Chips Ahoy - Ice Cream Creations

I pride myself on creating unique graphic designs and banners for each of my posts, so ignore that disaster you see above and let it slide because of time constraints.  One, I have somewhere to be in a few hours and, two, these brand new cookies just can't wait to make their Holidaze debut.  Spending any more minutes designing a banner that pales in comparison to these products is just a waste of time and aint nobody got time for dat!

Today, on my lunch break, a few co-workers and I took a drive over to Target.  I couldn't tell you what they were looking for, but I knew what I was secretly going to search the aisles for.  Whenever I'm at a department store, I'm always scouring up and down in an attempt to find something new and post-worthy.  Sometimes I fall short, but this time I saw something different.  I wasn't expecting to have three cookie posts in a row, but this is worth the repetition.  I walked by the cookie aisle, saw these babies sitting there, and kept on walking.  Yeah, I ignored them as if they didn't even exist because I couldn't let these "manly men" think that I'm about that life.  These guys talk about cars and tools all day while I politely nod and pretend that I have an interest.  Meanwhile, I stared at the clock and counted down the hours before I could go back to Target and leave with new Chips Ahoy! Ice Cream Creations!

There are four different Ice Cream Creations flavors, but I only picked up two because the others didn't necessarily intrigue me.  I can tell you, now that I've tasted two, I may very well have to go back and pick up the others because, I'm not going to stall with this one... These are amazing!!

First, let's talk about Mint Chocolate Chip.  I don't know about you, but this is one of my favorite ice cream flavors so whenever I see a product released, whether it's candy, jelly beans, or potato chips, I'm going to pick it up and give it a try.  Usually, the taste is always on point because, let's face it, Mint Chocolate Chip is pretty hard to mess up.  Throw in mint and chocolate and, boom, you have yourself a hit.  With that said, I never go into it with high expectations because I wouldn't want to let myself down.  Chips Ahoy has disappointed me in the past, particularly with the Chips Ahoy Brownie Cookies, so I didn't want to go all in, especially with the Oreo editions still fresh on my mind.

Open the bag and.. wow.. the aroma is perfect enough to be released as a Yankee Candle.  I'd light it around Christmas to savor the scent, but these cookies should never be kept wrapped up to merely enjoy once or so a year.  No, as soon as you look at these cookies and let your senses start talking to each other, you'll find yourself in a whirlwind that can only be brought to an end with one single bite.  I'm not over exaggerating here, these smell delicious.  Immediately, Thin Mints come to mind and that can only mean good things for our taste buds.  In my opinion, Thin Mints are the perfect cookie when it comes to mint and chocolate.  Well, almost.  See, for me, I've always thought that they'd be better if they weren't so crunchy and more chewy.  Good news for those who agree with me -- Chips Ahoy Mint Chocolate Chip cookies are just that!

They're beautiful! Chewy chocolate chip cookies filled with green and brown mint chocolate chips.  I love how they're put together because they could have simply taken a regular chewy cookie and changed the chocolate chip flavor from chocolate to mint and called it a day.  But they didn't do that -- they went all out and made this look like it could be found in ice cream parlor.  If you walked into an ice cream shop and wanted to leave with a Mint Chocolate Chip cone, you'd most likely have something similar to what you see above.  That's going the extra mile, especially with the green chips, and I'm very happy to see that.  Because of that, I'm going to call it right now and call this St. Patrick's Day's official cookie.  Between the green chips and minty flavor, I'm sure it would go perfect with McDonald's Shamrock Shake.  I've never tried one (but will this year,) but am going out on a limb and making it official.  The Holidaze can do that.. right?

Now, the taste test and it's easy -- this is a 10/10.  No doubt, these are the best Mint Chocolate Chip cookies I've ever had.  In an attempt to describe these to you, I want you to think of what it would be like to bite into Entenman's Little Brownie Bites, but having them taste like Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.  It's the perfect mix of flavors and texture that creates a junk food hit!  Chips Ahoy has a winner on their hands, here!

When I saw these, I tried not to dance in the middle of Target, but all I could hear in my head was Pitbull singing "Ohhh baby baby! Ohhh baby baby!"  Should Root Beer Float cookies make me feel that way?  Probably not, but you won't find any shame here, brother!  I will always go out of my way to find and try soda flavored food, even if I know they won't taste good.  Dr. Pepper gum?  Yup.  Orange Crush jelly beans?  You know it!  Mountain Dew cupcakes?  If I could find them.  Pepsi Cheetos?  Believe me, they're real, and I'll eventually find them.  So, in reality, Root Beer Float cookies aren't that out of the ordinary, but they're new to me and I might have freaked out more than I should have.  Luckily, it was all internal and my co-workers still have no idea how awesome I really am!

Now, I've heard of Root Beer flavored cookies before, but they're usually found in a bakery or made at home by creative bakers.  However, I've never seen them released on such a large scale by a company as big as Nabisco.  For that reason, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  Were they just cashing in on the idea of others without perfecting the recipe or did they hammer it down and knock it outta the park?  I was excited to find out and opening the bag only added to that excitement because it topped that of the Mint Chocolate Chip bag.  With very low expectations but extremely high hopes, I progressed further while still managing to tease myself.  This is why the rest of the world calls America fat... It's also why we are ;)

Just like the first scoop of cookies, (see what I did there?)  these also look like their respective flavor and I truly appreciate that.  The cookie is lighter and has multiple colored chips to match that of the float.  We have the brown and white representing the soda and foamy top.  It's awesome, not is only the beginning because, like I said, these taste a hell of a lot better than they look and smell and, believe me, that's saying a lot!

I love them -- absolutely love them.  Now remember, I love Root Beer floats and anything soda flavored so I'm very biased, but if you share my love for this flavor, then you're in for a real treat.  Chips Ahoy blew me away with this one because I honestly didn't think they could pull it off.  I never thought the Root Beer flavor could translate so well as a cookie, but I am happily mistaken and it's to all our benefit.  Obviously Root Beer Floats are liquidy and cold so there's going to be a difference in texture.  That goes without saying, but the flavor is spot on and you'll have your taste buds so confused they won't know what season it is.  That's what's so great about these Ice Cream Creations cookies.  They're for anytime of the year and even if they were meant for Spring, they're just as good on a rainy night in February.  These are two of my favorite products to be reviewed on The Holidaze!

Like I said, I didn't pick up the other two flavors - Dulce de Leche and Mocha Chunk - but because the first two were so awesome, I think it's only right that I support the misfits as well.  I didn't think they'd taste much different than caramel and coffee, but hey, even that may be worth the $2.50.  One thing I know for sure is that the two I did buy are a hell of a lot better than the last two Oreo editions I picked up.  I'm not saying they were horrible, but Nabisco did a much better job with Chips Ahoy than they did with Oreo.  But at the end of the day, all of our money is going to the same place as they laugh all the way to the bank.  Meanwhile, I'm sitting here with 4 bags of cookies and an overly full belly.  If you ask me, sounds like a win-win!

Buy them!!  If you see them, pick them up and thank yourself for it later.  These are that good and, if you have the extra money, pick up the other two as well.  Knowing what I know now, I'm willing to bet they're worth the price and I'll be getting them myself within the next few days.  In the meantime, I'll sit back and enjoy these as I hope for a Neapolitan flavor to debut in series two.  I have no doubt there will be more in what should become a very popular line of Chips Ahoy!

Chips Ahoy Holiday Cookies

Well, Christmas is only 5 days away and I've hardly posted at all this holiday season.  Believe me, I tried.  I have a bunch of junk sitting in my kitchen that will probably never see the light of technological day.  But like I've said before, work is obviously my top priority and for as much as I would like this to be more than just a hobby, it unfortunately is nothing more.  Since my last post, I've worked over 134 hours and slept the rest away.  Needless to say, my own holiday season took a major hit, but cue the annoying Rebecca Black song because "It's Friday.. Friday.." and I wanna get down on The Holidaze!

These Chips Ahoy Holiday Cookies aren't anything new.  In fact, I can't remember a Christmas season without them and, for that reason, they're tradition.  There's just something about a bag of cookies, decked out in their best holiday outfit, that screams Christmas and enhances the season.  There are so many ways to go with the package design.  Red bag, green bag, gold bag, you name it.  But I like that they went with a classic white bag covered in light blue snowflakes because it makes everything else pop off the bag.  Most importantly, the logo and "Holiday" text need to be displayed and they are, perfectly.

As a kid, I was a big fan of and lured in by package design, I just didn't know it at the time.  Kids are attracted to shiny objects and bright colors.  They like anything that stands out and is different than the everyday products they're used to.  To this day, I swear that's why I became so obsessed with TMNT figures - the box art!  As an adult, I'm still just as attracted as I ever was, but I'm now aware of the fact that I'm being lured in by pretty designs and change in appearances.  Let's face it, there's nothing different about this cookie other than a bag and the red & green candy coated chips.  But do I want it? Oh hell yeah and that's exactly why Chips Ahoy placed their cookie so prominently on the bag.  Stupid kids, right?

I always have Halloween and Christmas battle it out for Holidaze supremacy but, in the case of Chips Ahoy cookies, I think Christmas steals the battle.  There's just something about a bag of chocolate chip cookies that represents the season so well.  After all, Santa doesn't come around looking for Candy Corn or Frankenberry, he wants cookies and lots of them.  If they're baked, fresh out from the oven and warm, then even better.  I think that's at least an extra four presents.  With this full bag, there's no way you're making the naughty list - just be sure to share with the man in red.

When it comes to holiday packaging, I honestly couldn't care less about what holiday they're celebrating, representing, or targeting.  I'm not one of those guys who believes religion should be ignored or prohibited, but I also understand why so many companies choose to be less specific.  So, when I saw the big "Merry Christmas" in the top right corner, I was surprised.

Then, I looked even closer and found "Happy Hanukkah."  I think that's absolutely awesome.  Instead of ignoring the two major holidays, Nabisco chose to celebrate them both and incorporate their traditional colors.  For somebody like me, who hates seeing the religious aspects of this season ignored, it means a lot to see them supported and recognized.  Good for you, Nabisco.  But those Kwanza peeps are going to be maaaaad!

Quick post, but anything I have left in the tank between now and Christmas probably will be, too.  I just don't have the time.  I have family parties, shopping to be done, wrapping, and my own personal Christmas traditions.  You know how it is!  It's a busy busy time of year!  But hopefully I can provide you with a few more posts featuring a whole lot of useless information.  Until next time, go buy these Chips Ahoy cookies and celebrate as many holidays as you can with every bite.

Trick-or-Treat Chip Mix

This is one of the coolest items we've found this Halloween season and, really, it's pretty amazing.  Frito-Lay has released a box filled with 20 mini bags of Cheetos and Doritos for the "Lil Monsters" on Halloween.  That's all well and good, but the only thing I care about is that box.  Look at this awesome box..

You wanna talk about graphics?  This is how it's done, man!  For only $4.96, you get a piece of art featuring the classic Universal Mummy Monster chomping down of bags of Cheetos and Doritos!  I know, I know, it's crazy cool, but is there any more to it?  YES!

They didn't get cheap or lazy with the sides of this box.  Oh no, they extended his arms so that we can all see his rotting, decayed, wrapped hands holding even more bags of cheesy goodness.  With something that great, there was just no way I wasn't ripping this thing up and pulling it apart to see this Mummy in all his glory.

That's not only art, that's a decoration.  I hung it up in my kitchen in an attempt to scare anybody who went looking for my 20 bags of chips.  Screw the Trick-or-Treaters, those bags are all mine.  With package art this perfect, I have to believe Frito-Lay released this product just for me.

Not only is the box all decked out, but so are the bags themselves.  My picture obviously doesn't do them any justice, but each bag is themed for Halloween.  Chester Cheetah is dressed like a witch, riding a broom outside his Haunted House and the Doritos bag also features a spooky looking house in front of a full moon.  The Cheetos bag is obviously better looking, but they don't turn your mouth green and that's the only downside to this product.  Had Lays used the color-changing Cheetos rather than your basic doodle, this would have been the perfect Halloween product.  But I can't hold that one misstep against them.  The Trick-or-Treat mix is about as good as it gets.  If you're walking through the aisles and you see those ominous Mummy eyes staring at you, just make sure you make him happy by taking him home.  You won't regret it!

Even the top of the box is awesome.  Man, just bow down to Halloween perfection.  Lays hit the nail directly on the head.  Awesome job!

Cookies and Candy

Cookies are never a bad thing, especially when they're Chips Ahoy.  Every time of year is the perfect time of year to have cookies and milk.  It's so classic that it has the ability to take you back to any time of your life.  I'm usually brought back to when I was a child and couldn't understand why my cookie kept breaking off into the milk.  One of the best things about adulthood is you come to realize what's important in life.  Learning not to keep your cookie drowned in milk for over a minute is one of them.  You gotta be quick about it.

Although Chips Ahoy are best served at any time, I appreciate the fact that they still release special editions throughout the various seasons and holidays.  They've been doing so for Halloween for quite some time now, but they've never done this well in terms of packaging. 

I'll admit, my photos aren't doing this bag justice.  This is one of the greatest displays of Halloween graphics I've ever seen in a product.  Not only did they change their primary bag color from blue to black, but they also included the words "haunted" and "Halloween!"  Along with the pumpkins, bats and moon, we're looking at a true piece of art here.  Plus, we all know Dracula took a bite out of that cookie.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  It's awesome.  I rarely keep packages, boxes or wrappers once they've been gutted, but I think this will be one time that I do.

The cookies themselves are exactly what you'd expect from Chips Ahoy, but they've added orange coated M&M like chocolate into the mix.  They've done this before and we all know what it tastes like so there's no need for me to explain.  Sure, less explanation means a shorter paragraph, but I just added a lot to it by typing this unnecessary sentence.

These Chips Ahoy are, as always, very good.  But, of course, the Halloween packaging takes it over the top.  So if you're shopping and you see an old, boring, regular, blue bag of Chips Ahoy right next to that beautiful, black and orange masterpiece, then you know which one to get.

Here, we have Fruit By The Foot - Mini Feet.  Now, I'm not entirely sure that this has anything to do with Halloween at all.  Sure, there's a disgruntled Mummy on the box, but we also have Scooby-Doo.  This could very well be a Scooby themed box of Fruit by the Foot.  Everything about Scooby and the gang can be related to Halloween in some way anyway, so I'm not sure if this box is special in the least.  However, based on the flavor, I'm going to guess that it is.

Trick or Treat Berry!  Would Betty Crocker actually release a Trick or Treat flavored anything during the months of January and February?  Nah.. that would just be moronic.  This has to be themed for Halloween.  I can't say they did an amazing job on the box art, but there is a Mummy and, as usual, Scooby is scared out of his mind.  That counts for something, but I always look for a little bit more.  Regardless, "Trick or Treat Berry" was more than enough to make me want it.

The wrappers are essentially the same as the box.  I would have liked to see something different, but that's because I'm a nerd who geeks out over cool packaging.  Little kids couldn't care less about what the wrapper looks like.  They just want to rip it open, unroll their Fruit by the Foot, and come up with new ways to turn their tongues orange.  Who can blame them?

What's best about these "mini" feet is that they're perfect for Trick or Treaters.  With 28 pouches in a box, you can afford to throw one into each kids' bag.  Of course, around here, we get 35 year old bums with masks on who expect you to dump out an entire bowl of Halloween goodies into their garbage bags.  Sadly, I'm not joking.  And, even sadder, they would probably get a bigger kick out of an orange tongue than the kids.  But, anyway, for those of who you don't have to worry about being mugged when you open your door to strangers, these Trick or Treat Berry flavored Fruit by the Foot snacks will be perfect for the youngins'.