NEW! Cadbury Crunchy Melt Chocolate Centre Chocolate Chip Cookies (ASDA)

Christ that's some title! Is it awful that it bugs me that it would be perfectly alliterated if it wasn't for that damn melt? They'd better be melty.

I was actually on a mission to pick up (yet another) pack of the new banoffee caramel digestives (our fifth packet so far) when I spotted these new cookies. I haven't given in to the new wafer based 'Roundies' yet, but filled cookies? Count me in.

At £1 per pack they didn't seem to bad value either, and I was torn between the trio of options: chocolate centre, soft cookie centre and double chocolate with a chocolate centre. I was tempted to buy all three, but then the rational side of my brain kicked in (there's a first time for everything) and I thought I'd try one first - I could always go back for the others after all. 

"Crunchy chocolate chip cookies with a soft melting centre."

The pack contained 6 cookies, and the inner plastic tray successfully kept them intact. Some of the cookies were more adorned than the others. I spotted the serving suggestion that they were 'even better warm' so tried one warm and one ambient. You know, for review purposes, because I'm good like that! 

The ambient cookie was far crisper than I imagined it to be. Crunchy is certainly right, although I must admit that I much prefer a soft, chewy cookie. I can't really complain about the texture though, seeing as they're marketed as 'crunchy melts'. It had an oily aftertaste to it too, and I can't say it was particularly enjoyable. As for those chocolatey chips, they were minute, and I can't even admit to tasting them.

But what about that chocolatey filling? I hear you ask. Well, the product description reads: "Biscuits with milk chocolate chips (15.4%)* and a filling (25.9%) with milk chocolate (4.5%)."

A filling with milk chocolate. Oh dear. That doesn't sound like a milk chocolate filling does it? 

It didn't taste much like one either. In fact it tasted hazelnutty to me, which is odd seeing as the ingredients list doesn't include any nuts. It wasn't particularly an issue as I love both hazelnuts and Nutella, but it didn't taste even remotely of Cadbury's chocolate. Hmm. 

Would they be better warm? 

The packet suggested microwaving it for between 10-12 seconds but warns not to heat for any longer. I don't have a digital timer on my microwave, so I obligingly counted to eleven elephants before retrieving my cookie and waiting the designated minute before munching. 

The centre was slightly better warm, but it didn't really improve the cookie at all. Meh. 

I shan't bother with the other cookies in this range. I feel like the Cadbury packaging is a clever ploy from Mondelez to lure us chocoholics to buy another one of their very mediocre products. These 'Crunchy Melts' are clearly made with cheap ingredients, and without the nostalgia factor that other mass-marketed biscuits have, they're nothing shy of a disappointment.

5/10

*My arse. 1.54% more like. 

Macabella Doughnut (The Tandem Bakery)

And so we come to the end of Doughnut week, and I thought I'd be save the best until last. Unfortunately it's one that's not so easy to get hold of, but I promise you it's worth the effort....

Hereford, as I've mentioned many a time on here, is sleepy and very rural. It's technically a city due to the Cathedral, but it's more like a large town and until fairly recently even had the cattle market in its centre (no-one apart from farmers went to town on a Wednesday). Hereford hit the headlines during the 2007 recession for having one of the emptiest high streets in the country; yet fast forward a decade and we're fortunate to have both a new retail marketplace and (more excitingly) a thriving hubbub of independent food outlets. 

Whilst The Beefy Boys have gained interest from far and wide for their burger fame, it's of course a far sweeter Hereford hotspot that has gained my interest (and loyalty). Heather opened the The Tandem Bakery in September 2015 and it has since become a veritable Mecca for fresh delicious drool-inducing homemade cakes, brownies, baguettes, quiches, and salads using high quality locally sourced ingredients wherever possible (just take a look at their Instagram if you want a better idea). The team are always welcoming and make the effort for their customers, meaning that I am only one in the army of Tandem regulars.

But if you make the trip to Hereford, try to do so on a Wednesday - Doughnut day. 

Every Wednesday the Tandem produce two flavours of fresh doughnuts, which I now pester poor Heather about early on a Wednesday morning... You see, if I don't reserve some before (yes, Bert and my sister often put their requests in too) then I'm out of luck by the time I reach the bakery mid-afternoon. You better be quick when it comes to Tandem doughnuts, they don't hang around.

At £2.20 each the Tandem doughnuts are exactly the same price as a Krispy Kreme, however they are handmade and clock in at about 2.5 times the size (no exaggeration). Last week I was kindly sent some jars of Macabella to experiment with, and so I offered a jar to Heather -putting in a special request to the Tandem for a Belgian chocolate and macadamia doughnut, because I'm cheeky like that! 

Christ alive. Just look at those beauties! Filled with a combination of Macabella and whipped cream, and topped with more spread and chopped Macadamias...
I hope you're salivating by now, because I am at the memory. 

The outside edges were slightly crisp from the frying, whilst the dough itself was so soft that it almost fell apart in my mouth. Plenty of lip smacking was a necessity here due to the generous caster sugar coating, but that's surely the mark of a good doughnut? 

As for that filling, it was every bit as decadent as expected. Heather herself described it as 'adult angel delight' and I think the description hits the nail on the head. If I was to be picky I'd have liked a touch more chocolate in the spread:cream ratio, but I'm splitting hairs here. 

I thought I'd be sick of the sight of doughnuts by now, when in reality I'm looking forward to Wednesday already -particularly as a little birdie has let slip that pb&j might be on the cards... I hope you've got your calendars out and are scheduling a Wednesday trip to Hereford, but please don't nab the last doughnut from me! 

10/10 

Dr Zak's Chocolate Fudge Brownie High Protein Peanut Spread (Online)

I've reviewed one of Dr Zak's high protein peanut spreads before, last time it was the Banoffee Pie flavour and this time it's Chocolate fudge brownie's turn. You guys should know by now how much I love chocolate and peanut butter together, so It seemed like the logical next flavour to try. 

I was impressed by Dr Zak's Banoffee Pie peanut spread, so I was looking forward to this chocolate fudge brownie flavour. As with all quality nut butters the jar needed a good stir once open to rectify the natural separation of oils that occurs.

The spread smelt enticingly of chocolate and was a rich dark colour. Once mixed, the consistency became how I like it: spreadable and not sloppy or too stiff. As with every protein enhanced peanut butter I've tried thus far there was a slight grainy grittiness from the whey protein that some may find off putting. I personally don't mind it though, after all it's the nutty flavour that I love, and with 7g of protein per 20g serving it's a great treat to enjoy pre or post workout.

The chocolate and peanut worked in harmony together, although the cocoa was the slightly more dominant flavour. It's a moreish spread, especially for chocolate & peanut butter lovers, and it certainly tastes like it contains much more sugar than it actually does (1.4g per 20g). My favourite ways to enjoy this spread include slathering it on apple slices, or popping it into a toastie with sliced banana! Dr Zak's spreads are available at most reputable Sports Nutrition retailers.

Who makes your favourite protein nut butters? Any suggestions for my next jar of Dr Zak's? I keep hearing how great the salted caramel flavour is...

7/10

Macros per 100g: 537 kcal/ P:35/ C:15/ F 36.3

JimJams Healthier Jams & Spreads (Tesco)

You can't open the papers or turn on the news without hearing how bad sugar is for our health. It's being squarely blamed for the obesity epidemic and we're all regularly told how we're addicted to the stuff. I'll openly admit it, I certainly am a sugar addict. One look at my instagram feed will attest to that.

I love most sweet foods, and whilst I'm aware of the health problems such as Diabetes (hi Dad!) that too much sugar can cause, I'm not quite ready to give it up yet. I am however prepared to try to make healthier swaps for lower sugar products, and that's where JimJams come in...

JimJams is the brainchild of Kellie and Kevin Bath, who decided to create their own lower sugar jams and spreads after spotting a gap in the market. They say:

"My family wanted delicious Jams without all the sugar, so we made them…
One morning at breakfast we were enjoying a few slices of toast & jam, like many other families every day. Whilst looking at the packaging of well-known brands we were shocked at the amount of hidden sugar in such a small jar.

Our kids deserved better for their breakfast, so we set about making our own to see if we could make the same tasting Jam and Fruit content without all the sugar.

JimJams was born and we know that there has never been a better time to eat less sugar…"

In the dying months of 2016 I kept seeing their products pop up all over instagram, and so when JimJams offered to send me a jam and spread to review, I jumped at the opportunity. Less than a week later a jar of strawberry jam and chocolate hazelnut spread arrived -thanks JimJams!

Strawberry Jam
JimJams jams contain 35% less sugar than standard jam, and contain 55g of fruit per 100g. Flavours include blackcurrant, orange marmalade, raspberry and strawberry, but I opted for the UK's favourite flavour jam -strawberry*! 

Now I'm not sure what I was expecting from JimJams, but I have to admit that I was suitably impressed! The jar's contents looked and tasted like a good strawberry jam. I mean, it doesn't taste as good as my homemade rhubarb & vanilla jam, but then I am biased, and I'm absolutely sure that JimJams' jam is kinder to my teeth. 

Thumbs up for the jam!

8/10

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 
Now this was the jar that I was super excited about. If you know anything about me you'll know how much I love nutella (almost as much as peanut butter). I even carry an emergency spoon on my house keyring -you know, just in case it's one of those days. 



Containing 83% less sugar than Nutella, could this really even compare on taste? Surely something had to be compromised. The hype on instagram suggested otherwise, but then I've also seen many people rave on there about the utterly disappointing Reese's Rounds, so I needed to make my own mind up.

Yikes. The instacrowd aren't wrong. Although it has a slightly grittier appearance than Nutella, it certainly doesn't taste any different. In fact I'm sure most people would be baffled that they were sampling two different spreads if offered a blind taste test of both. The JimJams spread melts well too, making it the perfect topping for toast or your morning porridge. Otherwise make my favourite: a banana and JimJams toastie. If you're not a hazelnut fan, no worries, they also make a milk chocolate version too! 

I can't see why I would buy Nutella anymore, I'm a JimJams convert! 

10/10

JimJams are available to buy from Tesco, Morrisons, Whole Food Markets, Ocado, Dobbies, Holland & Barrett, The Protein Pick & Mix, and Elveden. P.S their chocolate spreads are currently on offer in Morrisons for £2 per 350g jar, I'll certainly be stocking up!

Thanks for the samples JimJams!

*The very best flavour for making PB&Js ;). 

NEW! Macabella Crunchy Choc Macadamia Spread (Sainsbury's)

There's a new chocolate spread on the block, well new to British Supermakets at least, made by  Australian manufacturers Macabella who specialise in luxury chocolate spread infused with Macadamia Nuts. To be honest, I wouldn't have given the product a second thought was it not for some spectacular food porn photographs on Instagram (you know who you are). Every morning I felt the familiar pang of envy as I saw each image of the delightfully glossy looking spread atop a slice of wholemeal toast -and I knew I would have to try it for myself pronto. So off to Sainsbury's I trotted, forking out the £2.50 introductory offer price for the 375g. But what's so special about Macabella? They say...

"Macabella Choc Macadamia Spread is infused with the unique flavour of diced and gently ground macadamias, allowing your taste buds to experience a true delight with one of the worlds finest nuts.Macadamias are a nutrition powerhouse and contain many nutrients including heart-friendly monosaturated fatty acids.Macabella is heavenly all on its own by the spoonful, but you can also enjoy the smooth velvety texture with extra crunch, spread thick onto your favourite bread or croissant. However you choose to indulge with Macabella one spoonful is never enough."

I loved the luxury design on the packaging, in fact somehow the jar looked out of place next to my jar of much loved Skippy peanut butter. My joy was set to continue once I unscrewed the golden lid too, for the spread was shiny, with lots of visible finely chopped nuts. For those interested there is a 'velvet' smooth version of Macabella too. I surprised myself for opting for the crunchy version seeing as I'm a smooth peanut butter* kind of girl -but I thought the nuts might get lost amongst the chocolate flavour if they were fully blended. 

Tastewise, the spread was rich, with devilishly naughty chocolate flavour. This was slightly unexpected considering that the only chocolatey ingredient is 6.5% of fat reduced cocoa powder. Don't get me wrong though -this certainly isn't a diet product! There was a creaminess to it that surpassed the likes of Nutella, and it melted better when slathered onto my warm soft oatcake (new obsession alert). The macadamia flavour perhaps wasn't as strong as I expected -but then the nut is known for its mild, creamy taste anyway. I also found that it made for a yummy treat used as a dip for pink lady apples; the tangy-sweet combination works extraordinarily well! 

I'm not sure I'll always buy Macabella in favour of Nutella, but it makes for a welcome change -especially as Tesco don't seem to make their fabulous Dark Chocolate & Almond spread anymore, boo. 

8/10

*But weirdly crunchy Biscoff gets my vote! 

NEW! Reese's Snacksters (B&M)

So it turned out that I was looking in the wrong place in my B&M store. Whilst the Hersheys Snacksters were situated with the sweets, the Reese's variety were by the tills -silly me. Anyway, I hastily picked up a couple of packs of the peanut butter version in the hope that I'd love them as much as the Hershey's. 

Just as before the pot was split in two: one side contained 9 Graham Cracker dippers, and the other the chocolate spread. I hadn't actually realised until I got home that it wasn't pure peanut butter and was a peanut butter flavoured chocolate spread instead. 

At once, a joyous peanut butter and chocolate fusion hit my taste buds. Sickly sweet, but comforting, I enjoyed the smooth dip against the bland cracker biscuit. My feelings started to change however as I munched my way through the pot, as soon the nuttiness was lost against the chocolate. I actually found it much more cloying than the chocolate spread alone, and by the end I couldn't handle any more sweetness, so was glad to finish.

I can't help but think that this would have been a much yummier snack if Hershey's had used their Reeses peanut butter instead of the chocolate version. Oddly enough, the night before I tried the Reese's snackster my sister offered her peanut butter pretzel graze box to me, and whilst I enjoyed it, it was just too healthy. 

I'm more of a naughty peanut butter kind of girl, and favour the spreads that have had plenty of salt and sugar to them -or chocolate, honey and banana if you remember my PB Crave review! Reese's peanut butter ranks high amongst my favourites, and I'd love to have a snack pot that uses it. Until then, I'll have to create my own with a bag of salted pretzels and a side of PB.  

6/10
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NEW! Hershey's Snacksters (B&M)

I did a little jig when I saw that Kev (from Kev's Snack Reviews) had posted some photos of the Hershey's & Reese's Snacksters onto Instagram. What excited me even more was the tell-tale yellow signage below which indicated that they were from B&M, hurrah! 

Let me explain my excitement. I've had my eyes on the Reese's snacksters for quite a while now, but have also made a vow that I won't place another order with American Fizz/American Soda until I have extinguished my exhaustive supplies of snacks and chocolate that are making it hard to close the doors on my snack cupboards*. At £1 each the Snacksters seemed too much of a bargain to miss out upon though, so I hot-footed it down to my local store. 

Gah, Hereford. You're so pants sometimes! I could only find the chocolate Hershey's pots. Sigh.

My only experience of Hershey's chocolate is the minimal covering that encases the Take 5 bar and Reese's peanut butter cups, wafers and bars. They're all fabulous products, but the chocolate is never the star of the show, and it's not good enough quality to warrant me buying a bar of it on its own. Still, I was suitably intrigued by the Hershey's Snackster pot and so I parted with a whole pound of my hard-earned cash, knowing that I wouldn't have to make room in the overflowing cupboards at home as it wouldn't hang around long enough!

The pot was split in two as expected: one side contained 9 of the Graham Cracker sticks, and the other was full of a dark coloured chocolate spread. 

The Hershey's spread tasted far better than expected! It reminded me of buttercream icing: thick enough to hold its shape but soft enough to melt in the mouth. The spread didn't taste of melted chocolate or Gu's ganache, but it offered a good cocoa hit that was dense, fudge like and oddly addictive. The Graham Crackers tasted just like sweet breadsticks, and I can't help but wonder why Hershey's didn't consider using pretzels instead (much like the delicious Graze punnet) as it would have provided a better balance of salty-sweet. 

As always, I ran out of dippers before I ran out of dip. It wasn't long though before the remaining spread summoned me and I naughtily used my finger to scoop up every last morsel. Oops. 

I enjoyed the Hershey's Snacksters far more than I expected to. I wouldn't buy a jar of the Hershey's spread over my beloved Nutella, but it was well worth the pound, and I suggest you give it a go too if you're visiting a B&M soon... 

8/10


*Yes, I have more than one snack cupboard. Ok, yes, there's more than two...