If you remember the old Hostess fruit pies in the waxy paper wrappers, well then, even accounting for nostalgia goggles these apple pies, in all ways but brand name, aren't those.
To me, these apple pies are a 2.5, which I rounded up only because I don't feel they're bad enough to be a 2. "Not actually bad, but also not good" is about as good a summary of my overall impression as any. If you're desperately looking for something which doesn't contain things these don't contain, for allergy reasons or etc., then they're an option, but maybe not a great one.
Details:
Least important thing first, these aren't tiny, but they're noticeably smaller than their precursors from years ago.
The paper boxes and film-wrapped cardboard tray (of a pack of 8) kept the pies intact inside the shipping box.
The crust is okay... forgettable tasting, which is at least better than memorable for bad reasons. Crust texture is... also okay. Not mushy, not stale, not baked too hard, and at least started out intact before the first bite. The trouble is, I only seem able to define the crust by what it isn't, aside from "prone to crumbling as it's eaten". I ended up using a fork.
(I'm told by someone who tried this that they hold together better if you start eating at the wider edge and hold them horizontally, ridged side downward, than if you try to eat them lengthwise from one end. But then you end up finishing with the most crust+least filling part. Whether that's worth the dignity you salvage by not ending up shaking the last crumpled globs of pie out of the box, or off your hand, is up to you.)
The apple filling is the gel goop stuff which inadequately passes as "fruity filling" far too often anymore, with what I guess are apple bits in it. It's a respectable enough AMOUNT of filling for the crust size, I'll give them that, but not being half hollow and/or dry and gluey isn't enough to make the pie actually good.
The filling isn't anything I'd want to find upon opening a canned grocery store pie filling, especially after tasting it. I'd expect much more actual fruit and a flavor which suggests more than a passing acquaintance with good apples. But, these are cheap shelf stable pies, so judge them for what they are, I guess.
The apple filling flavor has a vague chemicalish aspect, and at least wasn't excessively sweet, although the sweetness that there is has a quality I'm having trouble defining but can't say I like. As far as the sweetness level goes, it too is "okay".
But then there's the actual filling taste. The thing that makes it an apple pie.
Mostly the apple filling tastes of what seems like the strange, not-good taste of what happens when there's too much cinnamon added to no-sugar-added applesauce: Apple flavor is definitely present, but the taste of soggy cinnamon tries to drown out the apple, which results in its own weird and, I'd say, larger, contribution to the "chemical-ish" taste. This impression wasn't significantly different whether the pie was room temperature or warmed. Either way it's a "too much cinnamon, and apple is also there," taste, to me.
It's not an inedibly bad flavor, but I don't like it, and I don't want any more.
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customer reviews
Received my order yesterday and we decided to try them. OUCH!!! THEY WERE ABSOLUTLEY HORRIBLE. They almost made us throw up! In what way, you ask? They were SO SALTY we could hardly swallow them and on top of being super salty, the were SUPER SWEET? Now couple the two together they were just inedible!!! I can't return them so I have to throw them out! They came in a package of 8, we had 2. The rest went down the disposal. Another thing I have bought that I lost money. PLEASE, PLEASE DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND DON'T, I REPEAT DON'T BUY THESE. THEY ARE JUST THE MOST HORRIBLE THING I HAVE EVER EATEN. I had my mouth set for what they used to taste like, But because they are no longer the original Hostess I should have known better! If you do buy them, you can't say I didn't warn you. UGH!UPDATE...WARNING!!! THESE ITEMS ARE NOT AS ADVERTISED. IF YOU CANNOT TOLERATE SALT BEWARE, ON THE ITEMS SHOWN ON AMAZON, IN THE NUTRITIONAL INFO SHOWN, THE SALT VOLUME IS SHOWN AS 380G. HOWEVER ON THE ITEMS I RECEIVED FROM THE SELLER THE SALT CONTENT IS 500G!!! I WAS STUPID TO TAKE A BITE, TRUSTING THE "HOSTESS" BRAND AND I ALMOST THREW UP. I AM SERIOUS!!! MY SISTER DID THE SAME THING AND SHE DID THE SAME. I BOUGHT THEM TRUSTING THE "HOSTESS" BRAND. I HAD TO THROW THEM OUT, MY LOSS. I WILL NEVER BUY HOSTESS AGAIN, AND I MEAN THAT!
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020
Received my order yesterday and we decided to try them. OUCH!!! THEY WERE ABSOLUTLEY HORRIBLE. They almost made us throw up! In what way, you ask? They were SO SALTY we could hardly swallow them and on top of being super salty, the were SUPER SWEET? Now couple the two together they were just inedible!!! I can't return them so I have to throw them out! They came in a package of 8, we had 2. The rest went down the disposal. Another thing I have bought that I lost money. PLEASE, PLEASE DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND DON'T, I REPEAT DON'T BUY THESE. THEY ARE JUST THE MOST HORRIBLE THING I HAVE EVER EATEN. I had my mouth set for what they used to taste like, But because they are no longer the original Hostess I should have known better! If you do buy them, you can't say I didn't warn you. UGH!
UPDATE...WARNING!!! THESE ITEMS ARE NOT AS ADVERTISED. IF YOU CANNOT TOLERATE SALT BEWARE, ON THE ITEMS SHOWN ON AMAZON, IN THE NUTRITIONAL INFO SHOWN, THE SALT VOLUME IS SHOWN AS 380G. HOWEVER ON THE ITEMS I RECEIVED FROM THE SELLER THE SALT CONTENT IS 500G!!! I WAS STUPID TO TAKE A BITE, TRUSTING THE "HOSTESS" BRAND AND I ALMOST THREW UP. I AM SERIOUS!!! MY SISTER DID THE SAME THING AND SHE DID THE SAME. I BOUGHT THEM TRUSTING THE "HOSTESS" BRAND. I HAD TO THROW THEM OUT, MY LOSS. I WILL NEVER BUY HOSTESS AGAIN, AND I MEAN THAT!
UPDATE...WARNING!!! THESE ITEMS ARE NOT AS ADVERTISED. IF YOU CANNOT TOLERATE SALT BEWARE, ON THE ITEMS SHOWN ON AMAZON, IN THE NUTRITIONAL INFO SHOWN, THE SALT VOLUME IS SHOWN AS 380G. HOWEVER ON THE ITEMS I RECEIVED FROM THE SELLER THE SALT CONTENT IS 500G!!! I WAS STUPID TO TAKE A BITE, TRUSTING THE "HOSTESS" BRAND AND I ALMOST THREW UP. I AM SERIOUS!!! MY SISTER DID THE SAME THING AND SHE DID THE SAME. I BOUGHT THEM TRUSTING THE "HOSTESS" BRAND. I HAD TO THROW THEM OUT, MY LOSS. I WILL NEVER BUY HOSTESS AGAIN, AND I MEAN THAT!
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2020
