Tag: Cereal

REVIEW: Clif Cereal

Ann 3 Comments

Clif Cereal Boxes

Have you ever thought about the relative aisle spaces allotted to the different categories within a grocery store? Who dictates that there only be, say, ten feet devoted to granola bars competing for the attention of shoppers’ gaze and wallets while cereal gets its own exhaustive full-length aisle of sometimes 20 feet or more?

Well, someone must think of these things, and I imagine at least one of those people works for Clif Bar. Because the red-shirted carabining brand has climbed its way out singular bar form and is expanding into cereals with four new Clif Cereal Flavors: Honey & Peanut Butter, Apple Cinnamon & Almond Butter, Chocolate & Peanut Butter, and Blueberry & Almond Butter.

I could only find three of the four, so this review will exclude the Apple Cinnamon & Almond Butter flavor, much to my chagrin.

Clif Cereal Inside Boxes(From L to R) Blueberry & Almond Butter, Chocolate & Peanut Butter, and Honey & Peanut Butter

Upon initial opening, these looked ehhhh healthy, brown, and not unlike granola with the surprisingly high number of whole nuts and clusters visible. But, to be honest, I was somewhat relieved to see some big pieces of inclusions because each box was just shy of $7, which seems like a lot for cereal unless it contains whole almonds.

Honey & Peanut Butter

Clif Cereal Honey Peanut Butter

I started with the Honey & Peanut Butter one, figuring it would be the most subtle. It appears all of the flavors have the same base multigrain flake, but this one also had plain dry roasted peanuts, granola-type clusters, and crunchy rice puffs covered in a peanut butter flavored coating.

The coating reminded me of that yogurt-type stuff on the bottom of some granola bars. When eaten dry, this cereal is rrroouuugh. The front of the box touts “40% less sugar than leading cereal brands,” and boy do I believe them. As someone who tends to enjoy cereal dry or with milk, I was concerned. But THANKFULLY, a little milk goes a long way here.

What happens is the milk sort of dissolves the peanut butter coating on the clusters and at the same time softens the “oh yeah, these contain fiber” multigrain flakes. The result is a more evenly distributed sweetness and almost creaminess in each bite. Really delightful and peanut-butter-like without being TOO sweet.

Purchased Price: $6.97
Size: 15 oz box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10 (dry), 7 out of 10 (with milk)
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 240 Calories, 9 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 3.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, 5 grams of added sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter

Clif Cereal Chocolate Peanut Butter

The chocolate peanut butter variety, though, never really made the same comeback. This box had the same flakes, the same peanut-coated clusters (although for some reason, they were HUGE in this box), and granola clusters with unsweetened cocoa.

When eaten dry, I couldn’t really discern any cocoa flavor at all. It was mostly just bitter and dry. When consumed with milk, the same peanut-butter-meldy thing took place, but I struggled to taste any chocolate because there was only unsweetened cocoa. I was underwhelmed, especially in a cereal world with a clearly dominant chocolate PB combo player.

Purchased Price: $6.97
Size: 15 oz box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10 (dry), 5 out of 10 (with milk)
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 240 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, 6 grams of added sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

Blueberry & Almond Butter

Clif Cereal Blueberry Almond Butter

The most visually impressive BY FAR was the Blueberry & Almond Butter. There were whole dried blueberries, whole almonds, pumpkin seeds, granola clusters, our favorite little almond butter cluster dudes — this had it all!

I skipped straight to trying this with milk, and it was fantastic. There seemed to be tiny little blueberry bits throughout the cereal and clusters, making the whole bowl have a sweet, cohesive, fruity flavor immediately. I noticed that the sugar claim is only “30% less” on this box, which means I found the variety with the most sugar to be the most delicious. Surprise! Surprise!

But I think there’s something to be said about the perfect balance of whole grain goodness and fruit-derived sweetness when enjoying a breakfast cereal (or a granola bar, for that matter). I did try this one dry as well for posterity, and it was quite a bit more like a trail mix than the others. The blueberries really carried their weight here.

Purchased Price: $6.97 each
Size: 15 oz box
Purchased at: WalMart
Rating: 7 out of 10 (dry), 8 out of 10 (with milk)
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 240 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 3.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, 5 grams of added sugar, 8 grams of protein.

Overall, Clif has launched cereals that stay true to the established brand expectations of Clif Bar. They are reasonably high in protein, as far as cereals go, and offer a decent amount of fiber and whole grains without nearly as much sugar as other options. They certainly fill you up without feeling like you’re actively creating cavities.

However, I think the Blueberry option, which had slightly more sugar and a blanket of fruity blueberry to meld everything together, reigns supreme. I imagine the Apple Cinnamon SKU would be decent for similar reasons. I would steer clear of the Chocolate Peanut Butter option.

REVIEW: Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough and Cinnamon Rolls

BrandonP 2 Comments

Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough and Cinnamon Rolls

When it comes to cereal mascots – Wendell the jolly baker and, more recently, the Crazy Squares – would not top your list of notable entries. But Cinnamon Toast Crunch has managed to cement themselves as the third best-selling cereal in the United States behind the Goliaths of BuzzBee’s Honey Nut Cheerios and Tony the Tiger’s Frosted Flakes. Even in his retirement, I can envision Wendell sitting in his rocking chair smiling about his dominance over Lucky the Leprechaun and Toucan Sam.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough Raw

The Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough comes in a tray of twelve pre-portioned sugar cookies with dark brown clumps of cinnamon pieces mixed throughout. They spread out thin when baking and achieve an even golden brown along the edges. The cinnamon looks faintly like the cereal pieces hiding just underneath the cookie’s surface but provides no actual texture.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough Sheet

While the cookies fill the house with a lovely cinnamon aroma, the actual flavor is slightly underwhelming. When still warm, the soft gooey consistency with a gentle crisp around the edges is very satisfying. As they cool, the texture is less pleasant, even in comparison to other cookies, but you can then pick up on more caramelized notes that do become slightly reminiscent of the actual Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. The balance of sweetness seems just right, but overall the cookies are lacking a pronounced cinnamon flavor. When tried raw, the cookie dough offers a stronger amount of spice and would make a good pairing with vanilla ice cream.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls Raw

The Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls come with eight rolls and icing ready to pop out of their tube. The dough has a slightly darker beige hue than the standard cinnamon roll and hard bits I was hoping was Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal mixed in. My hopes of a little crunch in the rolls did not come to fruition as they melted into little pockets of cinnamon during baking. Besides these little boosts of cinnamon throughout the dough, the rolls themselves are near identical to the standard offering.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls Icing

It is the cinnamon-infused icing that really drives home the spice in these rolls and makes them somewhat worthy of having cinnamon appear twice in their name. This offers a small upgrade over the vanilla icing that enhances the warm flavor without making the rolls overly sweet.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls Baked

While they pack a better cinnamon punch than the cookies, the rolls are also lacking any semblance of a crunch to drive home the Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand. Wendell might need to come out of retirement and show the bakers at Pillsbury a thing or two.

Purchased Price: $3.99 (Cookie Dough), $3.59 (Cinnamon Rolls)
Size: 14 oz. (Cookie Dough), 12.4 oz. (Cinnamon Rolls)
Purchased at: Lucky
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Cookie Dough), 6 out of 10 (Cinnamon Roll)
Nutrition Facts: Cookie Dough – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein. Cinnamon Rolls 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 350 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Fruity Cereal Kit Kat

Sean 10 Comments

Fruity Cereal Kit Kat Wrapper

One of the best progressions in junk food over the last four years has been Hershey’s edging closer and closer to mimicking Nestle’s insane Kit Kat flavor production in Japan.

While stateside we’re still nowhere near the heights of experimentation reached overseas, we’ve had a myriad of interestingly flavored wafer bars that began with 2017’s relatively blasé California Strawberry from the Flavors of America line. Since then, we’ve been gifted Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Sweet Cinnamon, Lemon, Raspberry, Birthday Cake, Key Lime Pie, Witch’s Brew, and the latest exciting addition: Limited Edition Fruity Cereal.

Kit Kat is one of those candy bars that I don’t want to call underrated because they’re very popular but feels at times underappreciated, even by myself, in its purest form. Milk, white, and dark without any limited time bells and whistles always deliver on a light and crispy sweet treat whenever they cross my path. This new Fruity Cereal version falls right in line with the expectation set by their core lineup; it’s refreshing, tasty, and not extreme in the slightest.

Fruity Cereal Kit Kat Fingers

The opaque pink color dotted with specs looks like it could be crumbs straight out of a bag of Fruity Pebbles. The bar carries a gentle fruity aroma that smells more white chocolate sweet than distinctly berry or citrus. The flavor goes along with the muted color, which is not necessarily bad; it just doesn’t punch me in the face. I get creamy white chocolate followed by a mild strawberry (a spooky hint of Franken Berry, perhaps?) that finishes with the lemon-lime citrusy zing I associate with most “fruity” cereals.

Fruity Cereal Kit Kat Layers

When I think fruity cereal, I autopilot to Fruity Pebbles, my personal favorite. This Kit Kat makes my brain go right to Froot Loops, which I’ve always enjoyed but associate with less of a citrus intensity and overall flavor wallop than Pebbles. Maybe it’s also recency bias from the amazing Fruity Pebbles Candy Bar that came out earlier this year, studded with actual cereal that leaves me searching for that magnitude of flavor. In any case, this Kit Kat is good!

Although the flavor is mild, it’s enjoyable. There’s a distinct creaminess that comes with any variety of Kit Kat, which takes center stage here. While it doesn’t knock my socks off the way my first Japanese Green Tea Kit Kat did or come close to the absolute perfection of Pumpkin Pie, it’s a solid ode to a crunchy breakfast that any Loops or Pebbles fan can break off a piece of.

Purchased Price: 88 cents
Size: 1.5 ounces
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 package) 220 calories, 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cap’n Crunch’s Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cereal

Brandon 5 Comments

Cap n Crunch s Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cereal Box

What is Cap’n Crunch’s Chocolate Caramel Crunch?

Everyone’s favorite sea-based military cereal mascot is back with his newest flavor since 2019’s less-than-stellar “Cotton Candy” offering. This time, he’s bringing chocolate to the high seas (which he has done multiple times in the past), but pairing it with caramel, which, to the best of my research, is a flavor he has never attempted, ever.

How is it?

Cap n Crunch s Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cereal Dry

Not bad at all!

I can’t recall if I’ve ever had any of the previous chocolate varieties the Cap’n has offered, but this one starts off with a mild cocoa aroma and taste, and then BOOM, you’re in Caramel City. The caramel even makes it chew differently, with a bit more stickiness than standard Crunch Berries. There are light undertones of butter and salt, giving the whole affair a bit more complexity than you might expect from the wild-eyed, possibly-deranged sugar peddler of the sea.

Cap n Crunch s Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cereal Spoon

Anything else you need to know?

According to Wikipedia, there have been 30 or more varieties of Cap’n Crunch since Pamela Low developed the original in 1963, and of those 30+, only a handful have become regular offerings. So if you try this and like it, buy enough to make a strong impression, lest this version goes the way of Mystery Volcano Crunch, Deep Sea Crunch, Punch Crunch, Vanilly Crunch, or Galactic Crunch.

Conclusion:

Cap’n Crunch Chocolate Caramel Crunch is an insane amount of Cs for any one product. It also feels like one too many “crunches.” Even still, it’s a fine addition to the fleet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to this fascinating Cap’n Crunch Wikipedia entry. (Did you know that “Captain Crunch Adams” was a short story character created in the 1940s by Allan Burns, who later created The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Munsters? Or that cereal developer Pamela Low also had a hand in developing Heath, Mounds, and Almond Joy?)

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size:11.8 ox box
Purchased at: Hy-Vee
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 150 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 16 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

Julie 5 Comments

Kellogg s Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats Box

What are Kellogg’s Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats?

Rice cereal and marshmallow treats are a lunchbox classic, but to recall the prevailing wisdom of Alice Cooper, school’s out for summer. The time is right to freshen up a classic with the flavor of sweet summer strawberries.

How are they?

If you have ever felt sorry for the lonely strawberry ice cream stripe that seems to get overlooked in a container of Neapolitan ice cream, you will be happy to unwrap this pretty pink Rice Krispies Treat and know it is strawberry’s time to shine. If you are normal, still consider giving these simple new treats a try, because they are very good.

Kellogg s Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats Whole

The treats are straightforward as can be: rectangular bars of crisp rice cereal bound together with a chewy, strawberry-flavored marshmallow mixture. Although Kellogg’s produces Strawberry Krispies cereal, the original variety of Rice Krispies were utilized to create these treats, allowing the strawberry flavor to come from the sticky pink marshmallow that coats every cereal grain.

Even the pink shade is no-fuss, more like the color of rosé in gentle lighting and not like the strawberry Kool-Aid stain on the carpet that your mom grounded you for making.

Although strawberries do not appear in the list of ingredients, the “naturally flavored with other natural flavors” treats smell and taste remarkably like freeze-dried strawberries. The result is a realistic, not-too-sweet strawberry flavor that is very easy to eat. The sweet cereal and strawberry combination reminded me slightly of the discontinued and much-missed Special K with Red Berries cereal bars.

Kellogg s Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats Pull

Are the treats too simple? If you enjoy the Rice Krispies Treats varieties that boast drizzles, mix-ins, or chocolate-coated bases, you might be bored with humble strawberry, but I didn’t miss the extra frills.

Anything else you need to know?

Also available is a Rice Krispies Treats Mini Squares variety pack that includes the Strawberry treats alongside Chocolate and Original varieties. There are 64 mini squares in the variety pack, so if anyone is planning to buy one and smush together all three varieties to make Neapolitan Rice Krispies Treats, please invite me.

Conclusion:

Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats are successful in their simplicity and deliver a more realistic berry flavor than you might expect.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6.2 oz box (8 bars)
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per bar) 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, .5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 0 gram of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.