Cookies & Cream Snack from Graze

Ingredients:

mini chocolate cookies, roasted hazels, white chocolate buttons and sunflower seeds

I received this snack in my January Graze Box.

Tea Suggestion:

This was a yummy tea time snack with a cup of single estate black tea like this Lovers Leap Estate Indigo from Eden Grove.  The tea is a flavorful Ceylon and the rich flavor complemented the tasty Cookies & Cream concept of this snack.

What I Think:

This is a tasty “trail mix” like snack that is different from any trail mix that I’ve ever tasted.

First, you have tiny little crunchy chocolate cookies that are quite yummy on their own, but also tasty when you eat them with any of the other ingredients too.  They’re crunchy and sweet, but not too dense or hard.  Quite delightful to pop in the mouth and eat … a box of these would be gone in short time, so it’s a good thing that I have a limited quantity in front of me.

Then there are nickle-sized discs of white chocolate.  Creamy and yummy.  White chocolate is not my favorite way to eat chocolate, but, I like these little discs and they add a tasty “creamy” element to the cookies & cream idea behind this snack.

There are lots of sunflower kernels to this snack and that’s quite alright with me.  I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten a cookie with sunflower seed kernels in them … but, I like the crunchy, nutty sweetness that these seeds bring to the “party.”

There are even a few hazelnuts, and these are a nice addition too.  Crunchy and delicious, I love to eat one and then pop one of the cookies in my mouth, it’s a tasty flavor combination.

Neither the hazelnuts nor the sunflower kernels were particularly salty, and I found myself wishing that there was a bit more salt factor to this sweet snack because I love the combination of salty and sweet.

My Final Thoughts:

I “liked” this one.   It’s not my favorite snack from Graze, but, I enjoyed it enough to want to have it again on occasion.

Molasses Spice Cookies from Grey Ghost Bakery

Picture from Love with Food.
Click on the pic to go there.

Product Information:

Old-fashioned flavor with a modern kick. Molasses, ginger, and vanilla combine to create a year-round chewy molasses treat reminiscent of crisp fall days, perfect with a glass of ice-cold milk.

I received a packet of these cookies in my December Love with Food box.

Tea Suggestion:

Because these cookies had a sweet and spicy taste to them, I wanted to go with a pure black tea that would allow me to experience the flavors within the cookies.  I chose this Golden Yunnan from In Pursuit of Tea, and together the cookies and tea made for a really delicious tea time treat.

What I Think:

These soft, delicious molasses cookies are the perfect cookie for this time of year.  It just tastes like Christmastime … it tastes like the holidays.  They are sweet and spicy, not quite as spicy as gingerbread cookies, but there are notes of ginger in these that provide a nice little kick.

I like the texture of these cookies.  The cookie itself is soft, but the sugar crystals on top of the cookie (they appear to have been “rolled” in raw sugar) give a little bit of crackly crunch to each bite.  There is a bit of a zesty, peppery bite to the cookies, but, the spice is countered by the sweetness of the molasses.

My Final Thoughts:

Like I said before:  these cookies taste like the holidays.  They were a delicious addition to my Love with Food box for December.  These cookies are definitely something I’d consider purchasing again!

The Goodies Box for June!

Yeah, I’m way behind.  I’ve said it before, and here I am saying it again!  Fortunately, though, the Goodies Box is getting better with arriving in a timely manner.  June’s box arrived on the 27th of June and while it isn’t the biggest deal when the box arrives a day or two (and in some cases three or four!) days after the month is over, I like it when they get their act together and the box comes within the month it should arrive.

This month’s box seems to be all about snacking.  There were six products in this month’s box, including a full-sized tube of STAX Que Rico Adobadas Chips, which I’ve already tried.  These are pretty tasty.  They remind me a lot of Pringles, not just because of the nature of the packaging, but the chips themselves have the same texture and potato taste as Pringles snack chips.  That said, the flavoring of these chips is pretty unique, tasting like a cross between a spicy BBQ and a picante salsa flavor.  These definitely have some kick to them!

The Cheese flavored Pringles Sticks were also tasty.  These remind me a lot of “Cheese It” type crackers, except that they’re long, very slender sticks rather than square crackers.  They’re crunchy, cheesy, and a lot of fun to eat.

The other three products in June’s box include: a sampler package of Duchy Originals Highland Shortbread cookies, Cheddar Jalapeno Pasta Chips from Pastitas, a bottle of “Dream Water,” and Honey Dijon Roasted Seaweed Snacks from Gimme.  That last one is one that makes me a little nervous, because I am not a fan of seaweed.  I’ll try ’em, but I have a feeling I won’t be finishing ’em.  I guess we’ll see!

I can’t say that I’m overly enthused by the contents of this month’s box, although I am interested in trying the Pastitas chips because of their uniqueness factor, and the Dream Water holds some appeal as well.

One thing that I am a little disappointed with is that Goodies has stopped including a product card with their box.  Instead, we get a card that says:

For details about your Taster’s Box and to review or buy, visit http://www.goodies.co/box

This card also includes a promo code for those who want to subscribe without a waiting list.  (So if you want to subscribe without the waiting list – I wasn’t aware that there was a waiting list! – just be the first to comment on this review, include your email address, and I’ll email you with the promo code.  

But I preferred getting the product card that told me a little bit about each product.  This new card gives the box a much more “generic” sort of feel.

It’s still the best “bargain” tasting box that I’ve found … even if the products aren’t as gourmet as what I’d find with some of the other subscriptions I’ve tried.

Jam Sandwich Cookies from Butter + Love

Product Description:

These Jam Sandwich cookies will remind you of holiday baking with your family. The cookie sampler brings you four incredible flavors to try: raspberry lemon, blackberry lime, marionberry rosemary sea salt, and strawberry balsamic marjoram.

I received this sampler basket of cookies in my December Knoshbox; additional sampler baskets can be purchased for a limited time in Knoshbox’s Market.

Tea Suggestion:

I love shortbread cookies with a cup of good, hot black tea, and this English Breakfast tea from Butiki Teas proved to be just the right choice!  The richness of the tea together with the buttery, sumptuous flavor of the cookies was just heavenly!

What I Think:

Oh my goodness!  Is there anything better than a buttery shortbread cookie?  I think – other than peanut butter blossoms – that shortbread might just be my favorite kind of cookie.  And really, peanut butter blossoms are my favorite for sentimental reasons – they remind me of gramma.

But when it comes to the taste my palate craves, it’s butter shortbread cookies all the way!  I just love them.  So rich and delicious … I love the way the cookie just sort of crumbles over the palate and then seems to melt on the tongue, tasting of deliciously sweet butter.  YUM!

So, needless to say, I was thrilled when this cute little basket filled with four shortbread cookies … and because these are jam sandwich cookies that means double the shortbread pleasure.  And with a bakery name like Butter + Love, the buttery part of the shortbread is implied, isn’t it?  I knew I was in for a rich, buttery treat!

From the top, clockwise: Marionberry Rosemary Sea Salt, Raspberry Lemon, Strawberry Balsamic Marjoram, and Blackberry Lime

The first thing I notice about this sampler is that each of the four cookies are different, so, I consult the Butter + Love website to find out which one was which!  Here are my thoughts on each cookie:

Marionberry Rosemary Sea Salt:  This cookie is a culinary experience in savory and sweet.  The marionberry jam is sweet with just a hint of tartness to it.  I like that I am not noticing a lot of seeds from the marionberry jam here.  The rosemary is baked right in to the cookie, and it delivers a savory taste to the otherwise sweet, almost creamy taste of the shortbread.  Slightly resinous and woodsy tasting, I think that the rosemary gives this gourmet treat an almost rustic kind of taste.  The touch of sea salt here adds not so much of a salty taste (there is a bit of that too, though), and acts more to accentuate the flavors.  It brings out the buttery taste of the shortbread and marionberry and rosemary.

Blackberry Lime:  This was the next cookie I grabbed from the basket.  Another love at first bite!  Here I am able to notice the texture of the cookie better, I think, and I realize that these are not “golden brown” but quite pale.  They look like they might even be slightly underbaked, although they do not taste like it.  No doughy taste, they taste as though they’ve been perfectly cooked.  But what this pale color means is that there is very little crunch or crispy snap to the cookie, instead, it is soft and crumbly.  I like!  I like!  It tastes very fresh and I love the soft texture.  And the blackberry and lime is a compelling contrast of sweet and tart.  A well conceived combination of flavors.

Strawberry Balsamic Marjoram: YUM!  I love this sampler … every single cookie is like a new adventure.  The one thing in common between the four cookies is the cookie itself … the buttery shortbread.  But for the two square cookies – this and the Marionberry Rosemary Sea Salt cookie – there are other ingredients added to the shortbread.  Here, the addition is marjoram.  The marjoram gives the cookie a slightly citrus-y undertone with just a hint of woodsy flavor.  The strawberry balsamic jam is delightfully sweet and tart, and I like that the balsamic is just a hint of flavor, acting more to accentuate the strawberry rather than take on a big presence of its own… except in the aftertaste, where I notice the balsamic more.  This was a really yummy cookie.

Raspberry Lemon: I saved this one for last because I had a feeling it would be my favorite … I love lemon cookies, and I love the combination of raspberry and lemon.  This is delightful!  The raspberry gives just a little bit of sweetness, and the lemon brightens the whole cookie.

My Final Thoughts: 

While the Raspberry Lemon was my favorite of the bunch, I loved every single one of these cookies … and I don’t know that I’d choose one over another!  I’d want to get all four of them again … these are definitely going on my re-order list!

Oh Yay! My Knoshbox Arrived Today!

Well, technically, when this published, it will have arrived yesterday.  But on the day that I wrote this review (yesterday) … it arrived today.  Confused yet?  I am, and I’m the one writing it.  I can only imagine how confused the reader must be at this point.

Sorry about that.  It’s just … the arrival of my Knoshbox is one of the highlights of my month … it is, without a doubt, my favorite sampler box that I subscribe to.  The only thing better than getting my Knoshbox in the mail is getting tea in the mail.  Now, if Knoshbox were to do a tea-time theme one month … that would be absolute perfection.

The theme this month, though, is “The Holiday Collection” – and I’m really happy about it too, because the box was filled with delights to appeal to my sweet tooth.  Two treats from Butter + Love:  Gingerbread Mustache Cookies and a Jam Cookie Sampler.  From S’more Bakery, there was a package of “The Pepp” s’mores.  There’s also a chocolate bar from The Ticket Kitchen (that name may sound familiar to anyone who’s read my blog for a while, the Ticket Kitchen makes those amazing hot chocolate on a sticks!) and finally a “Snow Witch” white chocolate brownie from Fat Witch Bakery.

My goodness!  What an amazing bunch of sweet goodness!  My sweet tooth is ready to dive right in!  Please keep watching my blog for individual reviews of each item!

Baconery Sampler Pack, Part 2

In my last article about the Baconery Sampler Pack, I talked about the cookies that were in the sampler pack.  Now, I’m going to talk about the “Rest” … the other items that were in the sampler pack:  The  Bacon Brownie, the Maple Bacon Blondie, and the Bacon Marshmallow Bars.

Click on the logo to go to baconery.com

What I Think:

Of these three remaining goodies in the Baconery Sampler Pack, my favorite of the three is definitely the maple bacon blondie, and I can’t tell you how much it pains me – as a chocoholic – to say that.   It almost feels blasphemous.  But, somehow, this dense treat captured the flavor of the bacon perfectly.  I could taste the maple and the salty bacon.  This blondie makes the whole sampler pack worthwhile!  If I ever DO become a repeat customer of the Baconery, the Maple Bacon Blondie is the first thing going into my cart!

The Bacon Brownie was more chocolate-y fudge Brownie than it was bacon.  Every other bite or so, I’d discover some bacon, and it added a chewy texture and certainly some bacon-y taste to the bite, but again, I find myself wanting more from something called “Bacon Brownie.”  Even though I’d get some of that chewy texture, I didn’t get a strong bacon flavor along with it.  I do really like it when I find the bacon, and I love the flavor it adds to the brownie.  I’m just wishing there was more of the bacon flavor.

On the plus side, these brownies are fairly decent sized – they look as though they baked in their own, small individual pan and I like that because it means more of those slightly crispy edges.  The brownies are nice and fudge-y in the middle, but not the dense, moist kind of fudge-y… more like a moist, fudge-y cake-like brownie.  The same is true of the blondies, these were baked in the same, small, individual pan.

The marshmallow treats were more of a chocolate-y marshmallow treat, and less of a bacon-y one.  Sure, it was delicious, but, I think that the flavor of the bacon got a little lost amid the flavor of the marshmallow and the rice cereal and the chocolate.  These three flavors reigned which left very little room for the bacon flavor to shine through.  Again, a tasty treat, but this isn’t going to be one that I’d be willing to pay the hefty price of shipping that Baconery charges to get more.

My Final Thoughts:

I think that my experiences with the ‘rest’ of the Sampler Pack were better than with the cookies, if for no other reason than the fact that these treats tasted fresher than the cookies did, and I absolutely loved the Maple Bacon Blondie.  My favorite treat of them all, and probably redeemed the Sampler Pack somewhat to me.  Next time (if there is a next time!) I will forgo the Sampler all together in favor of a six pack of the blondies.  And I must admit, I am a wee bit tempted by the Bacon Pecan Pie.  Does that sound amazing or what?

The Baconery Sampler Pack, Part 1

click on the logo to go to the Baconery.com

You can learn more about the Baconery on their website.

What I Think:

Back in the Spring/Early Summer, Google Offers had a special for the Baconery.  I LOVE bacon (if there is one meat that keeps me from going back to vegetarianism, it is probably bacon, followed very closely by crab and steak), so, it didn’t take much for me to decide that I need to purchase the offer.  I didn’t order right away, though, because based on what I was reading on the website, shipping was higher in the summer months due to the heat.  So, I decided to wait until the weather cooled down, although I can’t say that the shipping charges decreased, because the shipping charges were still quite hefty.

One look at the items available, and I was a little overwhelmed as to what to choose.  How does one who loves both bacon and chocolate choose between Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies and Bacon Brownies and Chocolate and Bacon covered Pretzels?  So, I chose the Sampler pack which didn’t have everything that I wanted to try – mostly because I wanted to try everything! – but it had a good variety of many of the things that appealed to me.

Some issues that I had immediately with the sampler pack was the inconsistency between the two sampler packages that I ordered.  I had ordered two since my husband expressed an interest in the sweets with bacon as well, so I thought, I’d order two so that we wouldn’t be fighting over the brownies or marshmallow treats.  One sampler pack had six cookies:  three Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bacon cookies, and three Chocolate Chip Bacon cookies.  The other sampler pack had only three cookies in it, One of each of the cookies:  an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bacon cookie, a Chocolate Chip Bacon cookie and a Chocolate Reese Pieces Bacon cookie.

Which leads me to another issue … if you’re going to make substitutions (or short the sampler packs all together), I think that you should at least contact the customer to let them know so that they might have the option to suggest something else that appeals to them instead.  I would have rather traded in the one extra of the two cookies for one of the chocolate and bacon covered pretzel rods, for example.

The Cookies

So for this first part of the Baconery Sampler Pack review, I’m going to review the cookies.  The first cookie that I tried was the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookie, and I have to admit that I was dissatisfied with this cookie.  The oatmeal and chocolate chip part of it was tasty, but there wasn’t enough bacon in my opinion, and I think that this cookie could have been vastly improved with some maple flavor.  And as difficult as it is for me to say, it could have also been better without the chocolate (gasp!)  Yes… I said it.  With the strong flavors of oatmeal and chocolate going on in the cookie, I found that the flavor of the bacon was just a little lost, and since this is a cookie from the Baconery … I think that bacon should be a more prominent flavor.

The Chocolate Reese Pieces Bacon Cookie was tasty … and although the cookie LOOKED very chocolate-y, it didn’t have a rich, chocolate-y fudge flavor.  I did taste the bacon, and I liked the way the bacon and the peanut butter candies complimented each other… I think I might have wanted more chocolate flavor, but more chocolate flavor might have overwhelmed the flavor of the bacon … and then I’d be complaining about that … so I’ll just say, it was good.  Not something I’d want to buy again, but I enjoyed the one cookie of this variety that I received in my two sampler packages.

The Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookie is really good. I could TASTE the bacon in these cookies, unlike the oatmeal cookies.  There was a fair amount of bacon in the cookie, too, so I was getting a bite of salty, crispy-chewy bacon in every bite of cookie.

The only thing that I think could have made the chocolate chip cookies better is if the cookies tasted fresh.  Now, I’m sure that the products were shipped very fresh, but, having to wait about a week while it traveled from its origination point to its destination, the cookie ended up being just a wee bit stale.  Having worked at Mrs. Fields back when Mrs. Fields still ran the company and we still mixed the dough in big mixers in the back … I learned this little trick:  store cookies with a slice of white bread.  This keeps ’em soft and fresh.  I’d also recommend shipping cookies separately from the other items in the sampler pack.

In fact, I must admit I was a bit dismayed by the packaging of it all.  The sampler pack was packed in one large, sealed mylar bag which was not resealable – which is fine – but, each item was loose in the mylar bag, which wasn’t fine in my opinion.  I think that with the price that is being paid for these goodies, that individual wrapping isn’t too much to ask for.  If you’ve got to reduce the wrapping (and I’m all for reducing as it’s better for the environment), then at least wrap the brownies separate from the cookies, which are also separate from the marshmallow treats.  I don’t think it showcases the products in the best way to have them in a great big bag like this.  If you wrapped your cookies separately, it would have been easy to slip a slice of white bread in the bag to keep the cookies nice and soft.

My Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think that while this review reads a little negative, I have enjoyed the cookies, but I can’t say that I enjoyed them enough to ever buy them again.  They were tasty, and I’m glad I got to taste them, and they’re alright for a novelty item, but, they’re certainly not good enough for me to become a repeat customer.  And I really disliked the inconsistency.  I feel like my package was thrown together without much care or consideration for what was going inside.  I think that if more care were taken to package these items, and to alert me of substitutions and shortages so that I could have made possible requests for those substitutions (or perhaps offered a refund for the shortage!) I would have been a much happier customer and would have probably been a repeat customer.  As it is though, I won’t be shopping with this company again.

Introducing Petit Amuse!

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Foodzie is changing.  Foodzie was recently acquired by Joyus, and what this means to me is that the Foodzie boxes will no longer be a subscription service that is automatically shipped to me.  That part wouldn’t be so bad, it’s the EXTRA ten bucks a month that is going to be tacked on to the tasting box that gets to me.

When the price was $19, I was happy.  A little skeptical at first, but once the boxes started coming in, I really felt like I was getting my money’s worth.  Then, the price jumped up to $29 late last year, and I was floored.  I wasn’t sure if I would continue the tasting box subscription, but I gave it a chance and for the most part, I was happy with the boxes, even though I did feel like it was a bit too pricy for my pocketbook.  But we all have to have our little indulgences, right?

But now that the boxes are going to be $39, that’s a deal-breaker.  I simply can’t justify spending that much on these boxes.  I might shell that out once in a while, so it is a good thing that it’s a one-off deal, and if I see something that entices me enough, I might cave in and buy it.  But I couldn’t subscribe to the box at $39 per month. 

But recently, I received a note from Benjamin at Petit Amuse, who introduced me to their Sample Box.  This box is very much like what Foodzie’s box was at the start for $19, filled with samples of different, delightful gourmet foods, a taste of something that you might not otherwise get the opportunity to try without the box.  But one big difference between Foodzie’s old box and the Petit Amuse Sample Box is that the Petit Amuse box is just $10!  Yes you read that right – that’s TEN dollars.

I just received my first box, and inside was a package of Sundried Tomato & Parmesan Popcorn from Oogie’s, Ice Wine Jelly from Caramoomel, Salted Rosemary Shortbread & Cha-Chas Cookies from Lark Fine Foods, and a Garukabar from Garukabars.  Of these items, the only one that I’ve tried before was the Salted Rosemary Shortbread cookies, but they were so amazing the first time, that I don’t mind indulging again!

Now that’s an impressive array of goodies for just $10.  No additional charges, no shipping or handling or anything else!  And what is also great about Petit Amuse is that they’re a one-stop type of shopping experience.  If you like one of the items you try in your box, you can order it from Petit Amuse, but if you like more or ALL of the products in your box, you can order them ALL from Petit Amuse at just one low shipping charge.  I LOVE that!

Also included in the box was a “contents” card which tells what is in each box on one side, and on the other, lists the ingredients of each of the items in the box.

Watch my blog for reviews of each of these items!  I can’t wait to start digging in.

Lemon Daisy Shortbread Cookies from Dancing Deer Baking Co.

Product Description:

Buttery, Lemony, Loves me love me not cookies. We`ve been eating these wonderfully taste bud tempting daisies petal by petal. The little treats come perfectly packaged in twos which makes them lunch box friendly.

Learn more about Dancing Deer Baking Co. on their website.

Tea Suggestion:

There really are very few treats that go better with a cup of tea than shortbread cookies, so really, any tea would be delightful with these.  However, I’m partial to a Breakfast Blend – like this English Breakfast Blend from Golden Moon Tea. The robust richness of the tea is a perfect complement to the light, crisp, lemony layers of these buttery shortbread cookies.

What I Think:

Attention mommies, aunties, grandmas and even daddies of little girls!  You should keep a box of these shortbread cookies on hand for whenever that special little girl wants to host an impromptu tea party.

Sure, they’re deliciously flaky with buttery layers and bright with lemony goodness, but, what makes these even more special is that they’re shaped like daisy flowers, complete with a lemon yellow center.  What little girl wouldn’t love to over these up to her tea party guests?

On a more serious note, these are seriously tasty cookies. They go well with tea, of course, and the convenient inner packaging (they are packaged in ‘happy packs’ of two cookies) make it easy to add them to the kids lunches.  And their sunny lemon flavor is sure to brighten your kids day when they open their lunch bag to find them.

I also find these ‘happy packs’ are very convenient to help limit your serving size – rather than opening a whole sleeve of cookies and overindulging, these packages offer you two so that you’re not tempted to steal another … and another.

My Final Thoughts:

I love buttery shortbread cookies, I love lemon … what’s not to love about these?  They have a crisp texture and they melt in my mouth.  Sweet with just enough tangy lemon.  YUM!  And if you don’t want to order them online (and buy a whole case in the process), you can shop for them at your local Whole Foods market.

Dark Chocolate Almond Florentines from Clarine’s Florentines

Learn more about Clarine’s Florentine’s here.

Product Description from Foodzie:

A favorite from our February Tasting Box, Clarine hand-makes these European-style cookies – a delicate layer of well-caramelized almonds slathered with bittersweet chocolate.

What I Think:

As I mentioned on my article about my Stocking Stuffer Tasting Box, this is the product that prompted me to buy this additional box.  Sure, I wanted to try the other goodies as well, but, these Florentines have been on my mental wish list for a very long time.

And as I also said in the aforementioned article, my Florentines were smashed upon arrival.  I was sad.  But, I was glad to learn that my Florentines would be replaced, so I wrote to Foodzie and instead of replacing them they are offering me a $5 credit.  Nice, but, I am still here, left with crumbled cookies.

But they still taste good, even though they’re in small bits. In fact, it might be more in keeping with the whole “Stocking Stuffer” idea, since, if I were a child given a cookie like this, I probably would have broken it up into little pieces to enjoy.

Thin slivers of almonds have been caramelized to a dark golden brown, rendering them sweet and chewy from the caramelizing process.  The bottom of the cookie is a thin, solid layer of dark chocolate which has just enough of a bitterness to it to give this cookie a sweet yet savory appeal.

It tastes very elegant and delicate but at the same time, incredibly indulgent … and I think when served whole, would be even more luxurious!  In one bite, I taste a delicious, earthy, nutty flavor, sweet caramel, and smooth, rich chocolate.  YUM!

For a tea pairing, my immediate thought would be a Keemun, but, perhaps even a Yunnan would be nice.  The spicy and earthy tones of the Yunnan would offer additional contrast to the sweet and bitter of the cookie while enhancing some of the earthy tones of the almond.  Ultimately, I chose this Yunnan Gold from Teavert.  The robust flavor of the Yunnan brought an amazing dimension of flavor to an already decadent treat.

My Final Thoughts:

Even though they were broken, these cookies are awesome.  It’s a little late to be ordering them as holiday gifts, but, they’d make a great Valentine’s gift (I know I’d be really thrilled with a box of these for Valentine’s Day!)  And they make tea time extra special!