Marks & Spencer has been dominating the food innovation scene with a series of successful product launches, from their acclaimed gluten-free Colin the Caterpillar Cake to seasonal hot cross buns. As Easter approaches, the retailer is ramping up its offerings with new sweet treats hitting Foodhalls nationwide.
The Viral Cookie Cup Expansion
Building on the success of its viral Cookie Cup range, M&S has introduced the Dippy Egg Cookie Cup, inspired by last year's sell-out Dippy Egg Hot Cross Buns. The original buns received rave reviews for their pillowy cocoa texture and silky white chocolate filling that created a decadent, pudding-like experience.
What's Inside the New Creation?
The Dippy Egg Cookie Cup features a chocolate chip cookie base molded into cup form, filled with white chocolate-flavored cheesecake and a vibrant orange mango and passionfruit sauce designed to mimic a runny egg yolk. A shortbread biscuit completes the presentation, intended for dipping like traditional soldiers with a dippy egg.
Priced at £3.20 and available nationwide, the dessert has already generated significant social media buzz, with many consumers expressing immediate interest in trying the limited-edition item.
A Critical Assessment
Despite high expectations, the Dippy Egg Cookie Cup presents several disappointing elements. The cookie base itself maintains a pleasant chewiness, but the white chocolate filling diverges significantly from its cheesecake description, resembling whipped cream in both texture and flavor profile.
The mango and passionfruit sauce offers an initial tropical fruitiness that quickly gives way to an unpleasant tangy aftertaste. Most problematic is the shortbread component, which fails to maintain structural integrity in the chilled dessert environment, becoming stale and mushy rather than providing the intended dipping experience.
Missed Potential
While the concept appears promising on paper, the execution falls short of expectations. The dessert could have been spectacular but instead delivers a disappointing experience that pales in comparison to last year's Dippy Egg Hot Cross Buns. Despite some positive online reviews, our assessment suggests either quality inconsistency or an overly ambitious attempt to recreate previous success.
M&S Easter Lineup Expands
Beyond the Cookie Cup, M&S has introduced several other Easter offerings including new Red Velvet and Gluten-Free Apple and Brown Sugar hot cross buns, with a Tiramisu bun scheduled for release later this week.
Chocolate enthusiasts will find new Collection Filled Easter Eggs in pistachio and salted caramel varieties, along with Extra Thick eggs in multiple chocolate combinations. The popular Speckled Eggs return alongside new formats including a Giant Chocolate Bar, Cookies, and dedicated Easter Eggs.
Additional seasonal items include Sunny Side Up Whips, loaded Easter Eggs, Much Eggs, and returning fan-favorite chocolate characters like Ralph the Cavapoo and Shaggy the Shetland Pony. The Custard Cream egg also makes its anticipated comeback.
The Cookie Cup range, which launched in June 2005 with Raspberry & White Chocolate, Extremely Chocolatey, and Hazelnut Praline flavors, continues to expand with limited-edition seasonal variations like the recent Gingerbread & White Chocolate Christmas edition.
