Hershey's Snacksters Chocolate Spread review

Is it a candy or a mere gimmick?  Check out the review and you be the judge!

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Very Merry MunchPak

This recently arrived on my doorstep. Check out my review of the MunchPak Subscription service.



And now for the snacks themselves...



Pretty cool right. Find out more about MunchPak at their website - http://munchpak.com/

Stroopwafels FTW!

What exactly is a Stroopwafel? Well my lovelies let me enlighten you.

It is a soft Dutch cookie with a waffle patterning and flavor. But there's more than that oh yes. The Stroopwafel, is a little cookied pocket of heaven because it actually has two of these waffle cookies surrounding a gooey caramel center. Honestly these things are fantastic.

Recently I had one of these Stroopwafels for I believe the first time, and was totally blown away. Its definitely not something you'll see everyday. The cookie is soft, the caramel is rich and the entire experience is more akin to eating a quality piece of cake or something. Just a great overall eating experience.

My sister-in-law brought some over from her last trip to England where she got them at Marks and Spencer. Of course I'm sure any Dutch person will tell you that the M&S version of Stroopwafel is garbage and nothing like their mother ued to make... but for my money it was wonderful.

The preferred method of consuming a Stroopwafel is to lay it over your tea and let the heat soften and melt the caramel inside the cookie just a bit.

Now why don't we have this kind of ceremony surrounding Western cookies? I mean what kind of a hurry are we all in??? Sitting down with a nice cup of tea and cookie. How could you possibly get more civilized?

When you finally do bite into the cookie its got a glorious soft battery taste that reminds me of home cooking and pancakes as a kid on lazy Sunday mornings. The caramel is gooey but not drippy, and the heat from the tea makes the entire experience feel very comforting.

I have to hand it to the Stroopwafel, eating this cookie was one of the most relaxing cookie experiences I've ever had and I'd be very happy to enjoy it again.

Chester Cheetah

It ain't easy bein' Cheesy....

Ain't that the truth! Today we're looking at the coolest mascot to grace the chip aisle, Chester Cheetah. Because information on the internet is totally apocryphal there are multiple origin stories for Chester's inception, but weather he came from an ingenious ad agency, or the mind of Hawley Pratt (creator of the Pink Panther) he has been  entertaining us in Cheetos ads since the 80s.

Chester is the epitome of cool. Sure he's cheesy, and honestly silly sometimes, but man is he also totally suave when he wants to be. I mean he's a cheetah in sneakers and sunglasses who just grooves along to his own beat all the time. How can you not love that?!

Don't know what Cheetos are? well they're puffed corn snacks flavored with powdered cheese of course. They are totally addictive, and a good change up from chips. Here's a classic Chester ad.

Get the picture now? So the gag with Chester is that yes he's a super cool dude, but he's also a bit crazy when it comes to Cheetos. Kind of in the way Sonny went Cuckoo over Coco Puffs, or the Trix Rabbit always lost it when he was about to eat some Trix cereal. Over the years he's varied in levels of silliness, but despite being portrayed as a bit of a buffoon sometimes, I think most people agree that this cat is pretty darn cool.

Lets look at the snack for a second though.

There have been a lot of different versions of Cheetos themselves over the years. And some of them are only available regionally. I know I was pretty disappointed when after recently moving from the States to Canada I realized that they don't seem to have either Flamin Hot Cheetos, or Honey BBQ Cheetos here :( This is the current lineup of Cheetos products that I can find easily in Canada.

Cheetos Puffs are the classic puffed corn snack you know and love. I expect these were the original Cheetos variety since I know I had these around since I was a really little kid. They are airy and light, and get cheese powder all over your fingers but man are they good.

If you want a bit more heft though. Cheetos Crunchy are the best of the best. Not as classic as the Puffs but honestly they are fantastic, and I personally prefer them to the Puffs. These things are insanely addictive too and if you haven't had them in a while I definitely recommend you go get some immediately!

Both the Puffs and the Crunchy varieties are the standards that you'll see everywhere. While there are and have been a number of other varieties over the years, here's what else I'm seeing currently on Canadian shelves.

For the health conscious out there (I suppose..) they've got Baked Cheetos Crunchy. Now I've never had these before, but I expect they're alright. What I don't understand though is that if you're actually caring about whether its baked or fried you probably should just stop eating them... right?

And Finally they've got this interesting variety that I wasn't familiar with before.

Cheese flavored popcorn is really a solid idea. I know I've always enjoyed it when I've had it before but I wasn't aware that there was a Cheetos variety out there. This is one I'd like to check out.

Back to Chester specifically though, the guy is always up to something. Even on the packaging I've shown you he's a pretty outlandish cartoon. I'm not sure exactly what flying a plane has to do with Cheese Puffs, but I don';t care: I'm going with it.

When they did a little revamping of Chester in the 90s they decided to start bringing him into the real world with some effects that honestly work very well. Kinda Space Jam-esque.

Chester had a few more great adventures through the 90s as his popularity grew. And this is where they dropped a lot of the bumbling Chester in favor of a simpler and cooler Chester.

You can see that he's a celebrity by '99 with the Daffy commercial.

From here into the 2000s Chester became even more interesting, because while they still advertized to kids, with things like this OrangeUnderground campaign, they also started making ads that appealed to adults.

The ads for adults started in the mid '00s and are more about skewing the status quo, bucking the system, and the little guy taking a small step to make their world  a bit more bearable. Its a very 00s sort of mentality. Very Fight Club. And Chester has taken on the role of the devil on your shoulder, encouraging, and nudging. Its very subversive and I have to say I love it.

Here's a classic ad that at least for me was the first time I was exposed to the beautiful Felicia Day.

A few other examples of this new and improved Chester Cheetah:

I have to say, this guy is pretty awesome. Sure a part of me wishes he still had a bit more of the fun loving 90s silliness, but I also like how much Chester is all about messing with the system. I mean who doesn't relate to this stuff?

I know I skipped over his terrible video game and a few other little things, but that's ok. If you weren't familiar with Chester Cheetah before I sure hope you are now. The guy is legendary, and the snacks are great. I'm excited to see where Chester goes next.

Chester Cheetah is of course a mascot for Frito-Lay Cheetos. For more on all things Cheetos and Chester you can visit them online http://www.cheetos.com/

Crunchie Cakes

It was back in early October that I told you about Cadbury's initial efforts into the snack cake world, at least to my knowledge, with their Caramilk and Mr Big cakes. Then of course there was the very interesting step with the Screme Egg snack cake at Halloween. Now though they've found another product to bring to the public in cake form: Crunchie.

For those of you who may not know, Crunchie is and has always been one of my personal favorites. Its a honey flavored sponge toffee bar dipped in chocolate. The bar is unlike almost anything I can describe, although I've been told that Australia's Violet Crumble bar is similar.

Crunchie is also one of the handful of lost reviews for the Candy Aisle. Yes we have had a few reviews not work out for one reason or another. I'm sure I'll take another stab at it in the not too distant future but when you look at Cadbury's interesting plan to launch their bars into new territory (see their efforts with fondue, and ice cream bars) then you have to give them serious props for at least attempting to innovate.

I'm interested to try a Crunchie snack cake. Hopefully I'll get a chance to soon!

Humpty Dumpty

Obscure? Maybe to some. For me though Humpty Dumpty has always been an egg I noticed on the shelves of my chip aisle. Why? Well maybe its the weird positioning... I mean why exactly is an egg selling me potato chips? Shouldn't it be a potato? And probably more importantly, something about the character always kind of frightened me, he is a talking egg after all!

Today on the Candy Aisle we'll continue our look back at a few fun mascots with another dose of chips. This time its Humpty Dumpty potato chips. These were sold across Canada, and through lots of New England over the 80s and 90s. As the name implies, their mascot was a cartoon version of Humpty Dumpty.

Here's how Humpty Dumpty looks today. Not really much changed since my earliest memories of him as a kid. Why people always insist on giving Humpty Dumpty a bow tie is below me... I mean doesn't the guy have enough problems already looking like a mad science experiment... not to mention the whole breaking into pieces thing.

And here's the product line today in Canada. A bit off the wall, and not actually hitting the potato chip market directly anymore Humpty Dumpty now sells party mixes and those weird other things you see in the chip aisle but never actually buy.

According to the wiki, while Humpty Dumpty started out as a company from Maine in the late 40s it became best known as a Canadian brand in the 90s after it was sold to a company based in Kitchner Ontario. They are mainly seen through New England and are famed to offer such off the wall flavors as sour cream and clam chips. In 2006 the company was sold again this time to Old Dutch, who at the time had a good presence in the west but not as much out east. Old Dutch decided to keep the Humpty Dumpty brand alive only relegated it to the "snack" section while Old Dutch chips took over all actual potato chip duties.

Here's a look at what I saw walking the aisle of their current product line.

 

well that'sdefinitely the kind of stuff I know I usually pass over at the store. Still I have to say theres a part of me that has a real soft spot for Humpty Dumpty. I mean the guy may look happy but hes just so down on his luck. He's happy, but we all know whats going to happen to him. And a precarious perch atop that lettering isn' the best place for him.

I'm sure the snacks are good, and I can't say I don't go in for some cheese puffs every now and again, but I'm not usually reaching for HD brand puffs. Not when there's a cheetah around.

Odd and interesting, you've got to check out these wacked out commercials for Humpty Dumpty products from back in the day. These are low-budget awesomeness!

AHH!!!! oh sorry, I just thought I saw a crazed monster appear in those people's homes and offer them chips. Oh wait I did! W-T-F!!! Seriously just WTF is this?!?! The fact that someone thought this wasn't totally tripped out just showed how crazy people were back in the late 80s and early 90s. I mean these commercials are bonkers. That Humpty Dumpty costume is absolutely terrifying!

But lets get away from the big scary monster. How about something a bit more normal?

Yup, those kids are totally normal.... right??? Like Children of the New England Corn normal! I am shocked and awed by these ads. I wish I could remember seeing any of these from my youth, but I expect they only ran in the States.

From my memory I liked Humpty Dumpty chips. They had flavors like Dill before it was popular, and they were the first chips I ever saw in "Fun Sized" at Halloween. These were also by default the chip that ended up at parties and in loot bags, and other giveaways. And I believe that even the original flavor was pretty good.

They may have changed over the years, but like I said I've still got a soft spot for good ol' Humpty Dumpty. The sad little egg that sells potato chips.

Maple Cookies

Ever wonder whats the deal with Maple Cookies? Here in the Great White North, these things are everywhere. Oh sure we've got a maple leaf on our flag, and yes we technically supply something like 85% of the worlds maple syrup, but why are Canadians so obsessed with Maple?

Well have you ever had a maple cookie??? They are actually quite fantastic! My guess is that if you live in another part of the world you may not even be aware of them, but maple cookies are a real thing here and have beenpopular since... well before I was born.

The Wiki page on the matter is brief but straightforward.Maple cookes are cream filled sandwich cookies shaped like a maple leaf and flavored like maple, sometimes actually containing real maple syrup. If you have not had a maple cookie, you are definitely missing out.

Here are a few of the maple cookies offered in the local grocery store. Note the inclusion of Pure Quebec Maple Syrup on some of these packages.

Looks pretty yummy, eh?

The Many Faces of Oreo

If you'll recall my recent post on some of my favorite cookies you'll remember that I am indeed a fan of Oreo. I mean how can you not like them?! They're nearly perfect in every way. With chocolaty, crunchy cookie on the outside and creamy frosting inside. Where else can a kid get that much frosting? I mean its not like mom is going to let you eat cake everyday!

But Oreos are SO much more than just the old black and whites nowadays. This is a massive brand for Nabisco and it shows through the plethora of products you can find on shelves with the Oreo logo. Aside from the classic that you can see above,for your indulgence I've gathered here a few others that I've come across.

Almost as classic as the original, Double Stuff came around at a time before the world even knew about Super Sizing everything. AMAZING.

Of course these days here's what you're more likely to find...

For the non-chocolate fans out there.

Yes they come in Double Stuff too!

A bit on the newer side, these Cakesters seem to be a hit nowadays.

A few other nice options on these Cakesters. I'd like to try the chocolate ones.

I know it says Limited Edition, but I've been seeing these Birthday Cake Oreos around for a long time now. They are great if you haven't had the chance yet, definitely pick some up.

A new addition for the more health conscious.

Here's a favorite from vending machines everywhere.

Another great idea from Oreo.

For the more ambitious out there, these cake baking items will require a little (very little) work, but are totally worth the effort.

Oh so good! There's always room for Oreo Jell-O.

But you say you want ice cream. Oreo's got you covered there too!

So much Oreo goodness here its hard to know where to start... But I suppose I know where to end. For Christmas Oreo has a few special editions that you should definitely check out while you can.

I know there are more Oreo products out there, if you see some please let me know in the comments.  Until we meet again, why not have an Oreo?

Aisle Walk Mish Mash

I've got a few random things I wanted to post today. New and interesting always catches my eye and there has been no exception to that since I've been back in Canada. To start there are a few Limited Time items in the aisle... I suppose they're her just for the holidays, so check them out quickly if you're interested.

Yes that is in fact Cinnabon bread! Seems like a great idea, although personally I never go to Cinnabon I know there are a lot of people out there addicted to it so this is probably a win for them. They should sell Cinnabon branded frosting spread as a side for that bread.

This product has me concerned. I feel like I want it to be great. I mean Ritz are great, and fudge is great... so what could possibly go wrong? I suspect everything.

 

And as expected Little Debbie has gotten into the holiday spirit too with these Christmas Snack Cakes. I wonder if these have really been around as long as the dated graphics imply. That seems to be the Little Debbie motif for everything even if its brand new. I will say though that I like the back of the box since it has cut-out gift tags on it. Kinda weird, but maybe works if you're planning on giving a Little Debbie snack cake for Christmas...

Now here we have a bit of an odd, not overly seasonal special edition. You remember what the Aero bar is supposed to look like right? Well if not click here to check out my review from about a month ago. Why the bubbles need to be actual bubbles I'm not sure... Maybe it saves on chocolate overall. I don't think I'm a fan though.

Finally there's this:

That is a whole display case full of Jelly Belly scented air fresheners! Seriously, that's pretty awesome. I totally want my car smelling like Buttered Popcorn!