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

White Snickers

There are not many chocolate bars that can't be improved by swapping milk for white chocolate. White Reese's cups & Twixs are God's gift to man, and don't even talk to me about the devastating loss of white Maltesers, let alone not finding out that white chocolate Côte D'Or's Bouchées exist until this late into my adulthood (which thankfully I now have a healthy supply of thanks to the kindness of One Treat). I've reviewed many of the Snickers* (excluding the PB squared which is my favourite to date) but none have left me craving my next bar. In fact I could happily not have some of them ever again. The continental White chocolate Snickers piqued my interest though, was this the one variation that could finally turn me into an knickers *sorry snickers* addict? If Nat's review on Lot-O-Choc was anything to go by (and I trust her opinion implicitly) they could certainly be up to the job.

Could I find the imported white Snickers though? Of course not. Luckily for me the lovely Sîan offered to send me a bar. Only she didn't just send me one, she sent me three. How fortunate am I? Thanks Sîan.

They looked much more striking with their snowy white covering. Just look at that cross section! Isn't it attractive?

Crikey. How can a change in chocolate type make all the difference? By all accounts the sweetness should be sickly, but in actual fact the salinity of the peanuts works extraordinarily well against the creamy white chocolate. The Caramel and nougat were as soft and gooey as normal, providing the ultimate juxtaposition of textures against the crunchy nuts.

There's not much more I can add really, apart from that if you're a peanut lover with a sweet tooth then you simply MUST track these limited edition bars down pronto. It's one of the best chocolate bars I've had in a good while!

10/10

*Other Snickers bars I've reviewed:
Almond
Rockin Nut Road
Crisper

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

Sante Cinnamon Star Cereal (Polski Sklep)

I don't know about you, but I certainly think that cinnamon cereal is distinctly lacking in the U.K. Sure we have curiously cinnamon and more recently the (distinctly under-spiced) Cinnamon Oat Crisp Cheerios, but that's about the extent of the matter. The only way I've known to get hold of other cinnamon cereals until now is to place an order from American import companies as the States have a vast array of the stuff including Cinnabon cereal, Apple Jacks and Cinnamon Toast Crunch -to name just a few.

It wasn't until my last chocolate mission in the Polish Delis that I decided to delve further into stores, and soon uncovered a plethora of interesting looking cereals that I've not seen before, one of which was this bag of 'Cynamonowe Gwiazdki' -which I (correctly!) guessed translates to 'cinnamon Stars'. At £1.09 for a 250g bag it wasn't bad value and I decided to discover what Sante's Smart Teens cereal is all about.

The little stars are made from a mixture of wheat, barley, oat and corn flours, whilst the remaining ingredients are sugar, honey, inulin (a watre soluble fibre), sunflower oil, cinnamon, molasses from cane sugar, sea salt and natural flavours -that's it. It was a welcome surprise to see a list devoid of strange chemicals and e-numbers that you can find on so many cereals, although there is 8.1g of sugar per 30g.

The combination of sweet, warming scent and golden coloured stars resulted in a bowl of rather festive cereal. My friend and fellow blogger Laura (of A Daisy Chain Dream) rightly pointed out last week that there's no christmassy cereals here in the U.K either, so perhaps this is the closest we'll get.

Texturally, the stars were crunchy, and passed the milk soaking test with flying colours. I could definitely taste the oat within the cereal mixture, but of course the main flavours were sugar and cinnamon -both of which were delicious.

I'm so pleased that I've found these cinnamon stars. Comparitively they're cheaper than Nestle's Curiously Cinnamon, yet equally delicious with less fat and salt (although as mentioned, they do have a slightly higher sugar content).

If you're a cinnamon cereal fiend then it's well worth a trio to your local Polski Sklep to pick up a bag or two!

8/10

*Comparative Nutritionals per 100g:
Sante Cinnamon Stars: 375kcal, fat 3.4g, sat fat 0.5g, carbs 75g, sugars 27g, fibre 7g, protein 8.1g, salt 0.23g
Nestle Curiously Cinnamon: 419kcal, fat 10.1g, sat fat 3.8g, carbs 74g, sugars 24.8g, fibre 5.2g, protein 5.4g, salt 1.11g

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

Party Banana Jaffa Cakes (Polski Sklep)

I posted a picture of these Jaffa cakes last night and waited for the inevitable shock at my find. Five minutes is all it took before the comments started rolling in:

"Banana "Jaffa cakes?! Are they nice? Where are they from??""Banana Jaffa cakes!!! Oh my GOD 😱""OH MY GOD BANANA JAFFA CAKES!!!!""Is this real? 🙀 Banana Jaffa Cakes? 😻"

Yes ladies and gents, banana Jaffa cakes certainly do exist, and they're covered in white chocolate no less. This pack cost me just 69p from one of my local Polish delis, what's not to love? Well actually I did have have concerns: Banana jelly could either be wonderful or a downright disaster.

The first things I noticed about the 'jaffas' was the hideously thin white chocolate coating that covered the jelly. I'm used to McVities comparative decadence, or M&S's if I'm really feeling opulent. 

The second point of concern was the dry base. Now we've all had the "is a Jaffa cake a biscuit or a cake?" debate, but the CAKE most definitely turns hard when stale and I'm not buying that it was simply a super fresh biscuit. The banana Jaffa cakes were well in date too (BB April 2017) so I think it's just the way they're made.

On to the most important part: the tasting. I've explained before that normally I pull apart my jaffas and savour each individual element, but I was too curious to discover what they taste like so got stuck straight in.

Hmm. I'm not convinced. Remember the blue bears in the Haribo Frenzy Carnival that I raved about? Well the centre of the cakes tasted damn similar. In sweet form it worked well, but covered in chocolate and on a base of stale cake? Not so successful. As for the white chocolate, there wasn't enough of it to to be able to distinguish whether it was any good or not...

The combination of flavours was simply peculiar. I mean the banana jaffa cakes were edible -and oddly moreish- but I can't say that I'll be having cravings for the rest of the pack like I do with McVities'. They're worth trying but I won't be in a hurry to buy them again.

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! E.Wedel Caffe Latte Milk Chocolate (Polski Sklep)

Last week I was queuing up to pay for the peanut & chocolate croissant in the Polish deli, when a chocolate bar I hadn't spotted before caught my eye. It grabbed my attention for three reasons:

1. It was cheap (just 40p)
2. It was caffe latte flavoured (I love anything mocha)
3. It was made my E.Wedel...

...Why would the slightly obscure brand appeal to me you may ask? Well, I've seen their larger (and equally interesting sounding) bars in supermarkets, as well as reading a few favourable reviews* of their products, but have never taken the plunge and bought myself a bar. In the name of impulse, I grabbed the Pawełek and quickly bought it before I could remind myself of he numerous bars of chocolate already sat in my fridge.

Please can we just take a moment to take in the Google translation of E.Wedel's description of the bar on their website (where I also found out that it's new)!

"Pawełek flavored Caffe Latte in milk chocolate bar designed for lovers of coffee with milk and refers to the ritual of drinking this beverage in combination with sweet chocolate pleasure."

My heart sunk when I unwrapped the bar and spotted the White curse of spoilage lingering on the corners. Still, appearances can be deceptive, and I snapped the bar in half. I think I was expecting a truffle-esque centre enrobed in chocolate, but instead I discovered a gooey, fondant core (which smelt very alcoholic!).

Unfortunately in this case, the book should have been judged by its cover. The chocolate was waxy, and tasted cheap, reminiscent of Kinnerton's Christmas calendars. I'm a fan of liqueur chocolates, but I couldn't even detect the slightest hint of coffee, as it was totally overwhelmed by the throat burning alcohol. So potent was it, that I was left wondering how many bars you would need to eat before feeling woozy**.

It's such a shame really, considering the success I had with both of the last Polish chocolate bars I've tried (The Wawel Peanut Butter review here, and advocaat bar review here if you're interested) and the success other bloggers have had with E. Wedel. Maybe I'll give them another shot soon. Have you had any of their bars? If so, which is the best?

3/10

* Such as:
Kev's  Karmel-love! Caramel White Chocolate Bar review
Nibs' Crème Brûlée Bar review
and One Treat's Dark Tiramisu review

** At 2.1% of the bar's ingredients I guess it might be more than the taste led me to imagine!

7 Days Peanut Croissant (Polski Sklep)

I naively thought that 7 days is an American baked goods brand -but that's only because I've only come across their spotted their products on American Fizz. I'm not a huge croissant eater, not because I don't like them, but just prefer cinnamon based pastries such as whirls and buns. What's the fillings that could possibly change my mind? Peanut butter or chocolate of course! American Fizz do stock 7 days' PB&J croissant, but I always forget to add it to basket when excitedly making an order. 

Imagine my surprise when I spotted a range of 7 days croissants in one of our local Polish Delis. A bit of research later led me to realise that the brand is in fact International, trading in a number of European countries as well as the States.

Whilst the deli didn't stock the PB&J version (7 Days' website implies that it's only an American release) it did sell something potentially more exciting: Peanut & Cocoa croissants. I was a bit dubious about whether the filling would taste of my beloved peanut butter seeing as the ingredients only listed "peanut paste" and "peanut flavouring" however for 50p it was worth the punt.

If, like me, you become frustrated with the often ridiculous serving sizes on British packets (no one can eat a single twirl finger Cadbury or half an Aero for that matter Nestle) then pay a thought for our Polish cousins. The 60g croissant displays nutrition information for 28g! What the heck? Eat half, save half, give a couple of crumbs to the dog perhaps? Lord knows.

Anyway, the croissant was larger and more voluminous than expected; I assumed that It would have squished on the walk home -the same way I seem to damage most of my purchases recently. Once unwrapped I could smell a sweet, cocoa scent, which became stronger once sliced in two. Paul Hollywood might have even been impressed with the layers, which were multiple and light -another surprise considering that the croissants are a long life product. I was also pleased to discover a generous pocket of pale brown coloured filling in the centre, enrobed in a dark cocoa layer.

The pastry didn't taste as fresh as it looked unfortunately, but was certainly better than I had originally anticipated. The peanut centre was gooey, nutty and sweet -perhaps too much so, as I found the creme lacked the counterbalancing salinity of my favourite peanut butter. In any case, the cocoa was the much more dominant flavour, despite making up only less than a third of the filling (the ingredients list claims that cocoa makes up 7% of the entire croissant whereas the peanut accounts for 16%). This wasn't a problem as I find Nutella often comes to the forefront flavour-wise in my much loved Nutella-PB-&-banana toasties (they're incredible, if you haven't had one before please do, then let me know what you think!)

I was enjoying my first half of the croissant, but then popped the second half in the microwave for a quick blast - after all, croissants are always best served warm! 

Wowsers.

The now melted spread-like centre oozed between the laminated pastry layers, becoming all the more delicious. The texture gap between fresh and long-life became somewhat reduced as a result, and I sat grinning whilst savouring every last morsel.

I'm so glad I decided to try this 7 Days Peanut & Cocoa croissant, and I'm sure they'll become a regular treat! 

8/10