When Ordering Wendy's New Snickerdoodle Fusion Frosty, Choose Your Flavor Wisely

Wendy's dropped new some new seasonal Frosty flavors today, and guess what? They're not pumpkin spice (thank God). This new flavor still contains a warm spice profile, however, because it's inspired by a cookie style that I often see on dessert tables during fall: snickerdoodle. You've got multiple types of Frosty available in this lineup. The Snickerdoodle Frosty Swirl includes your choice of vanilla or chocolate Frosty with a snickerdoodle sauce swirl, while the Snickerdoodle Frosty Fusion includes your choice of vanilla or chocolate Frosty with that same snickerdoodle swirl and some snickerdoodle cookies crumbled on top. Apparently snickerdoodles are hot this year; Twix even released a limited-edition Snickerdoodle flavor earlier this summer.

I live right around the corner from a Wendy's location, so I ambled on over around lunchtime to go try all of them. You know, for science. I wanted to see if this flavor would cheerfully remind me of the holidays that are right around the corner, or if I should have saved my (er, the office's) hard-earned money for Christmas gifts instead. 

For those of you keeping track, the small vanilla Snickerdoodle Frosty Swirl has 370 calories, 8 grams of fat (5 of them saturated). It has 30 grams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, and 67 grams of total carbohydrates, 57 grams of which are sugar, along with 9 grams of protein. The small chocolate version is similarly weighted with 370 calories, but has 9 grams of total fat (5 grams saturated), 30 grams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 67 grams of total carbohydrates, 56 grams of which are sugar, as well as 9 grams of protein. It also includes 1 gram of fiber.

The Snickerdoodle Cookie Vanilla Frosty Fusion has 410 calories, 11 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, of which 56 grams are sugars. It has 9 grams of protein as well. The small chocolate version has 410 calories, 11 grams of total fat (7 grams saturated), 35 grams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of total carbohydrates with 56 grams of sugar, including 1 gram of fiber, along with 9 grams of protein. Also, both small Swirls run $2.99 at my local Wendy's, while the small Fusions are $4.19 each.

So, as can happen with all day-one releases, my Wendy's Frostys hit a bit of a snag. I'd ordered one of each (four Fusions and Swirls total), but only found out after the fact that I'd actually just gotten four hybrid Fusion-Swirls. I know it's confusing, but if you'll recall, both Frosty concoctions include a snickerdoodle-flavored swirl; the difference is that the Fusions simply have the addition of cookies sprinkled on top. 

These Frostys I received all had cookies swirled in them, rather than half being plain or having the cookies be a garnish. Unfortunately, my local Wendy's does have a track record of needing a few days to iron out some kinks with new items, so I'm not entirely surprised. But in the scheme of things, this is actually not a terrible mistake. That's because I can't actually imagine one of these Snickerdoodle Frosty creations being good without the cookies included. Mixed in, they add a nice crumbly crunch along with enjoyable pops of sweet cinnamon, and in the context of a neutral vanilla Frosty, you can really just enjoy that cinnamon flavor front and center. The swirly sauce is sort of like a cinnamon caramel, which works in tandem with the soft serve, and overall, it's a pretty pleasant soft serve dessert. The chocolate version is another story.

Being a chocolate fan myself, I was actually kind of shocked to realize that the chocolate version was wholly inferior to the vanilla one. That's because the chocolate flavor is what comes through above all else, and when you're looking forward to enjoying the sharp distinct notes of cinnamon, you don't want them to be hijacked. The chocolate ends up being a distraction from the whole snickerdoodle experience. It's strange, because cinnamon and chocolate always make an excellent pairing, like in the case of Mexican-spiced hot chocolate, but for some reason it's a failure here.

If you're on the fence about adding the cookie bits, get the cookies. It's almost a non-negotiable, because otherwise this would be a pretty plain concoction that tastes like a cinnamon and caramel sundae. The cookies make it more akin to concrete or blizzard, and therefore makes it just more interesting to eat overall. And as attractive as it sounds, skip the chocolate one in favor of the vanilla.