Friday, January 29, 2021

Snacks from Little Debbie

Ah, Little Debbie treats.  Always the best part of my lunch box.  

Well, actually, I had an amazing mother who made fresh baked goods all of the time, so I didn't have them that often in my OWN lunch box, but I could barter for them :)  I thought these would fall in the category of snacks that I should let just remain as memories, and that trying them again as an adult would ruin them forever.  But ... in this case, I'm glad I tried them again.  It turns out, *some* Little Debbie is still delicious!
Oatmeal Creme Pie. (2017)
"This is the Little Debbie® snack that started it all! Oatmeal Creme Pies have been satisfying families since 1960 as the very first snack baked under the Little Debbie brand name. Whole grain oats, molasses, and irresistible creme filling combine to create this classic treat."

One of my strongest Little Debbie memories, and apparently their first item, around since 1960.

The cookies are super-soft, just like I like them.  They don't have a very strong oatmeal flavor however, and have a slight plastic flavor to them.  They are so soft though!

The filling is just crazy sweet, exactly as I remember.  The ratio of cookie to filling is perfect.

These really haven't changed.  I don't love them, and won't get them again, but they sure are a classic.
Mini Frosted Donuts. (2017)
"Don’t let those busy mornings get in the way of breakfast! Start your day off right with some delicious Mini Frosted Donuts from Little Debbie. The perfect bite-sized food for a quick breakfast, this bag of donuts will take care of those early morning sweet cravings with their yummy chocolate icing covering a cakey vanilla donut. Pick up a bag for a group breakfast or keep them all to yourself. Be sure to re-close the bag so they stay fresh until they are all gone!"

I don't think I ever actually had these growing up, even though I clearly love donuts, as we always got the Entenmann's ones.  But these just sound so good.  Who doesn't love chocolate frosted donuts?

But ...
Mini Frosted Donut, Cross-Section
The cake was, like Entenmann's, a strange, unnatural, yellow color.  It was fairly unremarkable, not really moist nor dry, not really having any particular flavor.

The chocolate shell was similarly flavorless.  I wanted it to be chocolatey, I wanted it to be a bit crunchy, but it wasn't really anything.  The Entenmann's version had a much richer chocolate flavor.

Meh.  Would not get again.
Pecan Spinwheel. (2017).
"A pastry of cinnamon and spice rolled with pecans."

"Reach for a package of comforting nostalgia with the perfect blend of sweet dough, cinnamon spice and pieces of pecans. Flavorful Little Debbie® Pecan Spinwheels are the perfect way to start any morning! Whether you like to unroll them and eat them piece by piece or just take one big bite, these fun treats pair perfectly with a tall glass of milk or a warm mug of coffee. A perfect quick snack to pack in your lunch or when you need a pick me up, take one along as you start your day!"

I thought I remembered these as being one of my favorite items, although I was confused when I opened the box.  What I remembered came in totally different packaging ... I remember individual little plastic boxes.  And I thought they were more caramelized and more loaded with pecans.  Am I remembering something else? Did these change?  Am I totally making this all up?

Anyway, these weren't good.  Moist dough that was kinda gummy and strange.  I didn't find any pecans in it, although there was some gritty substance in with the cinnamon that must have been the pecans.  There was some cinnamon flavor at least.

My co-taster says, "It tastes gluten-free, like made with cashews.  Or maybe vegan.  That was gross.  Why did you make me eat that?"

Least favorite of the items I tried.
Nutty Bars. (2017).
"Classic crunchy wafer bars, full of the great taste of peanut butter enrobed in fudge".

"How do you describe the sensation of a Nutty Buddy wafer? Is it the classic crunch as you snap into your first bar? Is it the layers of delicious peanut butter creme in every bite? Maybe it’s the fudge coating lightly covering each bar so the iconic crisscross pattern of the wafers shows through? Or is it because there’s always one to share with a friend? Whatever the reason, Nutty Buddy wafer bars are fun for everyone!"

Nutty Bars were probably my second favorite as a child.   

Like most of the treats we'd been trying, I expected to take a bit of one of them, and then hand the rest over to my partner, who was busy exclaiming how great they were.  "Yeah right," I thought, "low quality waxy milk chocolate, peanut flavored paste, and some stale wafers.  I'm sure they are great!"  

How wrong I was!  Sure, those things may have been true, but they were still really tasty.  Classic chocolate and peanut butter, always a great combination.  And a nice crispy wafer.  Yum!

I ate them just as I did as a kid - layer by layer, rather than biting right into them.  I love separating them like that.  I haven't seen anyone else eat them this way, but it feels so natural to me :)

We both really liked them, and if I was really going to purchase more Little Debbie snacks, these would surely be the ones. (My partner did of course did purchase them a few more times after this first encounter, but I think he is sick of them finally).
Boston Creme Rolls. (2020).
"Boston cream pie isn’t the official dessert of the state of Massachusetts for nothing! Even though our cakes travel well, you don’t have to book a flight to Boston to enjoy Boston Creme Rolls. Savor the thick, custardy creme filling, encircled in a traditional yellow cake and lightly splashed with fudge topping. Perfectly paired with a delicate light roast coffee or a nice cold glass of milk, Little Debbie Boston Creme Rolls are the perfect snack to reach for on a rainy afternoon, a busy morning or as a midnight snack."

I picked these up as a special treat to my father, who *loves* Boston Creme things.  Or at least, he always requested "Boston Cream Pie" for dessert after dinner when we were growing up, which he rarely, rarely ever got.  I think it was almost more of a joke than anything (don't get me wrong, my mom made fresh desserts *all* the time, and he never had a cookie jar not full of homemade cookies), but "Boston Cream Pie" was the constant request.

So I grabbed a box of these when I saw them, as a special treat for him.

Of course I took one.

Um, wow.  I guess it has been a long time since I've had a packaged snack cake, but, uh, there was nothing redeeming about it.  Stale, dry, highly processed tasting "cake".  The cream filling was just sweet, not a custard cream as the description said, and as should be present in Boston Cream.  It was just ... sweet.  Like Twinkie filling or any other generic "creme" filling.  The chocolate drizzle was pretty lost on it, but the best part?

I was shocked by how not tasty this was.  Corn syrup, sugar, and a whole lot of processed chemicals.  And that is what it tasted like.  And how was this tiny little cake nearly 300 calories and 12g of fat?

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