The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Reese’s Cluster Bites

April 30, 2024April 26, 2024 Tiffany Leave a comment

Reese’s is the elite, the S-tier. So, when it came out with its new Cluster Bites, I was immediately intrigued. All its new items have been pretty fire so far, from the DiPPeD line to the Big Cups with various inclusions.

While the name itself is a mashup of the now-discontinued Reese’s Bites and the current Reese’s Clusters, the offering is a bit different from both. It touts “creamy peanut butter, gooey caramel and crunchy peanuts, all covered in smooth milk chocolate.” So, unlike the clusters, there are no pecans! But honestly, it may have benefitted from it.

I ripped open the bag to find bigger clusters than expected. I thought it would be smaller because of the bites part of the name. For once, the food itself actually matched the size of the picture on the bag!

Unlike a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, it smelled more like peanut butter. But, it was its texture that shook me. It was quite a different eating experience compared to a Reese’s cup, which has that distinct texture of the thin chocolate snapping under the pressure of your teeth. Instead, these clusters were soft and squishy, particularly because of the caramel. The texture primarily came from the whole peanut rather than tempered chocolate. Its flavor was like eating a softer, smaller nougat-less Snickers bar. Meh.

All good things come to an end, including Reese’s streak of fire innovations. This was just OK, but maybe it’s because Reese’s other new items have been so good that they set the bar way too high.

I will say that the new Cluster Bites are indeed more “snackable,” and I can appreciate the volume. I can eat many without feeling as guilty or full as I would if I ate an equivalent number in mini cups or DiPPeD pretzels. Even so, I don’t see this replacing or being added to my weekly Reese’s rotation.

Purchased Price: $4.42
Size: 7 oz pouch
Purchased at: Menard’s
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 pieces – 30 grams) – 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: 4/30/2024

April 30, 2024April 25, 2024 Marvo Leave a comment

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Larabar Dark Chocolate Peanut Trail Mix Bar

Larabar Peanut Butter & Jelly Trail Mix Bar

Larabar Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Trail Mix Bar

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

(Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)

Sundae Shoppe Banana Fruit Bars Made With Oatmilk

Sundae Shoppe Blueberry Fruit Bars Made With Oatmilk

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Aldi.)

Gogo Squeeze Active Fruit blend with Electrolytes

(Spotted by Robbie at Target.)

Buc-ee’s Dark Chocolate With Almonds Buc-ee Bar

Buc-ee’s Milk Chocolate With Crispy Rice Buc-ee Bar

Buc-ee’s Milk Chocolate With Almonds Buc-ee Bar

(Spotted by Robbie at Buc-ee’s.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Chobani Cookie Dough Coffee Creamer

April 29, 2024April 24, 2024 Marvo Leave a comment

I had no experience with Chobani Coffee Creamers until I picked up a bottle of the brand’s Cookie Dough Coffee Creamer. After trying it, I have to say I’ve apparently been missing out if all the other flavors are as delicious as this one. I decided to buy it because I wondered if it could be a replacement for my beloved Nestle Coffee mate Nestle Toll House creamer, which kind of reminded me of cookies and is something I can no longer find.

It turns out it’s a wonderful replacement.

Unlike the Nestle Coffee mate offering, the ingredients list for the Chobani creamer is much simpler. There are no double digit letter single word ingredients that have prefixes or suffixes. Instead, it’s just milk, cream, cane sugar, Dutch cocoa, natural flavors, and sea salt. I mean, it’s Chobani, so simple ingredients are to be expected. What I didn’t expect is how good this makes my coffee taste.

However, despite all those simple ingredients, I wouldn’t say it’s better tasting or I prefer it over the discontinued Nestle Coffee mate Nestle Toll House creamer. They have their own distinct brown sugar and cocoa flavor notes, and both evoke the comforting taste of cookies. I find them equally enjoyable, although I wish the Chobani creamers came in larger bottles.

Purchased Price: $4.89*
Size: 24 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Tbsp) 40 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar (including 6 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.