Mrs Freshley's Frosted Strawberry Mini Donuts (A Taste Of The States)

Isn't it odd that I've reviewed more Mrs Freshley's products on the blog than Mr Kipling? I'm not sure it's because they're that much more innovative, but probably just because they're American and I haven't had them before. Actually, I've changed my mind. Frosted strawberry doughnuts are infinitely more exciting than Viennese Whirls. IMO. 



Anyway, I've already tried the crunch and Cinnabon Mrs F's mini ring donuts with relative success so couldn't help ordering this variety from A Taste Of The States too. Strawberry doughnuts of course aren't a new thing, but I'm used to them being plain donuts topped with pink icing (Bert's favourite), strawberry jam filled, or a combination of both. Never have I tried a strawberry flavoured doughnut. 

The pack contained 6 "confectionary coating" covered rings, which were all evenly coated with a chocolate-esque coating. Of course it's not real chocolate, it's made from sugar, palm oil, cocoa, soy, salt and artificial flavouring -just a handful of ingredients on the epic list.  I can't tell you that it tasted all that great either. Fake chocolate just isn't my bag I'm afraid. Unfortunately, the doughnuts were a bit of a let down too. The dough was extremely dry and cloying, but there was -at least- a sweet strawberry flavour to it.  

Meh, sorry Mrs F but you haven't quite scored a mini doughnut hat-trick here. However, if you fancy trying these unusual creations, or perhaps the nicer Cinnabon or crunchy doughnuts, or even some Hostess Donettes then please head over to A Taste Of The States where you can benefit from 20% off with the code AMYSEEKS20.

5/10

Thanks to A Taste of The States for providing me with a gift card to order these with!

NEW! Peanut Butter KitKat Bites (B&M)

I think I've done well to refrain from both the new peanut butter chocolate bars until now. I had made a promise to not buy any until I'd made a healthy dent into my Ridiculous Reese's stash from Xmas, but there was a couple of additional reasons that I'd stopped myself. Neither the new KitKat bites or the Butterfingers excited me all that much. I mean I got so excited by the Cookie Dough Chunky last year and haven't bothered with it again, and I can't even stomach American Butterfingers. 

"Mini crispy wafer fingers with a creamed peanut filling (17%) covered with milk chocolate (70%)."

With my pb chocolate supplies starting to wane I gave into the KitKats. The peanut butter KitKat Chunkies are pretty good after all; as are the Reese's Sticks. £1 for a bag it wasn't too much of a gamble either (I bought them in B&M but they're available in most supermarkets and WHSmith now).

I find 'bites' a bit of an odd name for them. They're more than one bite in size, but I suppose it makes sense if you consider that they're smaller than the awesome KitKat minis that Nat bought back from Japan. To be honest, my biggest concern was that in their non chunkified format that there wouldn't be much room for the peanut butter and that they'd be a bit bland as a result. 

Bravo Nestle! They do indeed deliver on the peanut butter front, and theyve been mastered the salinity that makes Reese's so moreish. It helps that they've used roasted peanuts too, to really boost the flavour. I'm not normally keen on Nestle chocolate, however it's evidently better than the Reese's variety, and this makes the bites all the more enjoyable. In fact, I found that the ratio of chocolate:wafer:peanut butter was pretty damn good, and had a hard job to not finish off the entire bag (16 bites) in one sitting. Serious self restraint required. 

9/10

Festive Mini Macaroons (M&S)

We should all probably be sick of the sight of Christmas food, but I just can't help myself from buying more -especially when I spot a bargain or two, or three, or four..! Anyway, I had reached breaking point with my marketing report late yesterday afternoon when I decided to give my brain a breather and pop into town. I couldn't resist heading into M&S before coming home, and there I spotted these festive mini macaroons in the food-to-go section. If M&S offered a meal deal like Boots do, I'd be far more inclined to pick up my lunch there more often. Instead I usually bypass the sandwich aisle unless it's reducing time. I'd seen these glittery little macaroons a few times though, but was disinclined to spend £1.50 on them. Reduced to a mere 55p yesterday afternoon however, I decided to give them a whirl.

Now I have an embarrassing confession to make: I'd never tried a macaroon before. Shocking, right? I'm not sure why either as I like meringues and love almonds. I think I'd just got them down as expensive little dainty morsels, and as such will always opt for something more substantial (and usually more chocolatey) when choosing dessert. These macaroons were special though, because not only where they shimmery, but they were a triple whammy of chocolate flavours.

"Chocolate ganache and hazelnut, chocolate ganache and salted caramel, chocolate ganache and orange flavoured French Almond macaroons." 

Mmm, in my head I imagined nutella, chocolatey dulce de leche, and Terry's filled almond flavoured meringues. The trouble began though when I realised that there was no way of working out which was which! I tried smelling them, but I couldn't distinguish any difference. There was only one way to find out....

Biting into the first, bronze coloured, one left me puzzled because I couldn't really tell what flavour it was meant to be .The macaroon wasn't even particularly chocolatey, and all I could taste was the almondy meringue. The texture was enjoyable with its soft chewy interior and crispy outer shell, but I was very underwhelmed by the lack of hazelnut, salted caramel, orange or cocoa. Humf. 

The purple-escent macaroon was next up, and when I munched into the edge I started to think that M&S were pulling my leg. Are macaroons the Emperors new clothes of delicacies? Again, the flavour was completely lacking and I felt rather put out. 

Fortunately, somehow I'd saved the best until last. The golden macaroon contained a hidden gem of chocolate orange ganache that shone from within. The flavour was impeccable, and worked wonders with the sugar almond exteriors.This was a real treat -I just wish the box contained 3 chocolate orange macaroons. After all, chocolate orange is arguably the only festive flavour combination in the combination, and was the tastiest by a couple of clear country miles. 

If you spot these festive macaroons reduced then I suggest you pick them up, but otherwise they're not worth your pennies. 

6/10

NEW! Aunt Bessies Mini Yorkshire Puddings (Tesco)

You may have gathered that I have a very sweet tooth, hence all of the reviews of ice cream, chocolate and cake. Today I'm bucking my trend however, with a savoury post about an old classic with a new(ish) twist. I say new, but Aunt Bessies mini yorkshire puddings have been around before. In fact, one of my all-time favourite childhood dinners was 'Tidgy Puds' and baked beans -I'm a classy girl!

I can't pin-point when 'Tidgy Puds' disappeared from supermarket shelves, but I was super excited to see their return (despite the new, more sensible name!). I bought the pack of 30 mini yorkies from Tesco for £1.50, and haven't seen them stocked anywhere else yet.

"I've selected the simplest and finest ingredients to make my mini Yorkshires. Now it's over to you. Simply pop in the oven for 4 minutes to add a little bit of fun to your kids' meal, or enjoy as a light bite with your favourite fillings. They're even perfect for canapés."

Ok, so they're meant to be for children or for parties, but for me they were calling to be served by the plateful, filled with Heinz' finest cheesy beans.

The cooking guidelines are simple, simply pop them in the oven from frozen on 200°c/ Gas mark 6 for 4 minutes -just enough time to microwave my Heinz!

The yorkies looked very cute. They're not all the same shape and size either, which somehow made them homely and therefore all the more appealing. As promised they were hot in four minutes, and ready to be adorned with their beany glory!

Yum. Yum Yum. I challenge you to come up with a more comforting dinner than this! The yorkies were perfectly crunchy on the top yet retaining a slightly doughy bottom -just how I like them. The batter soaked up the cheesy bean juice, and the combination of flavours was a match made in heaven. Instantly, memories of coming in to dinner after an afternoon's tree climbing and bike riding entered my mind, and I enjoyed every morsel with a grin from ear to ear.

I imagine that these mini yorkshire puddings would also be delicious filled with warm cocktail sausages as toad-in-the-hole-style canapes, or served up with Sunday lunch. After all, more yorkies = a better roast, don't you agree?

Have you got any better ideas on how to serve yorkshire puddings?

9/10

Bud's Best Butterfinger Cookies (American Fizz)

Ok, so I mentioned the other day that I've been Reese's loyal until only recently, so it may (or may not) come as a surprise to you that I've never tasted a Nestle Butterfinger bar. They even sell them in our local Tesco! I could use the excuse that they're much dearer than Reese's peanut butter cups, but in all honesty I've just not really got round to buying one. It was only the reduced price of these Bud's Best Butterfinger cookies on American Fizz' website that tempted me into a purchasing a bag, and at £1.19 per pack I knew it was an opportunity I'd regret not taking.

Like the Peanut Butter Pop Tarts the cookies were out of date, but again it didn't phase me, after all what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh? The bag was larger than I expected it to be -at 170g- and contained 6 (rather small) servings of 6 cookies. 

The moment I opened the pack, I was greeted with a comforting caramel-like aroma that smelt rather homely -although I couldn't explain why! The cookies weren't as uniform as most mass-produced cookies (none of the uniform ripples of Go Ahead's cookie bites here!) but it was in keeping with the home-spun story of Bud's cookies that I read about on the back of the bag. 

The butteryness was immediately evident with my first bite; reminiscent of shortbread in both flavour and texture. The peanut butter was delicate and well balanced against the biscuit, with the occasional addition of tiny pockets of chocolate. So delicious were they, that they weren't even subjected to a swift dip in my coffee (I'm normally a dedicated dunker), just so that I could savour every nibble.

Bud's Best Butterfinger Cookies. I wouldn't have normally looked twice, but I'm so glad I did. I highly recommend that if you're a peanut butter lover that you head on over to American Fizz's website and buy yourself a bag whilst they're such a steal! In the mean time, I think a bar of Butterfinger in Tesco might just call to me!

9/10

Oreo Mini Reese's (American Fizz)

I was curled up on the sofa last weekend coughing, spluttering, and generally feeling sorry for myself, when I had that lightbulb moment, and realised exactly what would cheer me up. Half an hour later, I'd placed a large order with American Fizz for all sorts of Imported goodies that I never even knew I needed. Delivery was quick, and I was pleased to find that my treats were neatly packaged, so they arrived in perfect condition.

One of the items that I purchased were these Mini Oreos filled with Reese's peanut butter. As I was fortunate enough to receive 40 bags of my favourite Nutter Butter Bites for Christmas, I thought I'd never need to buy any more peanut butter biscuits ever again. Of course, I've munched through my supply pretty rapidly, and I never grow old of peanut butter (or biscuits) so I thought I'd take the opportunity to try the Reese's Oreos.

I was hugely disappointed by the British peanut butter Oreos when they were released last year -to me they tasted artificial and lacked the real taste of roasted peanuts that I expected. I have heard numerous rumours that they are nowhere near as good as their American counterparts, and I really hoped that the grapevine hadn't let me down.

The 'big-bag' contained approximately 30 biscuits, which was meant to be the equivalent of roughly three servings. The Oreos were somewhere between the size of a penny and tuppence, with a thin peanut butter disc in the middle of each.

The biscuits were the same as British Oreos; beautifully rich and dark with a good crunch that also held up well after dunking. Of course, it's not really the biscuits that's of interest here -it's the peanut butter. Fortunately Reese's hadn't let me down and I revelled in the familiar, true-to-form, sweet-salty nuttiness. If I was to be picky, I'd say that the peanut butter wasn't as thick as I'd have liked, the biscuits could've benefited from a more generous central creme disc, but they're a far cry from the pitiful British nonsensical Oreos. 

The chocolate and peanut butter combination is a match made in heaven, and they were so good that I polished off the whole bag in one sitting. Oops.

It's glorious to see that two of the best manufacturers in their fields (Reese's and Oreo) have amalgamated their resources to create such a delightful product.  So Oreo, please stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes, remove the fraudulent UK peanut butter flavoured Oreos, and replace them with the real deal -we deserve them too!

10/10

Mini Merryteaser Reindeer

So I lasted until the last week of October until I finally caved and bought my first festive food treat, which I don't think is too bad considering mince pies launched in our co-op around about the end of August. I know maltester-y reindeers aren't new but apparently the mini versions are. I bought these 5pk from B&M for approximately 90p.

Each chocolate is individually wrapped in Maltesers' traditional red, with a little reindeer outlined in the front. They are only 63 calories each, which means they are only about the size of my thumb. Packaging removed they are oddly shaped little characters who are borderline alien-esque due to their apparent lack of eyes! Cutting the chocolate in half, you can see the smooth malty filling dotted with honeycomb pieces. 

The chocolate is Mars' typically silky affair and the filling provides a decent contrast of textures. The smooth part of the centre is reminiscent of the discontinued (and greatly missed) Mars Delight bars. There wasn't as many honeycomb bites as I'd have liked, but it's still a winning combination.

The biggest trouble is that they're little more than a dainty mouthful each, and they're devilishly moreish!

8/10