Frosted Chocolate Peanut Butter Pop Tarts (American Fizz)

I think I got a bit of a bargain here, and there's not much that pleases me more than a good bargain -especially if said bargain is peanut butter related. The bargain in question was another find from American Fizz -they have an excellent clearance section which currently contains chocolate peanut butter pop tarts at the absolute steal price of £1.29. They went out of date in January, but as with most American snacks, they contain enough additives to make them edible next decade.*

*probably.

What excited me further was that when I took them out of the box, they came wrapped in gold foil. None of the standard silver stuff here, Kellogg's have gone all out with a luxurious casing for these Pop Tarts -clearly nothing but the best for peanut butter fans!

I warmed them in the toaster as suggested on the lowest setting, and once heated I eagerly got stuck in. I noticed that pastry used in these Pop tarts were a lighter shade of brown than the Hot Fudge Sundae, and Cookies & Creme versions, which I thought might be an indication of a milder cocoa flavour.

I was right in my guess-timations; the chocolate pastry was far less dark and bitter than its compadres. It was a welcome change, and a better choice to complement the peanut butter within. The taste was still obviously chocolatey though, and not a half-hearted attempt on Kellogg's' part. 

The peanut butter was *just about* the star of the show, and shone through the layers of chocolate. It was of course warm, which made it gooey, although it retained enough firmness to not ooze messily out of the Pop Tart. The saltiness of the peanut butter worked oh-so-well against the chocolate pastry.

My only bug-bear was the frosting- it was just too sweet and felt like an unnecessary addition. It tipped the balance of salty-sweet off kilter, and it meant that my teeth were aching after the second Pop Tart.

I enjoyed these Chocolate Peanut Butter Pop Tarts, despite their overwhelming sweetness, and I'd buy them again -even at the full price of £3.69. I think the Cookie Dough is still my favourite flavour, what's yours?   

8/10

American Pop Tarts: Hot Fudge Sundae

OK, I might have a bit of an obsession, because I also bought these Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts from B&M.  In the last few weeks I've tried (& reviewed) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Confetti Cupcake, and Cookies & Creme; and so like a Monopoly player I felt the overwhelming need to add to my hoard... which embarrassingly now has it's own Pop Tart shelf in my kitchen.

The Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts have the most enticing title to date, and their website describes them as: 

Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae

'With a chocolate crust, smooth vanilla filling, vanilla and fudge icing, and colorful sprinkles, this chompable sundae is a thing of beauty, The good source of calcium and reduced sugar is the cherry on top'

I'm not sure they can extol the virtuousness of these Pop Tarts, because despite having 'reduced sugar' they still have a hyperactive inducing 16g each. However, as we all know sugar tastes damn good- and it keeps me awake and happy- so it doesn't make a difference to me.

The pastry is the same as the Cookies and Creme, and thereby similar in taste to an Oreo/Bourbon biscuit. The filling oozed alluringly once warmed through in the toaster, and was familiarly sweet, which provided a good contrast against the dark borderline bitter cocoa crust.

In fact, it was so similar in taste to the Cookies and Creme flavour I tried a couple of days ago that I don't think I could tell the difference if blindfolded. The only difference from the description should be the fudge flavoured icing, but unfortunately it is indistinguishable and completely lost against the rich chocolate pastry and sugary centre, That's not to say that it's not tasty- because it is. I just think that it's a clever marketing ploy by Kellogg's to attract two different consumer camps, both the 'Hot Fudge Sundae' and the 'Cookies & Creme' fans.

I'm keeping my eye out for something a bit different next time.. like the frosted blueberry, PB & J, and/or Cinnamon Roll Pop Tarts... Mmm... I think I've got an addiction. 

6/10
Simply because I was hoping for a clearer difference in flavour.

American Pop Tarts: Cookies & Creme

As it's Sunday and we'd run out of dog food, my other half was obliged to take me to B&M bargains this morning.. It's a store he hates simply because I love it so much and could therefore spend hours in it. As I've mentioned previously, they stock an unpredictable and cheap range of American Imports, which is the main reason why I love B&M so much.

This morning I spotted these 'Frosted Cookies & Creme' Pop Tarts which seemed like the perfect treat to end chocolate week on. They are described as follows-

'Chocolate cookie crust. Sweet, white frosting sprinkled with cookie crumbles. Smooth vanilla crème filling. '

I was hoping that they'd taste like an Oreo combined with a Pop Tart. The chocolate pastry was very dark in colour, and the flavour didn't disappoint. It was rich with a deep cocoa flavour- imagine a grown up Bourbon biscuit. The filling was incredibly sweet by comparison- it would have been far too much by itself- but it worked surprisingly well with the chocolate cookie flavoured crust. Imagine warm gooey Oreos.. That's what these are!

I couldn't have hoped for more from these Cookies & Creme Pop Tart. They're not my favourite Pop Tart to date, but they're pretty damn tasty, especially if you're an Oreo and/or Bourbon biscuit fan.

7/10

P.S I've also reviewed the American Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pop Tarts & American Confetti Cupcake Pop Tarts 

American Pop Tart: Confetti Cupcake

I confess, I must be addicted to the GM ingredients in American Pop Tarts. I can't have completely satisfied my sugar cravings earlier this week with the Cookie Dough Pastries, because I didn't hesitate to buy these Confetti Cupcake treats when I discovered them at half price in a local vintage shop. 

I'm always so envious of American product flavours, they're always so much more interesting than the tame English offerings. The confetti cupcake sounded vey tempting, who wouldn't want cake and pastry, right? They're probably a diabetic nightmare but I wasn't bothered about my sugar intake, being too intrigued to even consider my health. I think I must've had a cake induced craving as a direct result of the bake off. Yes, I'm blaming the BBC for my purchase- shame on you Bezzer. 

I digress, the Pop Tarts themselves were Aesthetically pleasing, covered with white icing dotted with hundreds and thousands. They were the first Pop Tarts I've sampled which I could actually smell heating in the toaster. As usual, I nibbled the un-frosted edges first, savouring the warm filling until last.

The centres were the same firm consistency as the cookie dough, but with a lovely jammy surprise coming through every now and then. They were very sweet, even for me, but not to the point of being un-enjoyable. I shared the pack of two with my partner, which I was grateful for as I think by the end of the second my teeth would've started to ache. 

I enjoyed these Imports, but not as much as the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pop Tarts.

8/10

American Pop Tarts: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Thank goodness for B&M bargains! For anyone who shops there you'll be aware that they're a veritable treasure trove of American Import goodies. You can pick up twinkies, flipz, and American chocolate etc. at a fraction of the cost that'd you'd pay at specialist import stores. Whilst this must be bad news for the independent retailers it does mean that those of us who have less disposable income can sample some of the US treats. 

The foodstuff that never fails to tempt me are Pop Tarts. I know that we have British Pop Tarts but they only come in fairly dull flavours (apple, chocolate, strawberry, & cherry as far as I'm aware) and they don't have any of the naughty additives which our stateside cousins seem to get away with putting in their foods. I know this should be a negative, but there's a reason they put them in: they do tend to make the food tastier!

I spotted these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough toaster pastries at B&M at £2.29 for 8 (2 packs of 4) and quickly nabbed a couple of boxes. I love that they advertise the fact that they're Naturally and Artificially flavoured! 

The box says you can eat them cold, but I don't know anyone who eats Pop Tarts without heating them. Anyway, I popped them into my toaster and eagerly waited my treats. 

The Pop Tarts held their shape well as they always do, so I nibbled around the outside, saving all the cookie dough til last- I'm such a child! The centre didn't disappoint, although it was a lot firmer than some of the other varieties. The cookie dough was comforting and nostalgic- bringing me back being a child and being able to lick the spoon (and the bowl!) when home baking with my nan.

I really enjoyed these Pop Tarts and I'm glad I picked up a couple of boxes. I couldn't recommend you give them to your children for breakfast though, otherwise you might be attempting to pull them off the ceiling the entire morning!

9/10