Haagen-Dazs Five- Brown Sugar

Five is a new line of Haagen-Dazs. The five refers to the fact that there are only five ingredients per pint!
Who doesn't love the idea of ice cream (or any food for that matter) with a list of ingredients you can not only pronounce but identify?!

I tried the Brown Sugar flavor first- and yes, you guessed it there were only five ingredients. There are no chunks or bits this is just a smooth ice cream (no complainants). The first thing that struck me is how incredibly smooth this ice cream is (kinda like I imagine Hugh Jackman's butt to be). There just seems to be a really high fat content (although the pint does say it has 30% less fat- less then what I am not sure. Regular Haagen-Dazs is my guess)

Flavor, this is like the ice cream version of Panda Licorice- and that is such a good thing (almost as good as Hugh Jackman's butt) there is a seriously deep molasses flavor. As you eat more of it (uh... I might have done that) it almost pick ups a coffee like taste.

Look, I could go on, and on about this flavor but really just go get some right now and then send me fan mail. You will thank me and then I can finish the pint without having to go through the motions of "writing" when all I really want to do is look at this:

and be eating. GO!- NOW!

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Lindt Chocolate Carrots

I was thinking that if I could dangle a chocolate carrot it might help me stay good on my diet
And these Lindt carrots are certainly cute enough- and they have these little plastic umbrella style holders that makes dangling convenient. It wasn't until I was home that I even realized that the carrots are chocolate with Hazelnuts, reading the label it's a hazelnut paste. With that in mine it mind me think that these would be sort of like a solid Nutella.

The chocolate is exceptionally smooth and creamy. There's a strong milky taste. I didn't pick up the hazelnuts the way I expected. It's not as in your face as Nutella, rather it's blended into the chocolate. The aroma is deep and roasty but the flavor is sweet and light. I liked it because it was just nutty enough, it let the chocolate shine though. I also liked that just the one umbrella was a satisfying portion. I'm hoping the Easter Bunny brings more.

PURCHASED FROM:
Longs Drugs

Ritter Sport- Strawberry Yogurt (Erdbeer Joghurt)

Is something automatically healthy if it has yogurt in it?
It's pretty hard not to like strawberry yogurt one way or the other and how could it possibly be bad mixed with chocolate? Thanks to the fine folks at Ritter we get to try it first hand.

When you open the bar- which is the traditional large square bar- it smells of sweet strawberry, there's the tangy almost sour smell of yogurt and of course the milky chocolate.

The yogurt layer is a semi-soft mousse like filling with studs of freeze dried strawberries. The yogurt has an almost New York Cheesecake style tartness to it. I couldn't tell if the strawberry flavor was from that- or if it was residual from the freeze dried pieces. I love the strawberry pieces, they add an unexpected crunch, they reminded me of Pop Rocks (without the pop) It's not a natural strawberry flavor, but that's alright. It's one of those things where it's so fake it's good.
The milk chocolate is the standard sweet Ritter. There is a strong dairy element. There's a nice smooth melt.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this bar. It could have been too fake, it could have been too sweet but it managed to be just right. I think a blueberry version of this would be really good!

PURCHASED FROM:
Economy Candy NYC

Blueberry Cheesecake Kit Kat Bar- Limited Edition Japan Only

One of the things I love the most about Japanese products in general is that they love to try all sorts of new flavors on favorite products.
One of those products has become Kit Kat bars. Much like Pokey there are dozens of flavors (granted most are limited edition) at any given time. I wish we did more of that here. This is actually the first of the Japanese Kit Kat's I have had the opportunity to try and I would like to give a shout out to my friends at Jlist.Com for sending me out a sample to try.

The Blueberry Cheesecake Kit Kat is a cheesecake flavored chocolate with blueberry cream cheese spread between the layers.

The chocolate it's self looks like white chocolate (and since the label is entirely in Japanese I am going to assume that it is) The bar it's self smells like berry flavored cereal. There is a oaty, cereal quality to it. Trying to isolate the chocolate was difficult. About all I can tell you is that it is very sweet and does have a tangy cheesecake like flavor to it.

Although you can't see any tell-tale signs of blueberry once you bite into the finger there is no question that they are there. If you have ever had the blueberry pancake syrup at Ihop you know exactly what the filling tastes like. It's very, very sweet and there is no tartness to it- near the end you start to think it should be sour but in reality it just seems slightly less sweet.

Maybe I am just way to fond of Ihop syrup but I really liked these. Because they were so sweet I couldn't eat more then a couple fingers at a time but I really wish they would bring these to the states- until then at least there is Jlist!


PURCHASED FROM:
Provided by Jlist.com

Sugar-Free Jell-o With Antioxidants Raspberry Goji

The good people over at Jell-O couldn't have had better timing coming out with this flavor
I won't lie- my favorite way of having Jell-O is still in the forms of Jell-O shots... which is not exactly the healthiest way to enjoy it (wait- vodka is part of a balanced diet right?). I have been looking for low- cal, low fat snacks. It's pretty hard to get lower then 10 calories a serving!- and once again it's antioxilisius!

The Raspberry Goji, has a nice bright raspberry flavor. It's not quite as rich as say a raspberry jam would be but it is a nice floral berry flavor. There is also a taste that the easiest way to describe would be to say that it's sort of like Hawaiian Punch only not. I am not too familiar with the way Goji Berry tastes so there is a very good chance that could be the Goji.

This was a satisfying snack. Sweet enough to curb a sugar craving and perfectly diet friendly. I think I have to start giving a deeper look into Jell-O gelatin.

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Loft House Frosted Sugar Cookies

If Clive Owen was a cookie he would be a Loft House Frosted Sugar Cookie
I warn you guys now that this is one of those reviews I can't even pretend to be objective with. I just love Loft House cookies so much that if they were a man you might walk in on me making out with them in a dark room... uh not that I put that much thought into it.

What I tend to not like about most ready made sugar cookies is that they are hard and weirdly eggy tasting. I am also not a fan of frosted cookies as a rule.

Loft House cookies are generously sized and very, very soft. The texture has more of a flake to it then a crumb. The cookie it's self doesn't really have a flavor. It's sort of the cookie version of white cake; it's there to be a vehicle for the frosting.

Now the frosting my friends... Once again Clive Owen, that frosting and I could cause a lot of trouble. The color of the frost varies by season (although there always seems to be blue and yellow) but regardless of the color it is always vanilla frosting. The easiest way to describe this to you is to tell you it's like vanilla frosting from the can- except firmer. The texture is creamy but there is a bit of grain to it but it never runs. That frosting is staying put to where ever it was placed on the cookie. I am one of those weird people that doesn't really care for canned frosting on a cake- but I love it on it's own, or on these cookies. The whole thing then gets a really generous splash of sprinkle.

These are one of those things that I love so much I can't buy them very often because they will magically disappear all to quickly. These get the elusive 11!

PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

Quaker True Delights-Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond

This is another of the new Quaker True Delights line
I loved the first of the line that I tried so I have high hopes for this one.

This bar also has the lightly honey kissed oats which are nice and moist without being gooey. The almonds are stacked along the top of the bar and they're whole roasted almonds. The almonds are nice and crunchy and seem to be unsalted.
The chocolate comes in little chunks. The chocolate reminded me of wanna-be Toll House Morsels. They weren't quite as sweet as a Toll House and have a chalkier melt. I wouldn't eat it on it's own but in the bar it's ok.
The raspberries, are sadly not the larger pieces I was hoping for but are little specks of raspberry pieces. With that in mind it's hard to get any real sense of taste for them- other then the raspberry seems to come out more as an after taste.

This bar is okay. No where near the stellar bar that the Honey Roasted Cashew & Mixed Berry bar.


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Pepperidge Farm Caramel Tim Tam Cookies

I love Tim Tams!
After my review of the classic style Pepperidge Farm Tim Tam several people wrote in comments that while I thought the Arnotts version is better they couldn't tell a difference or preferred the Pepperidge Farm. Well they will either be really happy or really sad to know that I LOVED the Caramel Tim Tams!

Basically it's the same cookie- two chocolate biscuits that have a chocolate creme sandwiched between the two and then the whole thing is enrobed in more chocolate. The chocolate is still on the sweet side but it is quite smooth and has a nice melt to it.
In this version, the caramel lays below the first biscuit gently resting atop the chocolate creme. The caramel doesn't have the strongest flavor. It's not overly buttery or rich BUT what it does add is some great chewy texture. It's the contrast of the cool chocolate, the crunch of the biscuit and the sticky caramel that made the cookie for me.

I may not go out of my way for the normal Pepperidge Tim Tam but I will be buying more of these!

PURCHASED FROM:
Target

Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice

I have been a big fan of Pom Wonderful since they started
One of the houses I lived in growing up actually had Pomegranate tree's in the back yard. It was always a nice treat to crack a big pom open. My Grandmother used to like to put the seeds in the freezer for a little bit and eat them ice cold.

I love Pom Wonderful Juice! I have tried all of the flavors but the one I like best is still the oringinal 100%. What's great about it is it's so many things at once. It's tart, not quite as bitter as a blueberry but not as sweet as a raspberry. It's sweet, not as sweet as apple juice but but more complex then grape juice. I just find it really refreshing. AND do I even have to tell you guys how good Poms are for you? It's antioxidentlious! (because everything sounds better with 'lious' added to the end!)

There really need to be more pomergranate flavored foods.

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Morinaga Dars Affogato

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The Honey Baked Ham Store- Honey Baked Ham

This isn't going to be so much a review as an open gushing love letter to the porky goodness that is a Honey Baked Ham
If you have never had one then you may not actually be living. These things are so could I don't even eat pork and I love them- better example. These hams are so good my mother served one for Passover one year TO A RABBI and HE went back for seconds (and no, I did not make that up for good reading) WHY exactly she served ham for Passover is still a mystery to me...

Anyway, the great thing about the Honey Baked Ham is the glaze. It's sweet and crackly, there is just a hint of clove. There is a light smoke too it- not enough that it over powers but it is also not weak to the point you wonder where it is.

If only all things tasted as good as Honey Baked Ham!

PURCHASED FROM:
The Honey Baked Ham Store

Quaker True Delights- Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry Bar

True Delights is Quakers new line of calorie friendly (only 140 per bar!) and trans fat free granola bars
What I have found the last couple weeks is that calorie friendly and tasty tend to not like to intermingle- so I have really been on the lookout for something that breaks that rule.

The True Delights bar was nice and soft- I really hate the hard style bars- which was a big plus in my book. It has a nice sweet, honey like smell. The bar is full of crasins and dried cherries. I had been expecting the cashews to be little small broken up pieces but they are actually nice big halves. The oats in the granola are mixed with bits of puffed rice and they have just a hint of a vanilla finish.

This bar IS delightful! It was just one of those bars that I could easily replace candy with. I normally like my granola bars chocolate covered- but in this case that would be overkill. I have added these to the entirely too short list of diet friendly snacks that I love!

It's an 11!

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Foodbuzz

Glico Walky Walky- Dark Chocolate

At first I couldn't decide if Walky Walky was just for people who found Pocky a Little too pocky...
And then once I opened the really cute packaging- it looks like a little to-go coffee cup- I started to think that maybe it was for people who like they're candy to resemble rabbit pellets. It is not often I take actual product photos but here you go folks:


You know if rabbit pellets taste as good as Walky Walky I am in trouble!

The walky (walki?) are roughly the size of Chiclets's. The candy's are your standard pocky biscuit enrobed in dark chocolate. The chocolate if I am not mistaken is the same dark chocolate used on the Men's Pocky. They have just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. To really get any hit of flavor you need to eat a few pellets at a time. One by one they are a little weak but together they are just right.

For a new twist on an old favorite I liked them.


PURCHASED FROM:
Sunrise Market NYC

Jell-O Sugar Free Pudding- Cinnamon Roll

Even here in SoCal where we seem to have had a never ending summer I think I will have to pull out my finest Cosby sweater to snack on some Jell-o pudding.
I love the thought of cinnamon pudding. Why isn't it a popular flavor?

The Jell-o Cinnamon Roll pudding has two layers. The first is supposed to be like the icing and the bottom is of course the cinnamon part. The top layer is sweet and does vaguely remind me of the icing off a Cinnabon.
What I really liked was the cinnamon layer. It actually reminded me of a really smooth and creamy version of the cinnamon sugar cream of wheat. It has the same mellow, sweet cinnamon- rather then a hot and spicy cinnamon. For a sugar-free fat-free snack it was pretty good!

I made pretty quick work of these!