Benton's Coconut Dreams (Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies) — DUMP
Munch or Dump rates Benton's Coconut Dreams (Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies) by Benton's DUMP — score 17/90.
Hydrogenated soybean oil puts artificial trans fat in the fudge coating, which alone sinks this cookie. On top of that it stacks four sweeteners — sugar, corn syrup, HFCS, and dextrose — plus palm kernel oil, sorbitol, and artificial flavor. A cult-favorite Samoa dupe, but the formula is about as industrial as a supermarket cookie gets.
Why this verdict
- Contains hydrogenated soybean oil — a source of artificial trans fat
- Four sweeteners stacked: sugar, corn syrup, HFCS, and dextrose
- Very high saturated fat from palm, palm kernel, and coconut
- Sugar is the first ingredient; NOVA 4 ultra-processed
- Artificial flavor and sorbitol in a long industrial ingredient list
Ingredients (11)
- HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL (avoid) — A source of artificial trans fat linked to heart disease. Forces the DUMP verdict on its own.
- Sugar (moderate) — Small added sweetener to balance acidity; minor at salsa portions.
- Palm Kernel Oil (moderate) — Extremely saturated tropical fat used for the fudge coating's snap.
- Corn Syrup (caution) — Second ingredient; a refined liquid sugar that binds the bar and drives the sugar total up.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (caution) — Third sweetener. Its presence in a 'deluxe' ice cream signals cost-cutting, not craft.
- Dextrose (moderate) — Added sugar; one of several sweetener sources in the list.
- Coconut (safe) — Real coconut; the one whole-food element, but very high in saturated fat.
- sorbitol (moderate) — Sugar alcohol used as a humectant; can cause GI upset in quantity.
- SULPHITES (caution) — Preservative that can trigger reactions in sulphite-sensitive and asthmatic people.
- Natural and Artificial Flavor (moderate) — Undisclosed flavor blend including synthetic components.
- Enriched wheat flour (moderate) — Refined breading flour stripped of the grain's fiber and nutrients, then synthetically re-fortified.