Tag: General Mills

REVIEW: Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal

Heather 7 Comments

Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal Box

What is Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal?

I can picture it now: General Mills executives sitting around a long mahogany conference table saying, “Well, we already have a solid breakfast product with Cocoa Puffs cereal… let’s make ANOTHER breakfast product and turn it into oatmeal!” So that’s what we have here — Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal. It’s an instant oatmeal with a chocolatey flavored crunchy topping.

How is it?

I’m a big oatmeal fan – it’s my breakfast food of choice. So I was really excited to try this one, especially since I also love chocolate. The directions say you can use either water or milk (like any traditional instant oatmeal). I typically use water, so that’s what I went with. After the recommended time in the microwave, I had a warm bowl of chocolate oatmeal.

Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal Packets

But wait! Before you dig in, don’t forget to add the chocolatey flavored crunch topping. This comes in a separate pouch (the pouches in the box are two different colors and labeled appropriately, either oatmeal or topping). At first glance, you could almost mistake the packets for Swiss Miss hot chocolate packets! The topping looks like small espresso beans and didn’t melt when added.

Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal Cooked

Let’s talk flavor. This does, indeed, taste like Cocoa Puffs. A mellow, chocolate taste that’s not overly sweet. The only thing I wish is that it had an even stronger chocolate flavor. If I’m having chocolate for breakfast, I want it to be very prevalent. The topping helped with that, adding a nice crunch. I was also pleased with the amount of topping – I had enough to have some with each bite. The benefit to the mellow chocolate was that it did feel like I was having breakfast versus dessert, which is the goal.

Anything else you need to know?

Cocoa Puffs Oatmeal Dry

It’s been a while since I had instant oatmeal in packets (I usually go for old-fashioned oats), so I forgot how small of a serving one of these packets can be. If you’re someone who needs a large breakfast to fuel your day, you might want to consider supplementing with something else.

Conclusion:

Looking forward to having this again. Next time, I’m going to add some peanut butter to make it even more fun!

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 8.4 oz box (6 servings)
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 pouch oatmeal + 1 pouch topping) 150 calories, 2.5 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 12 grams of total sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters Cereal

Sean 5 Comments

Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters Cereal Box

What is Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters Cereal?

Rice Krispies Treats Cereal’s reformulation is one of the most controversial topics in cold breakfast history.

Introduced in 1993 and taken away for seemingly no reason in 2018, the cereal delivered an extra crunchy version of a Rice Krispies Treat that could hold up in milk and still provide a super sweet spoonful of satisfaction.

Kellogg’s brought the cereal back in 2019 and replaced the chunks of treats with sweetened puffed rice and marshmallows. The new version wasn’t awful, but a far cry from its former self, which is why I was ecstatic when I saw the latest release from General Mills: Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters. Did Lucky swoop in and save Snap, Crackle, and Pop from themselves? I sure hope so!

How is it?

Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters Cereal Dry

Well, it isn’t Rice Krispies Treats Cereal. I try to go into every new product with an open mind, but the comparison was inevitable and set me up for a bit of a disappointment. But it’s not all bad.

The sweetened corn and rice clusters remind me of a crunchier version of Kix, and despite their pleasantly mild vanilla taste, they aren’t nearly sweet enough to remind me of a marshmallow treat.

Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters Cereal Milk

The mild flavor gets even milder, almost extinct when added to milk. I also find their size kind of bizarre. They aren’t quite big enough to dominate a spoon like Frosted Mini-Wheats, but they’re far from Cap’n Crunch territory too, making the proper spoon balance tricky. There’s a reason most rectangular cereal pieces aren’t this big and flat.

Anything else you need to know?

The Lucky Charms marshmallows are excellent. Vibrantly colored and full of crunchy-yet-soft freeze-dried splendor, their pronounced sweetness brings a very welcome balance to the unfortunately bland clusters. Although Lucky Charms isn’t one of my favorite cereals, I prefer its normal Cheerios-adjacent glazed oat pieces to these new hypothetically sweeter and more fun clusters.

Conclusion:

Whether or not I had inflated expectations, this cereal would have been a letdown. Between its odd shape and texture and too mild flavor, this just makes me miss the 90s classic even more.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.2 oz. box
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup/37 grams) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal

Marvo 9 Comments

Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal Box

I’m 100 percent sure I ate the original Ghostbusters cereal because, despite the nightmares I got from watching the movie, I loved it and took in everything Ghostbusters related. That included watching the 80s cartoon and regularly doing in school that weird walking Dr. Venkman did in the movie to get the attention of Dana Barrett.

Like the original version, Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal features fruity-flavored puffs with marshmallows. Although, I will admit the original is so much better because of the puffs’ shape. Spheres seem lame compared to the pieces in the 80s cereal that look like the red “no” symbol in the Ghostbusters logo. To be honest, I don’t remember the original’s taste. I do know I was definitely enamored with the marshmallows.

Speaking of marshmallows, this 2021 cereal features two different ones — a ghost-shaped white one and a blue one that’s shaped like, um, a ghost fart? Your guess is as good as mine.

Now, this is the part of the review where I’d usually complain about how cereals with movie tie-ins almost always seem to include marshmallows. But since this one appears to be an homage to the original, I’ll save my rant for the next Star Wars or Pixar-related cereal I review, which I guarantee will have marbits.

Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal Bowl

The reddish puffs have a berry-like flavor that doesn’t wow me, but it’s something that I don’t mind eating. It’s not overly sweet, even with the marshmallows. And, I know I say this a lot, but its flavor is familiar to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this tastes EXACTLY like another cereal with a movie tie-in that I’ve had.

Ghostbusters Afterlife isn’t a memorable-tasting part of a complete breakfast. It’s one with an adequate flavor. Although, if the blue marbits are really ghost farts, I will never ever forget this cereal.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from General Mills. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.2 oz box
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup w/o milk) 150 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 12 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch Cereal

Marvo 5 Comments

Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch Cereal Box

Every time I do a review of a dulce de leche-flavored product, I have to remind myself what’s the difference between dulce de leche and caramel via Google.

Search results have repeatedly reminded me that caramel is basically sugar cooked slowly, while dulce de leche is made by slowly cooking sugar and milk. But when I dig deeper, I learn there are caramel recipes that have milk. So doesn’t that make them dulce de leche recipes? Then some recipes involve butter. And then some recipes involve butter AND milk.

This has led me to wonder if dulce de leche or caramel would be better to dunk my face into to muzzle my frustrated screams. Google has not been helpful with that.

I had to remind myself of the difference because of the new Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch that’s caramel flavored with other natural flavors.

Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch Cereal Granules

The pieces look like many other Toast Crunch family members with ridges and swirls baked into them and dusted with sugary granules. Its aroma isn’t as distinguishable as the original Cinnamon Toast Crunch (CTC). Instead, it’s more of a nondescript sugary scent that doesn’t make me think of dulce de leche or caramel.

The cereal has a slight butteriness when dry and is more noticeable in milk. I thought it was weird at first, but then again, this is caramel flavored, and it also shouldn’t seem odd since there’s the eggy flavor in French Toast Crunch.

Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch Cereal Milk

Along with the buttery flavor, there’s also cinnamon, which doesn’t help convince my taste buds that this is dulce de leche or caramel flavored. Instead, I wonder whether or not I just ate a bowl of rejected Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces that didn’t meet the cinnamon-y standards of General Mills. The leftover milk at the bottom of the bowl did get a bit of cinnamon, but it’s not at CTC levels.

Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch is a sweet, pleasant-tasting cereal that I’d eat again. But unlike the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, French Toast Crunch, or Chocolate Toast Crunch (or even the discontinued peanut butter one), I cannot definitively tell it’s dulce de leche or caramel flavored.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 12 oz box
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup/41 grams without milk) 170 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 12 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal

Rachel 2 Comments

General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal 1

What is Dunkaroos Cereal?

Remember Dunkaroos – the 90s-era Lunchables, Dessert Edition? Yeah, yeah, they’re back – we know. And they’re cookie dough. Now they’re cereal – for those who weren’t already eating them for breakfast.

Dunkaroos cereal is a slight twist on Cookie Crisp cereal – the same form factor and around the same size – which makes sense since they’re both made by General Mills.

General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal 2

How is it?

The aroma in the bag was pure vanilla. Strong. They looked similar to the Birthday Cake Cookie Crisp limited edition cereal, but sprinklier. The colors of the Dunkaroos sprinkles were more intense and the pieces were absolutely doused in them. We were headed in the right direction!

General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal 3

I nibbled it dry – my favorite way. The biggest flavor was FROSTING! It captured that deeply sugary vanilla-with-a-hint-of-cream-cheese Dunkaroos frosting. I didn’t get any shortbread cookie flavor, which was disappointing, but I got over it. A sprinklific frosting cereal is a win – I won’t split hairs.

General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal 4

The flavor was maintained and the cereal physically held up well in milk, which I appreciated. I can’t abide breakfast foods that go bland and fall apart before making it to my mouth. I can barely function in the mornings and one of us has to hold it together. It’s gotta be you, cereal. Dunkaroos also scored well on the post-game milk analysis. It was a festive confetti-bomb in my bowl, and the milk had a tinge of light blue.

General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal 5

Anything else you need to know?

Kids can get a pop culture history lesson on the back of the box! Adults can feel like a history lesson! Yeah, we used disposable cameras in 1992. We had patience. It took weeks, or months, to use all that film and get it developed. By then, you had no memory of taking the photos at the top of the roll. The 90s slang quiz is depressing if you, like me, didn’t realize these phrases had gone out of fashion. There are few situations in life that “all that and a bag of chips” won’t work in.

General Mills Dunkaroos Cereal 6

Conclusion:

If you were in the Dunkaroos game for the shortbread, you might not like this cereal. But who was in it for the shortbread?? This cereal was all frosting and sprinkles – it cut to the chase. If you love/loved Dunkaroos, give it a try. Make the youngsters learn about rewinding video tapes – it’s a metaphor for common decency.

Purchased Price: $3.64
Size: 20.6oz Family-Size box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup, cereal only) 150 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, including 14 grams of added sugars, and 2 grams of protein.