Mother Nature called with the crimson tide today and I answered by ordering Taco Bell's re-released Caramel Apple Empanada. I use to loveeeeee these when I was a kid, I'm so excited they brought them back again with the Y2K menu. They initially brought them back for a limited time last fall, however I played myself and missed out. "Nothing haunts us like the things we don't buy" couldn't be more true here- I've had all the ragrets ever since. When they announced they were coming back again, I knew I couldn't mess around this time!
Today was the day and it was a delicious one. These still hit, ya'll. I wracked my brain trying to go way back when for a comparison of the empanada then vs. now, however the lines are definitely blurred. I don't think I ate enough back then to really lock in the taste memory. Some things like Burger King's Strawberry Cheesecake or Dunkaroo's I could nail- this one is hard to say. I've seen some mixed comments from others that it's both the same and different, lol. Regardless of that, I think it's super tasty and a great comeback item.
Mine was made fresh and came out hot and crispy. The shell of the empanada is crispy with a sweet apple pie filling inside. There is definitely more filling sauce than actual apples inside, however mine still had several and I didn't mind that. I do think maybe the original ones had a higher apple ratio, however I can't be 100 on that. The actual taste of the filling is super yummy- it's almost identical to apple pie/cobbler filling, however I picked up a hint more sweetness from the caramel flavor. The apples were very tender and soft too, no crunchiness! All in all, it's definitely worth a rebuy or try if you've never had one.
What's your go-to Taco Bell order?