Review: Dove Coconut Creme Eggs & It’s Time to Draw a Line in the Sand: Pancakes, French Toast, or Waffles?
Junk Food Nation, I had a huge stack of pancakes this weekend, and it got me thinking….this past Fall I posed a question: Who DOESN’T like French Toast? And you guys battled it out in the comments, explaining that some of you hated eggs, while still others described decadent versions of French Toast you all enjoyed.
Well, today, I want to carry it one step further – I’d been polling people in my office to rank French Toast, pancakes, and waffles for me, and I was pretty shocked at the results. Mainly, that NO ONE ELSE seemed to share my love of French Toast! More often than not, WAFFLES came in at number 1. WHAT? My ranking:
French Toast #1: It’s nice and thick. When done right, it’s not TOO egg-y, but has enough of a crust and coating to really thicken the whole thing up, so when you cut through the toast with a fork, it’s like you’re eating a flattened pop-over, NOT just a piece of soggy bread. Plus, it’s covered in sugar and cinnamon and toasted in butter. It’s basically the perfect bread-y vessel for people who want to ingest carbs and sugar.
Pancakes #2: There’s an old Jim Gaffigan joke re: pancakes: “Young man, you’re not having cake for breakfast, you’re having fried cake with syrup for breakfast.” Yup – I do love pancakes. There is something about that sort of baking-powder Bisquick-y flavor that gets me every time. I still rank it lower than French Toast because I enjoy that egg-y thickness of French Toast, but I do love me some pancakes.
Waffles #3: Look, I have NOTHING against waffles, but in my book they are the 3-seed. And I’ll start out by saying, I’m talking about fresh-made waffles. When you get one that’s right, it’s like having all this extra surface area to cover with syrup, but so what? More often than not, waffles are NOT well made and they just fall apart! These squares serve to undermine the structure of the waffles. They don’t have the same fluffiness as French Toast, and they don’t have the same flavor as pancakes. I won’t turn away a waffle, but I see nothing better about them than the other two.
I’m sure everything I’ve said above is blasphemy to some of you, so sound off in the comments below! Tell me your rankings, and why I’m right or wrong. I’d love to hear it – especially from you waffle lovers.
Today’s junk food: Dove Coconut Creme Eggs!!
Dove Coconut Creme Eggs: The Money Shot
Dove Coconut Creme Eggs were spotted among all the Easter candy that was out since February 15, and I bought it waaaaaay back when and forgot that I even had it. “But Eric, Easter is over!” you might say, Junk Food Nation. Well, chocolate is eternal to me, so here we go.
Dove Chocolate Eggs are not new, and these Coconut Creme ones have been on the shelves since 2011. Still, I enjoy coconut and this was the first time I’d seen these eggs, so I knew that I couldn’t let another Easter go by without trying them.
Dove Coconut Creme Eggs contain coconut oil, but no actual coconut? Huh, ok. I guess I wasn’t sure if these would be like a refined Mounds bar…but I sort of figured that there’d be SOME shredded coconut in here. No, huh?
When I opened these bags of Dove Coconut Creme Eggs, I could smell the coconut oil already. It was strong, but warm – didn’t burn my nose or anything. Aesthetically, these looked cool – foil-wrapped eggs that were each about 1.5 inches long.
Dove Coconut Creme Eggs had milk chocolate on the outside…
…and a smooth white creme center. When I bit into this Dove Coconut Creme Egg, I could feel that the center was nice and thick – wasn’t runny. It was sort of like the peanut butter in a Reese’s – the consistency held up well against the soft chocolate shell.
Flavor-wise? Really nice – the milk chocolate was sweet and smooth as we’ve come to expect from Dove, and the center was sweet and full of coconut flavor. No shredded coconut for texture, which was sort of weird. The creme inside was basically a white confection, loaded with coconut oil. Still, it tasted good.
Together with the chocolate, the coconut creme egg was pretty damn tasty – it basically gave you all the flavors of a Mounds bar but in super smooth form. And, since I know there are people out there who actually DO like coconut flavor without the weird coconut bits – then these are for you.
PURCHASED AT: Target, Germantown, MD
COST: $3.49
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Sincerely,
Junk Food Guy
Discuss - 22 Comments
I like all 3. A perfect French toast should be slightly crunchy. French toast is my favorite.
As for the coconut cream eggs. My head hurts it said artificial flavor but the ingredient list: coconut oil. Is coconut oil natural? I think shredded coconut helps to give it flavor and texture. Or even better “toasted coconut cream”. Toasted coconut in there. YUM
Well, it depends on KINDS of french toast/pancakes/waffles. French toast made with plain sandwich bread? Nah. But if I can get a really crunchy french toast or something at least made with Texas Toast, I would pick French toast. If I take the time, though, nothing beats a homemade pancake OR waffle. Or waffle french toast. Either making french toast with a frozen waffle or cooking french toast in a waffle iron, there’s something special about mashups.
1) French toast, 2) Waffles, 3) Pancakes. I’ve never been a huge pancake fan. Not sure why. I think it’s the sog factor once they’re all saturated with syrup. Waffles can be fun and crunchy especially all dressed up with fruit and whipped cream.
I wonder if I took french toast bread dunk into pancake batter then put on waffle iron. Mash up. Should be called fcpaffle
Genius. Fraffle Cake? Panaffle Toast? Wench Cake? The possibilities are endless.
I rank them 1) Pancakes 2) Waffles 3) French Toast. I like waffles and pancakes best when they have interesting ingredients like pumpkin or nuts, or are multi-grain for texture. And I prefer a cinnamon/honey/butter mixture over syrup.
Sorry dude…
1. Pancakes – nothing, I mean nothing, better than fluffy pancakes
2. Waffles – gotta be crunchy adds to the pleasure and also can work well with ice cream
3. FT – just not my thing, always ends up soggy
This doesn’t take into account additions and all but that would really booster the pancakes. This may be blasphemy but McDonalds pancakes are freaking fantastic and such a good standby. Lets hope Cali test market works out well and they go national for all day Mickey D breakfast.
McDonald’s Hot Cakes are straight-up awesome. The kicker is that syrup. I always save the extra packs they put in my bag so I can use them on stuff I make at home.
My overall ranking depends on who’s making breakfast. Cracker Barrel has some of the worst pancakes I’ve ever had in my life. Plus, I don’t care what anyone says. Pure maple syrup is disgusting. I’ve also never (and I mean NEVER) had a good waffle from a restaurant. They always taste burnt and I find them overly crunchy. French toast is always a pretty safe bet in my book though.
So…If I’m eating out: McDonald’s Hot Cakes, IHOP’s pancakes, French toast, everyone else’s pancakes, French toast sticks (a whole different animal), then waffles.
If I’m making breakfast myself: waffles (I make them nice and soft), pancakes, then French toast.
Somewhere a lowly cinnamon roll is muttering about how it never gets any respect. 😉
1.- French toast is definitely #1 with me. By far. Although, I prefer the name eggy bread.
2.- Waffles are good, but I prefer eating them with mustard which most people think is weird.
3.- Pancakes are OK, if they have chocolate chips in them. And they are very small.
Pancakes, always pancakes. So you are a Jim Gaffigan fan! Right after Bill Burr, Gaffigan is my favorite! If you haven’t read his books, it is a must! I know some people don’t like audio books but I highly recommend them here. His narration is hysterical the whole way through!
1.French Toast- always and forever the best. Thick cut is better than thin. Bonus points if they’re french toast sticks.
2.Waffles- Not with syrup, fresh fruit or jelly and whip cream or cinnamon sugar
3.Pancakes- I’ve had way more bad pancakes than anything else because there’s a lot of leeway to either burn them or leave them with uncooked batter in the middle
Also we have french toast crunch and waffle crisp, but nobody wants to do/has done pancake cereal…Third Place
Freedom toast first. Although a perfectly made waffle would come very close. Pancakes? Well, pancakes suck!
I love a good french toast- but if it’s too eggy, all bets are off. I never used to like pancakes but I recently discovered topping them with peanut butter, and it makes all the difference and adds some texture. Waffles are by far my favorite, though. Trying to fill each little hole with syrup is the best.
French toast first, but has to be made with good bread. Denny’s had a really good gingerbread French toast this past Christmas that I loved. Second would be Belgian waffles, but they have to be fresh. Waffles that have had time to get soft are not good. Third would be pancakes, but they really are basically tied with regular waffles.
Crepes should be in there somewhere. I love Nutella and banana crepes, and the lingonberry ones that IHOP does. I don’t care for savory crepes, though.
To me french toast is ranked with bread pudding: can NOT stand them at all! Pancakes are #1 for me only because I don’t own a waffle maker.
#1 – Pancakes – fully customizable. You can put anything in them. Hell, I even put in some old fart granola fiber cereal for the hell of it & it was still delicious. I know how to make pancakes without even measuring ingredients. All I use is a non-stick skillet & a cereal bowl – there’s no clean-up or mess & the rest goes into the dishwasher. Grew up & use Aunt Jemima. Note:I like my pancakes with a crispy exterior – has more flavor than soggy.
#2 – Waffles – while you need a waffle iron (tho it doubles as a panini press), I usually make a huge batch & it freezes well like pancakes. Bonus points for making it easier to spread on cream cheese. Goes great with fried chicken. I haven’t really researched waffles yet tho I’ve made Eggs in a Basket & Egg McMuffins with them. Waffles fall apart? Again, Aunt Jemima.
#3 – French Toast – can use old bread (but not rye), but I always either run out of egg batter or have too much. Seems like it takes forever to cook. In the end, it seems like it’s a piece of leather that doesn’t absorb any butter or syrup once cooked. Mine are basically either plain or cinnamon. Note:I have tried making grilled cheese with French Toast (sans syrup) and every time, it was just off. Salt helps, but has an off-taste.
Note:I have never eaten these from a restaurant or store bought. Always homemade.
LOL @ the fact that I am sitting at the computer eating French toast (for dinner) as I read this blog post. I make French toast about five times a week, its always been one of my favorite foods. So anyways, I would say 1. French toast, 2. Waffles (Belgian) and 3. Pancakes. However pancakes may surpass waffles if they are filled with chocolate chips 😛
I concur that waffles are the lamest.
But in truth, I’m not a fan of any of the top seeds mentioned in this thread. I don’t enjoy ANY kind of heavy, doughy, squishy-soft, syrupy, pastry cooked for breakfast. I never order them. I wouldn’t want them on my plate.
I do agree though, that yes– french toast has the most class. For sure. If I ever enjoyed any of these top 3, at any time, it was probably some french toast. As a kid. If I had to eat it these days I would take it without syrup–maybe using it as a roll up for some fruit or ricotta. Maple syrup makes me squirm with disgust. One of the worst movie scenes ever: ‘Super Troopers’ where the state police challenge each other to chug entire containers of the stuff. Gag!
Question: crepes are actually big in New York City. Will JFG address the crepe wildcard?
p.s. Other stuff I never eat: sticky buns, cinammon rolls, doughnuts, brownies, blondies, sugar cookies, black&whiite cookies, (nearly all types of cookie, practically) cupcakes, muffins, red velvet cake, (any kind of cake), croissants, cronuts, etc etc etc. I just don’t get the whole sickly-sweet breakfast pasty and dessert pastry scene. It all tastes so cloying and clogging as it goes down. Yuk.
I assume you have never been to Belgium??? Because omg, they are the best.
Also, people, if you’re making a list of what is the best, think about what is the best version of the food you’ve ever had. Buttery crisp pancakes, crunchy sugary waffles, fluffy syrupy french toast …Otherwise you are just making a list of foods most commonly prepared poorly!
I know Le Pain Quotidien has had individual packaged small sized waffles to go. There’s bits of sugar on it. They’re good though!
1) Pancakes – I think “Breakfast Food Cognition Theory” is involved, since many of my earliest food memories involve eating breakfast with family. And back then, as today it’s hard to beat a stack of pancakes for me.
2) French Toast – also big in my family. Neither of my folks were great cooks, but its easy to throw together a batch of french toast for 3 kids. It was cheap too. Still is.
3) Waffles – Even at #3 I don’t think of waffles as a loser, it’s just something I don’t eat as often. However, if you put a plate sized waffle in front of me with butter and syrup, you would see a man eating happily.
4) BISCUITS ‘N GRAVY!
1) French toast, 2) waffles, 3) pancakes, although all 3 are amazing. I completely agree with your comments on French toast, and that’s why it’s mah faveeee. I did nottt realize dove was coming out with a coconut egg and I’m definitely all about thatttt. I love me some coconut.