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Fabulous Bakin' Boys Milk Chocolate Chip MuffinsKcal 226 Fat 11.0g Fat(sats) 1.6g Carbs 28.6g
Starting us off today we have these Fabulous Bakin' Boys Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins which I found on a lovely price discount promotion in Tesco for £1.00. For such little expense, this four pack of muffins seemed like a good deal, and I shared them amongst some colleagues at work who were all very willing to provide some second (third and fourth!!) perspectives on them.
On pack these were described as 'golden sponge muffins with real chocolate chips' - a none to far apart proposition from the Mr Kipling Chocolate Chip Cakes I reviewed a while back (See HERE). The muffins were contained within airtight clear cellophane packs which surprisingly did a very good job as maintaining both appearance and freshness. Breaking these seals and immediate waft of vanilla scents overcame my senses, and this was highly indicative of the taste of the base muffin. Indeed, it was the cake constituents which exceeded most peoples expectations and it's delightful vanilla led sweet taste was nicely delivered through the slightly moistened crumble cake texture. Again to our surprise the chocolate chips were generously portioned throughout, though that said they were generally perceived as poor in terms of flavour delivery. The golden question - would I buy again? Yes I would on that offer. A substantial, tasty muffin offering for fans of vanilla cake.
7.8 out of 10
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Cadbury Boost Cake BarsKcal 190 Fat 10.6g Fat(sats) 6.9g Carbs 20.9g
In the past few years Cadbury have released more cake bar varieties than ever before. We've had seasonal varieties, limited edition flavours - you name it, they've done it! One thing they haven't always done however, is use the strengths of some of their sub-brands to create some more attractive and credible propositions. We have had the Fudge themed cake bars (See HERE), but apart from them we have seen little else - until now that is :D Enter the NEW Cadbury Boost Cake Bars which I found in my local Sainsburys store last week (unfortunately not on a £1.00 deal! Doh!).
Straight away these appeared to be offering something a little different from the Cadbury cake bar norm. For starters the packaging was Boost themed and unattached from the usual purple Cadbury colours, whilst they also appeared a far more substantial offering billed as 'chocolate flavoured sponge topped with a chocolate flavoured creme with biscuit pieces and caramel, covered in chocolate'. This all sounds great right!? Well they were! The coating and chocolate sponge were all standard fair for Cadbury cake bars - sweet but chocolatey, on the whole pretty nice. The Boost filling on top however really made these stand apart, with the chocolate creme, caramel and biscuits all bring different textures and flavours to the party. Through the midst of chewy, crunchy and crumbly mouth feels, a lovely variety of butterscotch and cream flavours made for a truly delightful synergy of cake and original Boost bar. I give these a real thumbs up - ChocolateMission recommended!
8.4 out of 10
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Fabulous Bakin' Boys King Cupcakes Triple ChocKcal 208 Fat 11.1g Fat(sats) 4.5g Carbs 25.1g
The second Fabulous Bakin' Boys offering today comes in the form of their King Cupcake Triple Choc. I bought these cupcakes in a pack of four after seeing them on a 'better than half price' sale in my local J Sainsbury's. Priced at only £0.80 it convinced me that at just £0.20 a cake was an offer to good to turn down despite previous poor experiences with the FBB cupcake range.
On the pack these had a very small, hidden-away descriptor which worryingly them described as 'chocolate flavoured sponge with chocolate chips and dark chocolate flavour topping'. Worrying 'chocolate flavour' billings aside, they did look suitably appetising dressed in the cellophane packet and paper based wrapper confines. The praise I'm afraid to say ends there however, as the taste test proved to be somewhat of a downfall. In the effort of being succinct, the sponge was dry and flavourless, which is a description highly applicable to the 'dark chocolate' topping just with the dryness replaced by a god awful waxy mouth feel. Flavour wise the only real contributor to the experience were the chocolate chips which in the large part were criminally under portioned and MIA for most mouthfuls. I wouldn't buy these again - not even on that ridiculous offer.
5.4 out of 10
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McVitie's Digestives Dark ChocolateKcal 84 Fat 4.2g Fat(sats) 2.2g Carbs 4.7g (per biscuit)
Biscuits as famous as these ones need no introduction so I will simply point you in the direction of my reviews from the other parts of the McVitie's chocolate digestive range. For my review of the McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives - See HERE, McVitie's Caramel Digestives - See HERE, McVitie's Temptations Belgian Milk Chocolate Praline - See HERE. That's enough pimping of my own blog and old reviews - lets just get down to business with these dark chocolate digestives :D
As I said above these dark chocolate Digestives are every bit as well renowned as the milk chocolate alternatives and they are a common feature amongst the biscuity treats that normally adorn my work office. Descriptor wise they are described as 'Wheatmeal biscuits covered in plain chocolate', and they come sized in the same profile as the standard Digestives (none of that smaller sized biscuit nonsense like the caramels). I did buy a pack specially for the review, but to be honest with you guys I was already very familiar with the taste. Just like any other digestive biscuit the focal point of the flavour delivery was rooted in the wheat biscuit portion, and it brought the standard sweet, malty, salted hinted experience like any other. Compared to the milk chocolate digestives, the plain chocolate placed on top was slower at establishing itself in terms of it's presence, however it's unsweetened cocoa flavours did feel longer sustained once the biscuit was chewed. Due to the sweetness of the biscuit and thinness of the chocolate portion, I wouldn't say the overall experience is far apart from the milk chocolate version. Lets be honest I think we would all be happy with either.
7.9 out of 10
Posts
62 comments:
Out of everything Fbb do (trust me ive tried the lot) the only thing I think is worth ever trying are their yogurt flapjacks. All of the cupcakes, muffins and other bits and pieces just come across as so mundane and bland to me. The chocolate they use is just terrible, the waxy feel it has puts me off so much every time.
Woah woah woah Boost cakes!?
When did these happen?
I gotta get me some of those bad boys. Any tips where to get em!?
Dark choc digestives only 7/10? You gotta be kidding me dude those things are like crack. My mum has to hide them from me when she buys them. She knows if she leaves them out im going to eat the whole lot before she can get to them. Im gonna have to buy my own pack today now.
Fab baking boys flapjacks are the only thing worth buying from them. The chocolate flapjack you wrote about last week is where I start and finish with those guys. Their muffins suck so bad compared to like store bakery ones.
ps. One thing ive noticed about Fbb is that they never advertise or do anything like that. They have been around for a long time now but i havent ever seen a commercial for them or anything like that. It makes you think about where all their money goes? Lmao, it isnt on the chocolate lol.
Boost cakes mmmmmmm do WANTS! x x x
I had one of the boost cakes yesterday and I similarly thought it was sweet.
I would have liked it to have been bigger like one of the bars but I can't complain it cause it still made me feel fuller than any other cake bar.
I don't even like boosts but i want to try the cake version now. Lol its your pic thats done it btw. It just looks so yummy with all the diff layer bits to it.
Are the Boost cakes a permanent thing? If they are limited supply I better hop to it.
Wicked B and B blog today J. Outstanding photos as norm.
What a shame the boost cake bars are every bit as calorific as the normal bars. I was hoping the cake might be lighter on the cal/fat than the truffle filling that you get in them. Lol I wasn't under the impression they were going to be everything you normally get in a boost + added extra cake.
They dont have a clue how to price fabulous baking boys cakes you know. Ive seen it before where one tesco had a single pack flapjack priced more expensive than a pack with 6 times the amount in lol.
These four in one'rs are wicked cause most the time you find something I like. I h8 it wen I come on here sometimes and you got something yuck that has nuts it or sumtin.
Jim where was the warning man? I needs me one of those Boost cakes like RIGHT NOW man. I always leave this site hungrier than when I logged on. My Sainsburys Local better be playing ball and have some of these cakes on sale. If they dont im going to get mega stroppy.
Fabulous BB muffins are much better than the supermarket branded ones. The supermarket ones just try to rip the baking boys ones off.
Hey Hun, your bits and bobs post has proven entertaining as per usual. The only one of these ive had in my time are the biscuits but im sure thats no surprise you would have to be very odd to not of had a chocolate digestive in your life. After reading about the fabulous baking cakes im not too encouraged to go buying them. Its not what you said about them but more just my lack of interest in muffins etc as a whole. I know my brothers would love the boost cakes. Its not my favourite cadbury bar ever but its there are worse. Thank you for another interesting set of reviews.
Rxxx
I would flip round the scores of the two types of muffins you got there. I think the chocolate ones are much better than the plainer ones. Lol each to their own. Its all about the homebaked.
Yay your making up for the long period of time when we didn't get any bits and bobs thats for sure. Thank you so much for doing these posts.
When are we getting the jims chocolate mission ruling on the aero christmas trees?
If i remember right you like aero mint dontcha?
Two weeks of bits and bobs posts! What ever have we done to deserve this :-) Its not Christmas for another few months lol.
Do you like steamed sponge puddings Jim? There are nice variety of them out these days. Why don't you do a post looking at the chocolate ones that can be bought? Very relevant with winter coming up don't you think ;)
Is it just my computer or do people keep seeing hotel chocolate advertised on every site they go on nowadays? Honestly, I cant get away from their advertisements on websites. Its almost as if they have taken over the web.
Jim have you ever thought of reviewing some of the tub cakes that marks and spencer sell? They are carbon copy rip offs of what people like GU and the supermarkets do but imo they are so much nicer. Quality is always assured with marks and spencers. Thats one thing you can always be assured of with them.
Review these chocolate muffins for us gluten free dieters please http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=266804333
Its so difficult seeing hearing about all these tasty cakes all the time. Gluten free eaters have options but only a fraction of what a normal person does.
The lack of HC review on Monday was annoying but at least we got our bits and bobs fill today :) Im yet to try the boost cakes but all in good time, by the sounds of things they are better than most cake bars we get at the moment. I still haven't forgiven them taking away the mint creme cadbury ones. They were so lush I almost cried when my mam told me they weren't stocking them anymore.
If the idea of this was to sell the boost cakes to me then its a job well done jim. I swear one of these days you are going to admit you work for one of these companies :P You will shock us all jim lad I know it.
Ive been hanging on for a review of the boost cakes. Im so pleased you rated them as highly as I did.
Hey J
You must have been v disappointed with the result last night. Lol could be worse, you could be city lol.
Great bits and bobs post today mate. They continually provide such a nice bit of variety I think. Speaking of the four things today the only ones I have had before are the chocolate digestives. You can't beat dunking a choccie digestive in a nice brew. You got to get it just right though so the chocolate is just a little melted.
Cheers
N
It took an age to read all of them but as ever it was so worth it. I just caught up on the cadburys mascot review aswell. lol i agree those characters are so bad.
All these cakes are making me hungry =)
Im so done with FBB produce. Its all just cheap tack. Have you seen how cheap they sell it now? Its got to be made with the crappiest ingredients ever.
if anyone wishes to dispute me on this please talk to me about their chocolate ;) half time time they can't even call it chocolate because it doesn't have cocoa butter in. Bleugh.
Bits and bobs <3 <3 <3 Lovely cake photos Jim x
This site can be such a nightmare sometimes. I try my best to stick to eating healthy but you just bring up all this tasty new things that I feel the need to try. Somehow I don't think that boost cakes are going to fit in the diet plan.
Its interesting to see you gave a good mark to the Cadbury Boost cakes.
Me and my brother couldn't of been any different in opinion about them. I liked them but he thought they werent so good because the cake swallowed up the rest of the other bits and pieces in it. To be honest thats a good thing for me that he doesnt like them. Lol it just means all the more for me now.
Terrific reviews Jim. Its so great to see bits and bobs are back as a permanent thing each week again. You know we love these kind of reviews man.
The Boost cakes are great im with you on that. Im a little peeved at the scores for the fab baking boy muffins though. I rate them really highly myself. In actual fact I would rather have one of them compared to the boost bars.
Only 7.8 for the dark chocolate digestives? :O :O :O This i do not like to see.
ROFL if i was sent to a desert island for the rest of my life and I could only take one food item to eat until the end of time then it would have to be chocolate digestives. Im not too fussy about whether they are milk or dark (either do me tbh wit you) but honest to god if I was left solely to fend off them I wouldn't be sad.
The next cadbury cake bar flavour they need to do is coconut. Its the one remaining flavour I can think of that they haven't done.
The intricacy of your reviews even when they are mini ones like this is just amazing. You have a wonderful way of writing that makes me think I can taste these things as I read what you say about them. This site is such a bad influence, its introduced me to way too many snacky things that I wouldn't have contemplated or ever seen before if I hadn't seen them here first.
I havent bought a cake bar thing for a very very long time but im half convinced to go buy some now because of your cadbury BOOST review here.
Its oool that they seemed to keep all that was good about the normal bar and then carried it over to these without altering it too much. Sometimes you get these themed cakes and they aren't anything to do with what they originally were. They used to have Crunchie ones like that back in the day.
Its all about the christmas and halloween limited time cakes now. They dont hang around for too long these days, you got to make the most of them whilst they are on sale. Lol I bought some mince pies last night yum yum.
I don't touch any of those fabulous baking boys cakes anymore. My mum used to buy them an awful lot because they were so cheap I think. I used to really like the chocolate chip muffins you've posted about there but I just got so sick of having them I ultimately got bored of them.
Chocolate digestives on the other hand, well I think I could eat those everyday and not ever get bored of them.
Crikey you have been buying a lot of fabulous baking boys cakes recently Jim. They are doing great off you alone lol
I can't believe peeps here are mentioning the lemon cupcakes as being in the same class as the choc ones. They can'thold a candle to them if you ask me.
What what what? Those King Triple Choc Muffins are so much better than your rating suggests. I agree with your review about their normal cupcakes (they suck ass) but these triple chocolate muffins are worthy of much better recognition
I can never tell the difference between the milk choc digestives and the dark chocolate ones. I swear the chocolate they use is no different apart from the colour of the packaging and the chocolate. Lol it could all be in the mind folks :P
I just saw they had all the halloween cakes out this weekend in Sainsburys. Lol They are only the month early this year which is fine by me.
The only annoying thing I saw was that they didn't have the blackcurrant and vanilla cream mini rolls. I remember eating a real serious amount of them last year, I hope they are just delayed or something.
Fabulous bakin boys cakes are incredibly great value if you buy them on the deals they do. I got two packs of their four cnt muffins for 86p not long ago. I hadn't tried their lemon ones yet so it was a nice way of being able to do so without paying through the nose.
It will only be a matter of time before we get the Wispa cakes wont it :-) I shan't be complaining though. I encourage cadburys to do anything they want if its Wispa themed. Just so long as they make true on their promise and bring back the Wispa Gold they can do whatever the hell they want if you ask me.
I so love McVities chocolate covered digestives. I slightly prefer the milk chocolate ones, I think it complements the biscuit better. That's typically thorough to give us a review with a purpose bought pack :D although I think these deserve at least 8.5 across the scoring categories!
Hi All
Talk about a comment explosion today. Bits & Bobs brings you all out the wood work haha :D
The Fabulous Bakin' Boys have been pretty central to discussion today. My overall impression of the brand is that it can be very hit and miss. The beauty of their low prices means that when they are a miss it isn't too much of a loss I guess.
Alot more love seems to be coming in for the Boost cakes though. I think they fully justify myself. It was good to see Cadbury make use of their brands with their cakes. They have often been too prepared to settle for just random flavours. Like someone has said the next inevitable one has to be the Wispa cake bars.
PETE - They are in most supermarkets now I believe.
DAVID - Funding their promotions I reckon.
ANON - Aero Christmas Tree review will be coming soon I promise.
LEWIS - Sponge puddings? Sounds like a job for winter time I think.
GARY - I'm working on the advertising on the site at the moment. I'm trying to integrate it but keep things friendly looking.
MICHAEL - Right that is the formal request I have been waiting for :D Trust me I need very very few excuses when it comes to M&S food.
JULIE - The Hotel Chocolat reviews will be back next week.
NIGEL - The result last night was so bad. We defended like a sunday league team (being very kind!). The whole Tevez situation has at least given me some cheap laughs today.
JOE - Mince pie buying in September is just so wrong.
KYLE - I think the Wispa cakes are very much a given yeah. It wont be long before we see them.
THEA - When it comes to chocolate biscuits these days any excuse is a good one for me :D Great hearing from you again.
Thank you to everyone who left nice comments about the photos etc. I know you guys and girls appreciate the effort that goes in to them so I do try keep them consistent which can be very tricky.
Good to have some many opinions as usual. Keep them coming folks they are always appreciated.
JIM
I used to quite like the FBB cupcakes but hated those KING ones, and Ive gone off them altogether really. Ive seen those Boost cake bars, I really must try them! As for the choc digestives, we tend to prefer the Dark over the milk, theyre both lovely but the dark has abit more 'bite' and is less sweet.
I've seen those cadbury boost cakes a few times now but not bought them yet. I always thought they could make some cake bar flavours out of some of their chocolate bars. They had already done it for the Flake and the Fudge bar, its surprising it took them so long to make these Boost ones.
All of the fabulous baking cakes are much of a muchness but the one that did stand out for me when I tried it was that chocolate chip cupcake. The chocolate chips actually tasted of chocolate which is a remarkable thing when you compare it to the chocolate they use across their other products.
Jim you make me laugh with all your bargain spotting. I swear that hasn't been a product on b and b for months which you haven't bought on some kind of pound deal.
Theres a new lyles syrup sponge cake you might want to check out man. Its toffee apple flavoured and its sweet as F!!!! I mean that with multiple meanings btw lol. Its really really really sweet sugar wise but trust me its so nice. I think they have done it especially for halloween this year so buy one whilst you still can. A review would be nice.
My word Jim. For someone that refused to write or rate any biscuits a year ago you haven't half rattled through the Mcvitie's ranges lol.
Im still yet to try any of those temptation chocolate biscuits they have started making but I keep hearing good things about them across the blogs. Its a shame that the pack of quirks I bought at the weekend weren't as special. I was so disapointed with them. Theres just nothing special about them whatsoever.
I dont get why so many people have bad things to say at the Fab baking boys cakes. I know they arent anything special or anywhere near comparable to most home baked cakes but they are amazing for the price you pay. I think they have a deal on in sainsburys where you can buy one get one free + mix and match amongst the flavours.
We need to create laws where websites like this one are restricted from posting such lovely food photos. No wonder we are all getting fat :) just look at that boost chocolate cake nom nom x 10.
Im really not a fan of fabulous baking boys. My mum used to buy the flapjacks sometimes but I didn't even bother eating those crappy cupcakes when she bought them. The chocolate on them is just terrible.
Uh oh. Boost cake bars? This is going to get dangerous for me :P I can see a situation where one isn't enough and that second cake bar looking all too tempting. I honestly love boosts so much.
Great reviews here Jim. I enjoyed reading about all four of these today. The Boost cakes are going to be the ones on my shopping list next time I go there.
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