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Sonic Drive-In is well known for their wide variety of flavored drinks and dessert treats. One of the frozen desserts is the Sonic Blast, a vanilla dairy creation, that’s mixed and topped with crumbled pieces of candy. You can choose from M&M’s, Oreo Cookies, Butterfinger, or Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups to get your chocolate groove on.

The blast is sugary sweet, with a soft vanilla flavor in the background. It’s smooth and creamy, and starts out thick enough to eat with a spoon, but it tends to melt quickly, and I’ve found it becomes a little soupy towards the bottom 1/4 of the cup. In a way, it reminds me of yogurt, and I’m not a big fan. That’s definitely a problem for me.

It’s thicker than your average malt or shake that you would enjoy slurping with a straw, but still thinner than something like a Frosty from Wendy’s. For me personally, this in-between zone is not a favorite territory. It doesn’t feel anything like ice cream. On the other hand you can’t drink it, at least not at first. This unusual weight and density leaves me feeling unsatisfied, but it doesn’t ruin the experience — just limits it.

There’s a nice sprinkling of crushed candy bits on top, with more mixed in. There’s normally a thin layer of candy at the very bottom of the cup. I suspect pieces are sinking over time, as I’m eating, and they settle down there. Or maybe they drop a small handful in the bottom of the cup before loading it up with frozen dairy. Either way, it’s a nice final burst of chocolate candy flavor to end the show.

The Sonic Blasts Frozen Treats are good, and they will not disappoint your basic desires for a cold, creamy sweet dessert. But I don’t find them to be anything special, and they aren’t Thick-OR-Thin enough for my taste. The candy helps.

Price: $2.49 — Website: SonicDriveIn.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B-

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Nutrition Facts - Sonic, Blast Frozen Treat, Butterfinger, Regular Size.

Calories - 670
Calories from Fat - 280
Total Fat - 31 grams
Carbs - 89 grams
Saturated Fat - 19 grams
Trans Fat - 1.0 grams
Cholesterol - 60 milligrams
Sodium - 250 milligrams

Nutrition Facts - Sonic, Blast Frozen Treat, Reece’s Cups, Regular Size.

Calories - 620
Calories from Fat - 200
Total Fat - 22 grams
Carbs - 96 grams
Saturated Fat - 14 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 65 milligrams
Sodium - 270 milligrams

After eating my delicious Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich and waffle fries, I found myself craving something sweet. I know they serve some great shakes but I was in the mood for a different dessert, like chocolate cake or cookies. It appeared I was out of luck.

Then I remembered – they have a Fudge Nut Brownie on the menu at Chick-Fil-A.

So I spent the extra $1.10 and grabbed one as I left. The drive home is short, but it was difficult because the little see-thru container was sitting next to me, with the brownie inside looking back asking to be eaten. I wanted to wait until getting home so I could capture some review photos. It’s hard to get a good close-up shot inside the car.

Taking the sharp corner by my house I heard the little container go sliding out of the seat and onto to floor, followed by a couple books and cd’s. I assumed my brownie was smashed, but it was just fine. At this moment I truly appreciated the hard-ish shell plastic container that protected my dessert. It would have been crushed, or at least rolling around bare on the dusty floorboard had it come in a paper bag or wrapping.

As I took my brownie out of the plastic package a walnut fell off the top, and I quickly grabbed it and popped it into my mouth with tasty nutty satisfaction. They used big chunks of whole walnuts instead of ‘crushed’ bits. The brownie is small to normal size (as brownies go) but it has some pretty hefty nuts on top. They tasted great, much better than lower grade walnuts you find on pre-packaged treats at the supermarket.

The fudge icing was thick and wonderfully sweet without being too overpowering, and the brownie was soft and moist inside. Despite being small, it was heavy and dense, more so than something like a Little Debbie snack. It gave me the feeling it was made by hand, as opposed to being mass produced by the millions in a factory. It wasn’t quite home-made quality, but it was better than I expected, and only cost a buck.

The Fudge Nut Brownie from Chick-Fil-A ended up being a pleasant surprise. It was large enough and rich enough to satisfy my sweet chocolate craving, but small and cheap enough that it didn’t hurt my wallet or waistline. The walnuts are excellent.

Fast Food Critic Score:4 out of 5 stars.

Nutrition Facts - Chick-Fil-A, Fudge Nut Brownie.

Calories - 330
Calories from Fat - 140
Total Fat - 15 grams
Carbs - 45 grams
Saturated Fat - 3.5 grams
Trans Fat - 2.5 grams
Cholesterol - 20 milligrams
Sodium - 210 milligrams

As I drove away from Arby’s on Monday night, with my delicious Crispy Chicken Bacon and Swiss Sandwich, I noticed a sign advertising their Chocolate Turnover dessert. Chocolate? I knew they had Apple and Cherry, but this was NEW. It looked good in the picture, but most food usually does. This would require a hands-on test, so tonight I went back to sample this new dessert item for myself. In fact, I got two of them.

Chocolate lovers should be excited as soon as they see it. There’s chocolate icing dribbled all over the top, and more chocolate trying to burst out the seems of the crust. It’s a nice looking pastry — much nicer than I was expecting. It’s a decent size too.

The crust is flaky, and layers break away with each bite. It’s very much like a croissant, and nothing like normal fast food bread products. As it turns out, this Chocolate Turnover is made by Pepperidge Farm exclusively for Arby’s. There’s no mistaking it for pastry from a real bakery, but it’s definitely better than average fast food dessert.

Here’s the story — Pepperidge Farm produces and ships the chocolate stuffed dough to Arby’s in a frozen state. Arby’s then bakes the turnovers on site, at each store. The icing is put on by-hand right before it’s served to you. The end result is a fresh tasting, warm and toasty treat. Almost like something you’d expect from a donut shop.

The chocolate is made from genuine Hershey’s cocoa. The icing is sweet and light, while the stuffing inside packs more of a pure chocolate punch. It’s very rich, with a strong cocoa taste. Some might even find it too-much, but chocolate fanatics will be loving it. I should warn you — Eat this immediately after it’s served if you want full enjoyment. I purchased two, and the cold one was much less satisfying.

The Chocolate Turnover from Arby’s is about the closest thing to a bakery fresh dessert pastry you’ll find at a fast food place. It’s made from top quality ingredients, and the $1.29 cost is cheap enough for anybody to add to their next order.

Fast Food Critic Score:4.5 out of 5 stars.

Nutrition Facts - Arby’s Chocolate Turnover.

Calories - 400
Calories from Fat - 225
Total Fat - 25 grams
Carbs - 37 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 7 grams
Cholesterol - 0 milligrams
Sodium - 190 milligrams