Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake Bar

Our fourth & final post about Hershey's Flavors Of America series is the Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake Bar: Flavor Of New York. I had really high hopes for this candy bar. What's not to love about cherries, cheesecake & a crust of "crispy cookies" ?

The smell of Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake is delectable. It brings to mind vanilla & butter. I was not enthusiastic about the flavor, however. The candy bar tasted like a vanilla-cherry syrup drink you might get at an old fashioned malt shop drink, but not in an enjoyable way. There was just something off about the taste.

I also disliked the crispy cookie bits. They were decent sized & colored by beets (per the ingredient list), but added nothing to this product. Actual graham cracker pieces would have been a much tastier idea. Also of note: the wrapper does not say whether the bar is white chocolate or vanilla creme. Although I can definitely say the chocolate in this case does not taste like a Hershey's Cookies & Creme Bar.

Out of the three Hershey's Flavors Of America bars, the Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake was the most tolerable flavor. Although that is not saying much because I didn't end up loving the Strawberry Kit Kats or the BBQ Payday, either. I wouldn't buy the Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake Bar again.

Shelf box at Walmarat

Look at this festive wrapper. Can't you just hear Sinatra belting out New York, New York ?

Did I take this picture in the dark, or did my camera flash decide to malfunction ? ¿Por que no los dos ? 

Only the crunchy bits are actually pink. The camera phone, my backup plan after the flash fiasco, gave this bar a pinkish tint. . 

Reese's Honey Roasted PB Cups

The third candy in my Hershey's Flavors Of America  reviews is Honey Roasted Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Flavor Of Georgia. I did not buy or taste the Reese's cups. I simply took a picture of the wrapper. It just sounded overly sweet to me; one of my friends had the same reaction. If you have tried Honey Roasted Reese's, though, I would love to hear what you thought of it.

                       

Shelf box at Walmart

Texas BBQ Payday Bar

In our second post about Hershey's Flavors Of America collection, we have the Payday Peanut Caramel Bar: Flavor Of Texas BBQ. Looking at that barbecue bottle on the wrapper, I thought the candy bar would either be a surprise hit or absolutely disgusting.  If you're wondering what savory ingredients are in BBQ Payday, here they are: "contains 2% or less of: sea salt, tomato powder, brown sugar...molasses, spice, onion powder, garlic powder...citric acid, vinegar...paprika extract."

I like a good challenge. I'll happily order the strangest thing on a restaurant menu, after all. But boy was I grossed out when I took the Payday bar out of the wrapper. As you can see below, it's very...unpleasant to behold. Several gross comparisons come to mind, but let's just stick with "yucky" for now. 

Looks aside, the first bite of the peanut studded bar was not bad. If you ever made peanut butter & bbq chip sandwiches as a child, that's the flavor profile that hit me. The caramel was just the perfect amount of chewiness. I thought "Oh gosh, this is better than I expected. BBQ Payday would be delicious for a hike or a road trip." But then the second wave of flavor kicked in: an ungodly mix of ketchup, candy sweetness & spices. That horrible punch of ketchup & sweets really lingered in my mouth. I couldn't wait to grab some mouthwash. BBQ Payday went from hit to failure pretty quick. This would not be a repeat purchase for me. Thumbs down!

Shelf box at Walmart

The wrapper is actually pretty cool looking. I liked the Texas ranch themed art. 

This Payday bar needs a beauty makeover ASAP!

CA Strawberry Kit Kat

The other day, I came across an exciting display of Hershey's new Flavors Of America collection at Walmart: Strawberry Kit Kat: Flavor Of California; Honey Roasted Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Flavor Of Georgia; Cherry Cheesecake Hershey's Bar: Flavor Of New York; and Payday Peanut Caramel Bar: Flavor Of Texas BBQ. (Thrillist mentioned there are two other flavors, which I did not see on the shelf: Key Lime Pie & Orange Cream Pop Twizzlers: Flavor Of Florida & Coconut Almond Hershey's Kisses: Flavor Of Hawaii.) I'm going to make a separate post for each candy. 

Let's start with the Strawberry Kit Kat bars (which are produced by Hershey in the US vs Nestle in Japan). Now I was already aware that Nestle Japan makes several varieties of strawberry Kit, to the point that people often complain "Another variation of strawberry Kit Kat ? Boring!" But I was still excited to taste this new flavor of Kit Kat, since our U.S. flavors of it had been limited to white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate & chocolate mint for so long. 

I must confess up front that I generally do not like strawberry flavored candies. Upon opening the wrapper, I noticed the Kit Kat bar smelled like a strawberry candle & strawberry milk. Which I did not care for. The flavor of the strawberry creme coating was definitely strawberry candles & strawberry milk, too. I cannot see myself eating this flavor of Kit Kat again. If strawberry candies are generally delicious to you, though, I think you'll be pleased with Strawberry Kit Kat. I would definitely buy Strawberry Kit Kats as a gift for someone who fell into that category. 

On the positive side, I found the wafers to be crisper & tastier than the ones in milk chocolate Kit Kats, though I don't know if Hershey did that intentionally or not. 

Shelf box at Walmart

I do love the wrapper. It's fun, colorful & appetizing to look at!

It's a lovely shade of pink, don't you think ? 

I stashed the Kit Kats in a plastic freezer bag. You'd assume the strawberry scent wouldn't leak it out, right ? No such luck. The Kit Kats really perfumed up the counter after a short amount of time. Yuck!

Klondike The Candy: Mint & Caramel

You guys know I loved limited edition products. As soon as I see one on the shelf, some part of my brain goes "You must buy a few now! In case they change the recipe or stop making this product next week!" Well, today I was standing at the checkout line at Super Walmart and got quite a surprise: Klondike Ice Cream Bars are now available in candy form! (Unilever's Klondike Bar site does not mention Klondike Candy).The candy packets were on the right side of each checkout stand, under the Slim Jims, Combos and Oreo snack cups. And of course I immediately scooped up 8 of the mint chocolate chip and 4 of the caramel. You know, just to be on the safe side. 

"New! Klondike The Candy. Mint Chocolate Chip"

"4 Pieces Per Pouch"

Klondike The Candy: Caramel

"Caramel Center Covered In A Milk 

Chocolate Flavored Coating"

Each 1.4 oz packet of Klondike Candy contains 4 pieces of candy. Klondike Caramel smells and tastes like a Milky Way bar with slightly thicker, toffee flavored caramel. The caramel was chewier than I care for, although the toffee aftertaste was nice. The milk chocolate coating was neither good nor bad. The caramels were just average to me. I would skip buying this flavor again. Although someone else told me today "So-and-so bought the caramel Klondike candy and she said it was amazing!" So YMMV.

Klondike The Candy: Mint Chocolate Chip

"Mint Chocolate Chip Center, Covered In A Dark Chocolate Flavored Coating"

On the other hand, I absolutely fell in love with Mint Chocolate Chip Klondike. This package had the aroma of York Peppermint Patties. The green filling is thicker than Peppermint Patties, though. The middles are dead ringers flavor and texture wise for pastel colored nonpareil mints. Yum! Paired with the smooth dark chocolate coating, this flavor is a winner for me. The chocolate chips are basically chocolate streaks that don't stand out; but I'm willing to overlook that.

I can honestly say that Klondike The Candy does not remind me of Klondike Ice Cream Bars at all, aside from the outer wrapper. And I was a little disappointed to find out this candy did not have a delicate crunchy shell + a soft, gooey filling. That aside, I would definitely buy Mint Chocolate Chip Klondike again. They are a great alternative to my usual York Peppermint Patties!

*ETA: ZOMG Candy noted that Klondike The Candy is a licensed by Flix Candy. I agree with the points about the greasy spots and how real chocolate would've been better.

Orange Flavored Holiday M&Ms

Milk Chocolate M&M's. Orange. With Other Natural Flavors

Milk Chocolate. Orange. With Other Natural Flavors. Also Check Out (other side: Mint M&Ms). Doesn't list what type of orange it comes from or what the other natural flavors are. 

Pieces are dark orange, light peach-ish orange and white in color. They're all the same flavor of orange, as far as I can tell.

Yesterday I was browsing the seasonal candy aisle at Wal-Mart. I was intrigued when I spotted some holiday bags of M&Ms Orange Milk Chocolate. Normally I hate orange mixed with chocolate; I prefer lemon + chocolate or lime + chocolate. But I decided to give these a try anyway. 

Orange M&Ms have a lightly sweet, pleasant scent that wavers between orange sherbet and candied chocolate oranges. The shell has a light orange taste. I was worried it would taste like orange Runts, but I was thankfully proven wrong. When I bit into the chocolate center, I got a burst of tart, refreshing, realistic orange flavor. I even felt that sensation you get after you bite into an orange and a tart, wet bite of juice hits it. I don't know how they managed to mimic that feeling in M&Ms, but thumbs up! Orange Milk Chocolate M&Ms are a must have item for the holidays. 

DiGiorno Pizza & Cookies / Boneless Wyngz

"It's Not Delivery, It's DiGiorno"

I was in the pizza aisle of Super Wal-Mart today. I was surprised to see this in the freezer case and took out my camera:


DiGiorno Supreme Pizza + Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough


"Full Size Supreme Pizza"
"Makes 12 Cookies"
"$6.50"
"Do Not Consume Raw Cookie Dough"
"Keep Frozen. Not Ready To Eat. Cook Thoroughly"


Shown on the back of the box:
"DiGiorno Supreme Pizza + 7-8 Honey BBQ Boneless Wyngz"

I don't see mention of the cookies or Wyngz on DiGiorno's official website yet. However, their Facebook page has pictures and a small amount of information.

From DiGiorno's FB wall, dated January 14:
"Here's a sneak peek just for you. Starting Monday, our new Pizza & Boneless Wyngz and Pizza & Cookies combos will begin arriving on store shelves across the country. Be on the lookout for our delicious new combinations and be sure to tell us what you think!"

From DiGiorno's FB photo album:
"Boneless Wyngz* White Meat Chicken Fritters
*With No Wing Meat"
"Hand Tossed Style Crust"

-Three Meat Pizza + 7-8 Honey BBQ Boneless Wyngz
-Pepperoni Pizza + 7-8 Buffalo Style Boneless Wyngz
-Supreme Pizza + 7-8 Honey BBQ Boneless Wyngz
-Pepperoni Pizza + Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
-Supreme Pizza + Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
-Four Cheese Pizza + Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I can't wait to try DiGiorno Pizza + Cookies & DiGiorno Pizza + Boneless Wyngz. How can you go wrong with pizza plus snacks or dessert ? I'll try to buy a package of it on another shopping trip.

Kraft Natural Cheese

"Blend of reduced fat white sharp cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan cheeses"





I was intrigued when I saw this at Super Wal-Mart. White cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan mixed together sounded iffy but a little interesting,too.

The smell reminded me of white American cheese. That's not a scent I care for. The actual taste was better, though. Parmesan was the most noticeable flavor, followed by the Swiss and the Parmesan. This is a strong, sharp cheese that I wouldn't snack on by itself. It would be really delicious on bacon mushroom burgers or in an Italian casserole. I would definitely buy Kraft Natural Cheese again.

Planters Nut Temptations: Winter Spiced Nuts & Fruit

"Cashews, peanuts, raisins and cranberries"





I spotted Planters Nut Temptations at Super Wal-Mart this afternoon. It is a mix of cashews, peanuts, raisins and cranberries. The Winter Spice nuts have a light cinnamon and brown sugar flavor. The ingredient list is very vague about what winter spices are:

"honey, sugar, natural flavor,spices."

The Nut Temptations are pretty good. I would buy these again.

Farm Rich Snack Slices

I grabbed these at Super Wal-Mart tonight for a little taste test:

Farm Rich Mini Stuffed Panini Slices
"Grilled flatbread with 100% real Mozzarella, Romano & Parmesan cheeses, all white meat chicken, crispy bacon, and a savory artichoke pesto sauce."

The panini slices basically look the same as the quesadillas on the outside. Both have grill marks and a light brown crust. The noticeable difference is the sprinkling of spices on top of the the paninis.

The crust of the paninis is crunchier than the quesadillas. It reminded me a bit of a soft pretzel. The spices on top were vaguely garlicky. I did not care for the mix of bacon and chicken; it was too many salty flavors at once. The amount of cheese was just right. I did not see any pesto sauce, even when I cut open a snack bite. There was just a pesto flavored aftertaste.

Farm Rich Mini Quesadilla Slices
"Thin authentic tortilla-style crust stuffed with a special blend of 100% real Mozzarella, Cheddar, & Monterrey Jack cheeses, grilled all white meat chicken, and a zesty tomatillo salsa."

The quesadillas had a soft, flaky crust. There was plenty of cheese and chicken. The slices had a small, delicious bite of heat from jalapenos, chili pepper and cayenne pepper. I did not taste any tomatillo salsa.

Overall, I liked the quesadillas better than the paninis. The mix of flavors in the quesadillas was less busy. Also, I found the quesadillas more appealing for dunking in a variety of sauces. The paninis weren't bad, just not as appealing to me as the quesadillas. I'm hoping Farm Rich will come out with more flavors soon.

Special K Crackers: Italian Tomato and Herb

I bought a box of Special K Crackers at Wal-Mart yesterday. The two flavors available were Multi-Grain and Italian Tomato & Herb.

Each cracker was a one inch square with ripple edges. The smell was similar to pizza flavored Goldfish crackers. They were wheaty and crisp, but a little too tomato heavy. The ingredient list included sun dried tomato, garlic, onion and "spices", so I have no club what the herbs were.

I wasn't crazy about Special K's Italian Tomato and Herb Crackers. This product seemed to miss the mark somehow. I would not buy these again.

Gourmet Dining: Chicken Florentine

"Complete Skillet Meal With Rotini Pasta, All White Chicken Meat, Spinach and Florentine Sauce."

I picked up a bag of Gourmet Dining's Chicken Florentine at Super Wal-Mart last week. It contained frozen, precooked chicken, a sauce packet, rotini pasta and spinach.

The chicken: This meal needed 2 to 3 more tablespoons of chicken.
The spinach: Had just the right amount.
The rotini pasta: Had just the right amount.
The Florentine sauce: At best, it's broth flavored. I wasn't wowed. Sun-dried tomatoes would have improved the flavor quite a bit. I expected a bigger punch from a sauce that was made with white wine, olive oil, Parmesan, Romano and garlic powder.

The quality of Gourmet Dining's Chicken Florentine was average. I probably won't buy this again.

Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection

Last night, I bought a bag of Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection at Super Wal-Mart. The bag contains three flavors: mint dark chocolate [dark green wrapper], mint white creme with candy bits [white wrapper], and mint milk chocolate [pale green wrapper].

The mint sweet chocolate candies were made of Hershey's Special Dark variety. In previous reviews, I had noted a strong dislike of Special Dark's powdered cocoa taste. However, I found the mint sweet chocolate quite delicious. Each one smelled like an Andes mint. The chocolate itself had a creamy texture. There was a nice balance between the chocolate and mint flavors. The aftertaste was very satisfying.

The white mint creme with candy bits were the second best of the bunch. Each candy was white, with red and green sprinkles. The addition of the sprinkles made for a less than attractive appearance. However, the smooth taste of white creme and the crunch of the sprinkles were a good pairing as fa as taste. The mint scent was lighter than that of the mint sweet chocolates, yet overpowered the taste of the white creme. This candy would have been better without the mint.

My least favorite in the bag was the mint milk chocolate. The mint smell was not as pleasing as the one in the mint sweet chocolates. The smell was heavier on the milk chocolate side. I found the milk chocolate and mint flavors clashed garishly; it was reminiscent of eating Wrigley's gum and a milk chocolate Hershey bar simultaneously. The aftertaste was horrible, too.

I would probably buy Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection again. Hopefully Hershey will replace the mint milk chocolate pieces with a more palatable flavor.

JELL-O Singles: Sugar-Free Vanilla

Last night, Super Wal-Mart had a sale on JELL-O Singles. This product appeared simple and convenient to make. So I bought a few boxes of the sugar-free vanilla flavor.

Each box of JELL-O Singles had six sleeves of .23 oz instant pudding mix. The package promised "Ready in 5 minutes. Just add milk", "1/3 fewer calories than regular pudding" and "makes 6 one-half cup servings."

I found the foil packets difficult to open. A paper pouch would have been a better idea. I didn't care for the taste of the sugar-free vanilla pudding, either. The aftertaste was sort of papery. [I've tasted much better sugar free pudding]. Also, the mix only produced 1/3 cup serving when I followed the directions to the letter.

I didn't find JELL-O free singles to be terribly convenient or time saving. If I took the Singles to work, I'd have to worry about spilling the powder, bringing 1/2 cup milk, a spoon and a bowl to mix the powder [1 1/2 minutes, per the directions] and let the pudding set [5 minutes, again per the directions]. And that's if I wanted room temperature pudding. I would find it more convenient to buy pre-made pudding cups or put a bit of homemade pudding into a small container each day. I can't see myself buying JELL-O Singles again.

Quaker True Delights: Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia

I came across Quaker True Delights at Super Wal-Mart this weekend. These granola bars come in a black box. There are two other varieties available. I would tell you what they were, but I don't see them on the Quaker website right now. I'll have to look again next time I go shopping.

Anyway, getting back to the point...I really liked these bars. They have a pleasant banana bread flavor. There's a good balance between the amount of dried bananas and the macadamia nuts. This product did not have a grainy taste like the Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate bars. And it mercifully lacked a thick, artificial coconut flavor that many products have.

Thumbs up for Quaker True Delights !

Beigel Beigel Nish Nosh: Mediterranean Herbs

I spotted these "crispy baked snacks" yesterday at Super Wal-Mart. The crackers resemble puzzle pieces sprinkled with seeds [the main ingredients are wheat flour and sesame seeds]. I'm not sure what the Mediterranean herbs are supposed to be; the package simply lists "flavors, flavor enhancers." There is also an allergy warning about barley, rye, egg, mustard,poppy seeds, soy and oats. None the less, I enjoyed these very much. They have a light, pleasant garlic taste. I would buy these again. I think these would go well with a spinach and cheese dip.

*Update: The back of the package says "Zaatar mini crackers." This is what Wikipedia says about Zaatar:

...Za'atar is generally prepared using ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, sumac and salt. Some varieties may add savory, cumin, coriander or fennel seed....

Zaatar

Torestas Black Bean Sour Cream Crackers

I spotted a coupon in the Sunday paper for Lance's Torestas Black Bean Sour Cream on Southwest Crackers. So I bought the 8 count box at Super Wal-Mart this afternoon [each packet has 6 crackers] The package promises "zesty southwest fillings on oven-baked crackers made from stone ground corn."

I don't think the filling tasted like black beans or sour cream; it was more of a Dorrito flavor, which I enjoyed. The crackers were quite tasty, too. They were thick and crunchy, with a wheaty flavor. I would definitely buy these again, even if the name is a little misleading.

Del Monte Harvest Selections: Cheese & Spinach Ravioli

I've seen Del Monte's ravioli several times at Super Wal-Mart. And you know I love spinach and cheese, so I had to try it.

The bowl is microwavable. That'd be great, except the plastic was difficult to remove [yes, Delmonte reps, I know you cook with it on, not off] I pulled off one layer of plastic, only for it to split into two layers : / I ended up with sauce on my shirt, the counter and my fingers. The smell of the tomato sauce was repugnant. If you dislike Chef Boyardee and Spaghetti-Os, you will hate this smell, too. Yuck !

But I decided to heat up the ravioli and give it a shot. That made the sauce taste richer and more flavorful. However, the ravioli filling was beyond nasty. The cheese and spinach filling resembled chopped mystery meat with green streaks. The filling and after taste again brought to mind Chef Boyardee. I won't buy Harvest Selections again : P

This was all Del Monte had on their website about Harvest Selection:

Del Monte® Harvest Selections® Meals
Talk about convenience! Harvest Selections are a shelf stable meal that can be kept either in your cupboard at home or within easy reach in your office desk drawer. Pop them in the microwave for 90 seconds and you get a hearty and delicious meal loaded with vegetables. No more diet-dooming trips to the vending machine!

Del Monte® Harvest Selections® Meals
New Del Monte® Harvest Selections® entrees are a line of delicious, wholesome, microwavable meals that deliver two full servings of vegetables per meal. Harvest Selections® does not require a fridge or freezer. Available in six varieties, including Beef Stew, Italian Pasta Bake, Chicken Cacciatore, Homestyle Chili with Beans, Cheese and Spinach Ravioli and Santa-Fe Style Rice and Beans, this convenient new product can be eaten in the office, at home or on the go.