Yes the filling was pretty, and yes they were moreish -but that was it. No Birthday feeling for me unfortunately.

To be honest, as I mentioned before, I don't know what I expected from the Birthday Cake Oreos in the first place -as I didn't with the Birthday. I do know however, that they're much more decadent (so enjoyable by default) than U.K Oreos, so are well worth a try -especially if you get a bargain!

7/10

NEW! Chocolate Dunk Cheesecake Slices (Co-Op)

For those of you who aren't as food and/or marketing obsessed as I am, you may not be aware that Co-Op is currently mid-way through a large change in their strategy. Have you spotted their updated blue logo yet? They've also launched the new Co-Op membership, which now enables you to earn back 5% of your spending for another day, whilst they also pledge to give an addition 1% back to your local community. It all sounds good to me, but please let me know if I'm being naive and they're just putting the prices up to compensate!

Another change for the organisation is a re-brand of their Co-Op own label. I love this as it means that there will be plenty of yummy new products to grace shelves in the coming weeks and months. One of the first items I spotted and found instantly irresistible was this pack of 'Chocolate Dunk Cheesecake Slices', part of their new American dessert range.

"Chocolate brownie batter topped with a Madagascan vanilla cheesecake batter, drizzled with a Belgian chocolate sauce, topped with chocolate decorations."

I hope you'll agree with me upon the dessert's sheer beauty. I can't remember ever having seen a more spectacular looking supermarket cheesecake! The chocolate drizzled down the side gave the slice a luxurious effect, and I loved the single white chocolate star gracing the front like an effigy on a ship.

The cheesecake was substantial yet fluffy, with a welcome balance between natural tartness and sweetness coming from the vanilla flavour. Nothing beats homemade of course, but this came a close second. Underneath the cheesecake was the brownie layer. Now I'm of the understanding the a cheesecake must include a biscuit base, however I knew I would forgive the Co-Op if the brownie was decent.

It was. There was enough cocoa in it to avoid being sickly, and it was soft and gooey - just as it should be. It was thick enough to be sold as a brownie in it's own right, none of this ASDA base nonsense. I kind of hoped there would be chocolate chips in it, but of course there wasn't -perhaps that would be a step too far anyway. The only issue I had was that the slice lacked the textural juxtaposition between crunchy base and creamy cheesecake. Still, it was delicious, so it's only a tiny weeny moan.

Anyone expecting a gooey sauce or ganache topping might be disappointed with the chocolate on top, for it was set solid. Again, I was pleased by this and enjoyed the fact that the chocolate crunched against the cheesecake below. The malty balls (oo-er) were a nice touch too. All in all, it was a rich, decadent, and sickly affair, EXACTLY what was needed on a Friday night after a long week.

I actually think I preferred these to the Rhokett chocolate cheesecakes, and that's really saying something. For £2.69 per pack, they're a delicious treat for when that chocolate craving really hits - I know I'll certainly be enjoying them again.

9/10