Reviewing Hostess Sundae Cupcakes, Little Debbie Lemon Spring Mini Muffins, & More

Compared to the chocolate one that sports a chocolate frosted top, these are noticeably different. These instead have a strong artificial vanilla coupled with the chocolate cake. Weirdly, the frosting on these appears much more thin and breaks apart easily. Overall, they have the same amount of sweetness. Personally, I’m not a fan of this vanilla or the thinness of the topping, and therefore, I much prefer the chocolate version.

Released in March 2021. These may have been discontinued for some time and then rereleased in February/March 2025. Found at Walmart.

Where are the marshmallows? Oh, wait, mine were all packed on the inside of this fluff ball! These perfectly resemble sweet cereal marshmallows, which elevates the already fairly sweet vanilla marshmallow-tasting cotton candy. Not to mention, it’s an interesting and welcome addition to the texture! Essentially, this whole concoction is a sugar-packed punch!

I’m not sure when these were released. Found late February 2025 at Five Below.

These muffins feel so premium. Thick, fluffy, and moist. Flavor-wise, it’s decently sweet with a light lemon taste. It’s about perfect, really. Any more lemon, and it’d be punchy, and any more sugar would be too sweet. I especially like that despite being a Little Debbie snack, it doesn’t taste or feel artificial like their other foods.

Released February 20, 2024, for the Spring season. These also came back around a similar time in 2025. Found at Walmart.

The texture and slight taste differences between these are nothing short of amazing. It really takes licorice to a whole new level. You have some wrapped in sprinkles, others in a soft biscuit, fruit combos, and other interesting textures. They’re all sweeter than regular licorice, softer, and a much more pleasant and premium feeling treat.

While I’m unsure of an exact release date, it’s likely these have been around for an extremely long time. Found at Ocean State Job Lot.

So thick, holy cow! They are probably the thickest mozzarella sticks I’ve ever had, like ever! And to top it off, they are absolutely slathered in a nicely spicy and sweet Honey Chipotle sauce that makes you want to grab a dedicated sauce bottle for your other foods. Biting in, there is a huge, thick cheese pull. Notably, this super thick cheese only tastes like regular mozzarella cheese; there is nothing to see there, but all the flavor comes from the outside sauce. Also, I noticed the fried dough is super thin and soft, nowhere as crunchy as other sticks, which may be a downside for some. Still, these are wonderful, and with the side of the ranch, it’s a nice cooling touch.

While they weren’t on the menu, you could order them in late 2024, along with a Nashville Hot flavor. Around January or February 2025, the menu officially had them.

For whatever reason, I absolutely love these darn cookies. And to top it off (literally), you can get them decorated with that cheap, sweet-tasting frosting. Together, it’s just… magical.

Despite not being a freshly baked cookie, they’re soft, moist, and dense. They remind me of those fancy dessert cookies you find in restaurants or skillet cookies, albeit more artificial in terms of taste and texture, as if they were made to sit out for a long time.

They seem like cousins of Chewy Chips Ahoy! in terms of composition and flavor, coming across as sweet and milk chocolatey. The abundant bits of chocolate chips are soft and add an appreciable soft-solid chew contrast to the already soft and dense texture. Lastly, the frosting: it’s super artificial and fake feeling, sweet, and pairs so well with the cookie for some reason; perhaps artificial plus artificial equals yum?!

To sum it up, personally, I prefer these at room temperature. When it’s warmed up, it falls apart too easily and becomes squishy. On the other hand, it gets a lot more chocolatey as the embedded chocolate chips melt and seem to spread throughout the cookie itself.

The standout and unique truffle here is the Irish Coffee flavor. It’s definitely an Irish Coffee flavoring with a very sweet and creamy taste. Really, they should make a whole box dedicated to just this one! It feels authentic and is quite enjoyable to savor. Interestingly, the center looks like chocolate but doesn’t at all taste like it!

As for the others, they’re all quite sweet, and as advertised for their flavor, I just feel like they’re kind of boring and too traditional: Sweet vanilla. Sweet chocolate. Etc. Their sweetness levels are close to Russell Stover candies, but the big benefit is that they taste less artificial. Regardless, I especially like how thick the shells are, and with a thick, soft-solid ganache filling, it all feels premium and a cut above the rest in terms of the truffle market.

These came around February 26, 2025, although earlier year releases have been noted. Found at Aldi.

The first thing I notice is that this comes across as sweeter than your plain ol’ whipped cream. Of course, as advertised, it has an appreciable Irish creme flavor as well. This flavoring is light, not at all bitter, and is very pleasant in its super creamy whipped cream form. Unfortunately, it’s a unique flavor, so I don’t see it being used with many commonly baked goods or ice creams.

Found at Aldi.

Both of these chips have the same texture. They’re your typical crunchy ridge chips with a light coating of their advertised seasoning.

Sour Cream and Shamrock: A pleasant sour cream chip with an earthly/organic tasting background. It’s somewhat creamy but is reduced by the organic earthly taste. Still, it packs a moderately seasoned and salty sour cream punch. While these are good, I much prefer traditional sour cream and onion!

Guinness: Oh, wow, you can absolutely taste and smell that refined Guinness! Coupled with the saltiness of the chip, it’s pretty darn good without being bitter, almost as if you’re at the pub downing a beer with some fries. Definitely get this if you like Guinness or want an alcohol-based tasting chip.

Found at Aldi.

Okay, after eating several, I finally noticed most of them do resemble their Starburst counterparts. If anything, they aren’t quite as punchy in terms of flavor, although they are slightly more sugary sweet. The texture reminds me of most Jellybeans; there is nothing new there. All in all, I enjoy gulping a mix of their flavors together; it’s so sweet and a great combination!

While I can’t find an exact release date, they’ve been around for decades. Found on Amazon.