McDonalds Cheddar Bacon Onion Giveaway

I'm not a huge fast food fan, but it has its place.  There are days when I don't have time to cook dinner or when I just have a craving for some comfort food.  McDonalds is the easy choice, not just because they're everywhere but because I know what the wee ones can and cannot eat with our dietary restrictions (although I'm still waiting for buns to have no HFCS - they don't need to be sweet!).

McDonalds isn't the restaurant with five items served in styrofoam containers (remember those?) that it was when I was a kid.  While it still has the staples of "Big Mac, Fillet o' Fish, Quarter Pounder, French Fries" and more from then, the menu has expanded exponentially with everything from cafe coffees to smoothies and wraps.  The newest entry is the Cheddar Bacon Onion sandwich, which comes in both chicken (grilled or fried) and burger varieties.

The 1/3 pound Angus burger (or fried chicken breast strips or grilled chicken) is served on a premium bakery bun with caramelized onions, white (pasteurized processed) cheddar cheese, and hickory smoked bacon.  Not advertised is a creamy sauce that I think was a dijon and mayonnaise based sauce. There is no pickle, ketchup or mustard to sully this sandwich.

For $4.39 in my market - as opposed to the $1 McDouble - I would expect something more than a typical fast food burger, and this is not your everyday burger.  When I brought it home, I actually put it on a plate, something I've never done with anything from a fast food restaurant before.

I will admit that I was somewhat taken aback when I saw the menu board and noticed that calories are now included.  The CBO burger contains 790 calories, well over half my daily amount.  The grilled chicken checks in at a much lower 480 calories, and the crispy chicken option has 630 calories.  We won't talk about sodium or fat content because that will simply depress me.  Obviously, this is a treat item, not something to eat every day.

That said, I tucked into my burger when I arrived home, and I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of the burger.  It was a good flavor combination, and I absolutely adored the fact that a fast food restaurant offered caramelized onions.  It's one of my favorite treats, and I don't get them often enough.  The next time I order one, I will probably ask for the sauce to be left off.  I'm not a big creamy sauce person to begin with, and it detracted from the sandwich for me.

This was also the first fast food burger I couldn't finish.  I didn't order fries or a drink or anything else. The sandwich alone is big enough and has so many different flavors and textures to it that it truly filled me up.  I could easily eat just half this burger and be content.

It is juicy.  It has a cheese that isn't standard American, and the onions were divine.  I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't been quite so careful, I would have had grease dripping down my chin as I took bite after delicious bite.  The burger was surprisingly good, which again is something I would expect at that price point.  I know it isn't the most healthy, but it fulfills a need, and I go to McDonalds with my eyes wide open.  And an empty stomach.

So are you ready to try one of these new creations?

I have five of these coupons that expire December 31, 2012 to give away to one lucky winner who will enjoy some lunches on McDonalds!  Are you ready to try them?  First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday November 26 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - what's your favorite menu item at McDonalds?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: Holidays are coming. Try the new Cheddar Bacon Onion from @McDonalds with a giveaway from @HonestAndTruly http://bit.ly/Tvw4qZ (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received coupons to try the McDonalds new cheddar bacon onion sandwich.  I am sharing my coupons with readers.  I received no other compensation.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.