Snack Review
CHEETOS CRUNCHY MOZZARELLA


Yeah, I know it's a little unusual for me to review something that doesn't have chocolate in it. The occasional change of pace is good, though. Besides, I like Cheetos, and when I saw these in the store, I decided that I wanted to review them.

Producing limited edition of their snacks is nothing new for the people at Frito-Lay. I don't know how many different flavors I have seen of their Doritos tortilla chips. Usually, though, I see pairs of flavors released at one time, and more often than not, it's a competition to see which flavor is the more popular with consumers. Two flavors are released -- but only one stays around. (Sort of like Thunderdome, now that I think about it.)

This is the first time I can remember seeing a package of Cheetos bearing the "Limited Time Only" banner across the bag. It was that banner that attracted my attention enough to want to pick up a bag, and then try it.

The back of the bag says, "[T]he beauty of these Cheetos mozzarella flavored snacks is that they combine the gooeyness and fun of mozzarella cheese with the dangerously cheesy crunch of Cheetos brand." Based on that bit of copy, my initial thought was to expect something that combined the crunchiness of Cheetos with just a little of the stretchy gooeyness of melted mozzarella. This was compounded by the picture on the front of the bag, which depicted Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah stretching what would appear to be a chunk of melted mozzarella.

You know, something like that would make for a wonderful snack. Unfortunately, that expectation was about as realistic as expecting Lindsay Lohan to wear panties. It was a delightful bit of hyperbole on the part of the copywriters, but far from an accurate description of the snack.

Pay attention to the word "crunchy," because the Crunchy Mozzarella Cheetos is just as crunchy as the regular Cheetos. And this is not a bad thing; I love the resounding crunch of Cheetos as I grind them between my teeth. There is something satisfying about that crunch. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

Now, this particular variety of Cheetos does have the mild flavor of mozzarella, as opposed to the usual cheddar in the regular Cheetos. It's a little saltier than eating a piece of mozzarella would be, but the mozzarella flavor is still there.

As I said, this is a limited edition, so the standard limited edition disclaimer applies. I have no idea how long this will stay on the shelves, and for all I know, this is a one-shot deal. My best advice is, find a bag and enjoy them while you can.


-jc-

Snack Review
LITTLE DEBBIE MARSHMALLOW PIES


I have attended a number of Chattacons, and looking back, I cannot remember ever seeing MoonPies in the consuite at any Chattacon. Some might call this unusual, since Chattacon is held not that far from Chattanooga Bakery. (Right in their back yard, you might say.)

Instead, you will find in the Chattacon consuite a cornucopia of snacks from another bakery, which is also based in the Chattanooga area. That would be the Little Debbie brand of snack cakes. One joke that I have heard a few times during Chattacon is that any Little Debbies that are left over after the dead dog party are put into storage for next year's convention. (They are joking. I think. I know that Little Debbies are supposed to have a long shelf life, but that might be stretching it just a little.)

When I was getting a box of MoonPies to research that review, I also noticed that Little Debbie produced and sold their own Marshmallow Pies. I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the two, so I bought a box of the Little Debbie Marshmallow Pies in addition to the MoonPies.

The Little Debbie pies are slightly smaller in diameter than the MoonPies. They are also single decker pies, more closely resembling the original MoonPie. Like the MoonPie, the Little Debbie pie consists of marshmallow sandwiched between two graham cookies, and the resulting sandwich is given a coating. At the store, I saw both chocolate and banana marshmallow pies, and as before, I chose the chocolate.

The first thing I noticed is that the marshmallow has a very different texture from the MoonPie's marshmallow. The marshmallow in the Little Debbie pie is spongier, more like what you would find in a bag of marshmallows. When you take a bite, the marshmallow has a certain reluctance to it. It stays connected to the remaining pie much longer than the marshmallow in the MoonPie.

There is also a noticeable difference in the graham cookies. They seem to be just a little thicker than the cookies in the MoonPie, and they also have a slightly firmer texture. My own theory is that the Little Debbie cookies don't absorb as much moisture from the marshmallow. Even if I'm right, though, I don't know of any way that I could prove my theory.

I did notice one major difference when eating a MoonPie and when eating a Little Debbie Marshmallow Pie. With the MoonPie, the cookie was the dominant flavor and texture. With the Little Debbie pie, the marshmallow had dominance in both categories.

The chocolate coating seems to be quite similar on both pies. You are aware that it is there, but its main purpose seems to be to keep stray crumbs to a minimum. In fact, you barely notice its flavor at all.

As I mentioned at the end of my MoonPie review, I do have a few recipes using MoonPies floating around in my head. I may have to try them with Little Debbie Marshmallow Pies as well, just to see if there is any significant difference in the results.


-jc-

Snack Review
CHOCOLATE DOUBLE DECKER MOONPIE


I will freely admit -- it was reading David Magee's book that started me thinking about writing this review. The MoonPie is not a snack for which I automatically reach. (Look, we each have our own particular cravings, and for me, the MoonPie is a sporadic craving.)

I am far from being the MoonPie enthusiast that Magee is. I think the first time I can say for certain I was aware of the MoonPie was when it was mentioned in the song "Junk Food Junkie," although I have this vague feeling of awareness of the snack before then. Other snacks held me in their sugary thrall. As I recall, most of them were Hostess products. As a matter of fact, I am trying to remember when I first ate a MoonPie. I'm not completely certain, but I think it was sometime after I was out of college.

The MoonPie comes covered in three different flavors. Besides the original chocolate, there are also vanilla and banana covered MoonPies, plus the occasional seasonal coatings (I think strawberry and orange were two that Magee mentioned in his book). The chocolate is by far the most popular MoonPie flavor, though, and I decided to stick with tradition for this review. (Besides, do you really think I would choose any other flavor if the chocolate is available?)

For this review, I chose the Chocolate Double Decker MoonPie. (Okay, it was the first one I saw in the store.) The Double Decker MoonPie was first produced in the 1960s, as snack vending machines were becoming more popular. The original MoonPie would not fit correctly in the vending machines, and the larger Double Decker was created as something that would fit.

The Double Decker MoonPie is three graham cookies, sandwiching two layers of marshmallow filling. The resulting sandwich is then given one of the three flavored coatings, and as I mentioned, the MoonPie I chose has a chocolate coating.

From what I have read, the graham cookies come out of the oven crisp and crunchy. But once the cookies are joined with the marshmallow, the cookies begin to absorb moisture from the marshmallow, and they become softer. Now, this is not a bad thing; as it turns out, this is actually one of the reasons the MoonPie has a long shelf life. And the texture of the softer cookies compliments the marshmallow more.

The marshmallow is dense and chewy, not light and spongy. It makes eating a MoonPie akin to eating s'mores, except that you don’t have to worry about the whole process of roasting the marshmallows (or burning them, or burning your mouth while eating them). And if you really want to make eating a MoonPie like eating s'mores, you simply stick the MoonPie in the microwave for 5 to 15 seconds. (But please take it out of the wrapper first.)

The dominant flavor of the MoonPie by far is that of the cookie. There are occasional flashes of both the coating and the marshmallow over the tastebuds, but the graham cookie takes center stage on your tongue. As they absorb moisture from the marshmallow, they also become somewhat crumbly, but not until you start chewing on the MoonPie. The coating also helps maintain the pie's structural integrity to some degree, eventually yielding as you chew.

The traditional accompaniment for a MoonPie is Royal Crown Cola. Now, this did not come about as the result of some marketing agreement between the two manufacturers. Rather, it came about as a choice by consumers. Royal Crown came in larger bottles than other soft drinks, so people chose the larger soft drink to go with the larger snack. For this review, though, I decided to reverse tradition. Instead of Royal Crown, I chose Crown Royal whiskey to go with my MoonPie. The whiskey is smooth on the tongue, yet provides a stark contrast with the sweetness of the pie. It also serves as a way to cleanse the palate between bites.

Yes, this was my first MoonPie in quite some time. It won’t be my last -- for no other reason, I picked up a three-pack. And as I may have mentioned before, I'm thinking of playing around with some MoonPie recipes.


-jc-