Update 12/9/2022: Despite my negative experience, I'm bumping my rating up to four stars. The company reached out to me, and offered a refund for the box that was not of good quality. So I am satisfied, despite the issue experienced. Contact wasn't anticipated and a refund definitely was not expected or even requested. I can at least attest that the company was wonderful to work with and set out to make things right.
OLD REVIEW:
I purchased this product twice, so my two-star review is a combination of both experiences. My overall conclusion is that these pastries are inconsistent in quality. They are expensive for the amount of product you get (8 pastries) and there is no guarantee you'll even receive something edible.
Shorter Review:
The first box was delicious! Had a soft, cake-like consistency, and the flavor was good, although I do not think it tasted like red velvet at all (or at least red velvet flavor as I recall it). There was just enough sweetness, but I felt the filling was skimped on. As a plus, my non-low-carb friends/co-workers said they did not believe they were low-carb, but definitely felt they tasted like some kind of "diet" or "healthier" version of a toaster pastry. The high price point would keep me from regularly buying. It's about 3.37 per pastry at full price and at the discounted price, I paid about 2.47 per pastry. Overall, I'd give them 3.5 stars, bumping it up to 4 stars.
The second box I purchased was completely inedible, tasted rancid, the color was off, and the smell was horrid. Dog took one sniff of these and turned tail, didn't even want to sample them, and he will eat out of the trash. That's exactly where these went. Waste of money and an assault on my tastebuds. Will not purchase these again. This time, the product gets 1 star only because I can't give zero stars.
Longer version:
The first time I bought these, they were at a discount on Amazon. I received the box, not knowing what to expect. The box that the pastries came in was damaged because they choose to ship it in a plastic package as opposed to a cardboard box. Despite the beat-up-looking package, amazingly, the pastries were not crushed or damaged in any way.
Also, they turned out to be surprisingly good! They had a soft, cake-like texture, the filling is so-so, but not very much is in each pastry. It did not taste like red velvet to me but still had a good flavor. I shared these with my non-low-carb coworkers and they agreed they were good. They did state they would not choose them over regular toaster pastries, but they would be an OK substitute if they wanted some protein breakfast options. Less of the crumbly texture of a Poptart, but no flakiness of the toaster strudel, which I prefer. Like most low-carb foods meant to substitute for their higher-carb equivalents, the price point is definitely a major drawback and I stated I'd never buy these again unless they were on sale. Tasty or not, it wasn't worth it.
Lo and behold, the next day they were a lightning deal, so I bought them again.
That was a mistake!! This second box of pastries tastes nothing like the first. They are downright disgusting! The pastry is sitting off to the side of my keyboard and I can smell it. It is a terrible scent that you can immediately detect after you open the package containing the pastry. Nothing that is supposedly fresh and edible should EVER smell like this. Can't quite place the scent... EDIT: After reading others' reviews to see if anyone had a similar experience, I saw another described it as paint. Yeah, I agree. Smells like traces of paint, nail polish, nail polish remover...some sort of chemical similar to acetone. Also, noticed the color was off. Wish I had a pastry from the first (great-tasting) box for comparison, but I clearly recall the first box of pastries had a deeper, reddish color and these are more along the lines of a faded red. Against my better judgment, I decided to take a bite and they are gag-inducing. They tasted rancid and left a nasty aftertaste. I ended up spitting the bite I took in the trash can and the rest of the pastries promptly followed. To be certain, I did inspect every package and out of the eight pastries in the box, not a single one was edible.
Because, I still had the box from the first purchase, I did some comparing. Best by (BB) date from the edible box was 10/06/23 and the rancid box's BB was 6/28/23, so neither was even close to the date. The lot # for the edible box was 227911 and the rancid's lot # was 217911. Ingredients, down to the order in which they were listed were identical for each. The only difference I could detect between the boxes was that my second purchase containing the vomit-inducing pastries is slightly lighter in color.
Overall, there are obvious inconsistencies with the products and I have no idea if it comes down to manufacturing or storage practices. I won't be purchasing these or taking a chance on buying any other Legendary Foods items.
Were it not for the fact that the second box I purchased was completely inedible, I'd be giving this product four stars. The only reason it gets two stars is that the first box purchased was actually good.