Tag: Kellogg’s

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal

Julie Leave a comment

I once read somewhere that cereal box character mascots are designed to look slightly downward in order to make eye contact with children. The idea of being drawn in by the piercing gaze of Lucky the Leprechaun is super creepy, but if the mascot in question is a cheerful Calico cat named Cam, then I will follow that creature into hell.

I am likely not the target audience for Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal. Never in my life have I owned or purchased a Squishmallow—the soft, squishy collectible plush toys with so many characters that they will one day outnumber us all. Yet, I fell for the pastel box, graced by Cam and her winsome colleagues (Tatiana, Archie, and Sunny), undone by my own primal urges to buy cute stuff and sweet treats.

Rarely do brand-licensed cereals live up to the allure of their packaging, but Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal comes close. A marshmallow-flavored cereal with Cam-shaped marbits, this limited edition product is much better than the bland Lucky Charms knock-off I expected.

The sweet vanilla cereal smells and tastes like the contents of a Jet-Puffed bag. The corn-based loops are light, crispy, and very sweet without tasting too sugary. The cereal doesn’t have (or need) powdered sugar or candy-like coating to deliver a satisfying taste. I sometimes find that marshmallow-flavored products taste generically sweet rather than marshmallow-y, but Squishmallows Cereal succeeds in recreating marshmallow’s distinct flavor. The strong flavor reminds me of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats Cereal, which has been gone for years but lives on in my heart.

Milk dilutes the marshmallow quality a bit, but the vanilla essence that remains is still really enjoyable. The loops soften very quickly, but I ate them too fast to be bothered.

The crisp marbits are fun and necessary for a marshmallow-inspired cereal, but I wish they were more. Most of the colorful pieces had sunk to the bottom of the bag, but even when redistributed, the portions were stingy. According to the back of the box, there are 25 varieties of Cam represented in the Squishmallow brand, so shouldn’t the marshmallows created in his image be equally plentiful?

The style of Kellogg’s Original Squishmallows Cereal may catch your eye, but the substantial marshmallow flavor makes it a worthy buy for a sweet breakfast or snack. The Squishmallows gang gives Lucky the Leprechaun a run for his charms. While I may not have the means to accommodate 25 varieties of Cam the Calico cat, there is room in my pantry for another box of this cereal before its limited edition run is over.

Purchased Price: $4.28
Purchased at: Walmart
Size: 11.6 oz (328 g) box
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 1/3 cup)140 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Frosted Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Pop-Tarts

Mark 9 Comments

Have you ever sipped on a cup of hot cocoa on a cold, snowy evening and thought, “This is nice, but I wish I could have it in the form of a toaster pastry”?

Well, if you have, Pop-Tarts has got you covered!

This limited-edition flavor, Frosted Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Pop-Tarts, has a cocoa pastry and a marshmallow filling. There are also wintry designs printed on the frosting, which is fun.

There are some Pop-Tarts I prefer at room temperature, some I prefer toasted, and some where I don’t care either way. I tried this flavor both untoasted (“Make a toast,” ironically) and toasted (“Cocoa is deer to me”). This variety is much better toasted: The marshmallow filling becomes nice and gooey, like a marshmallow over a fire or marshmallows in a cup of hot cocoa. But marshmallows aren’t known for their exciting flavor.

As for the cocoa part of the pastry, it’s barely there. I get a whiff of fake chocolate when I open the package, like you get in a Tootsie Roll or a Dum-Dum pop, but I don’t really taste it in the Pop-Tart itself. According to the ingredients list, there is less than two percent of cocoa and natural and artificial flavors.

My all-time favorite Pop-Tart flavor is Sugar Cookie, and I have had a hard time finding it in recent years. I hope this new, mediocre winter flavor doesn’t supplant that superior winter flavor.

These are sugary carbs with a gooey filling, so they’re enjoyable to eat. But they’re really just boring. If you want to eat them this winter, I recommend waiting until January. There are so many better ways to spend your calories in December.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: 8-count box
Purchased at: Smith’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries) 360 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 32 grams of sugar including 32 grams of added sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Froot Loops Rainbow Sherbet Scoops Cereal

Brandon 7 Comments

Who among us hasn’t been eating our fruity children’s breakfast cereal and thought, “This cereal is fine, but what it really needs is to taste more like sherbet and also maybe a little like a menthol cigarette”? Plenty of us, apparently, because Kellogg’s is breaking out the Mentholation Machine first employed in last year’s ICEE Cereal.

And so although this isn’t the first cereal to use the “Cools Your Mouth!” gimmick, and it isn’t the first to use a “sherbet” twist (Post unleashed Ice Cream Pebbles on an unsuspecting public in 2015), what it’s got going for it is that it could be the worst type of cereal in both categories. Kellogg’s knows it’s important to have goals!

First, it’s vital to remember that these are Froot Loops, only in spherical form. Except that these taste nothing like regular Froot Loops. They’re closer to Trix, I think, except less fruity. In short, they are vaguely artificially fruit-like in nature. The pieces are indiscernible in terms of fruit type, which feels like a shortcoming when compared to regular Froot Loops rings; all of the balls taste the same.

Nothing about these say “sherbet,” either. It’s just multigrain cereal, through and through.

Which leaves us, I suppose, with the real attraction -— the mouth-cooling special effect. Does it work? How cool does your mouth get? What’s the point of all this?

So, when I first opened the bag and popped a few pieces dry into my mouth, I was horrified. It tasted as though someone had applied a fine misting of Icy Hot to my cereal. It didn’t burn my mouth, but it was gross and confusing. I let my 10-year-old daughter try it, and she said, “Um,

what IS that?

Weird. I don’t really like it. Can I have 20 more minutes of iPad time, please?”

I didn’t get a chance to revisit the cereal for a couple of days (clearly, I wasn’t clamoring for more), but when I did, I tried it in a bowl with milk. It grew soggy quicker than most other multigrain-based cereals and also seemed to lose any of the previously noticeable “Froot” flavor. Gone too was the “menthol” taste, but what was interesting was that I did notice a distinct “mouth cooling” feel after the first spoonful. It was unpleasant, like brushing my teeth and then immediately consuming food. I didn’t finish my bowl, and I have no desire to eat more. (Which, thanks, Target, for only having this available in the SUPER MEGA FAMILY SIZE!)

I don’t know why this cereal was made. It was a mistake, like Frankenstein’s monster or a barbwire bicep tattoo, and while I’d like to think Kellogg’s will learn its lesson and stop getting weird with food science, I’ve been in this business long enough to know this simply isn’t true.

Purchased Price: $4.76 (on sale)
Size: 12.4 oz box
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3rd cup) 140 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Crumbl Chocolatey Chip Cookie Cereal

Vin 8 Comments

Let me preface this review by saying, I like Crumbl.

At some points, it might seem like I, in fact, do not like Crumbl, but I like Crumbl!

I don’t love Crumbl. I dislike their “drop the vowel” startup-style name. The blindingly white and clinical aesthetic of the storefront doesn’t pass my vibe check, and the fact every cookie tastes like it’s about 87% cooked through always leaves me feeling a little empty – before I get full from the 800-calorie cookie I shove down my gullet.

That said, I checked my Crumbl app, and I’ve apparently tried 19 of its cookies. That’s a lot of cookies for someone on the fence. Credit to them, they’re always getting my attention with new and interesting flavors that I mostly enjoy to varying degrees. As for its flagship Chocolatey Chip Cookie? It’s solid. I’d probably toss it somewhere near the midpoint of the 19, which is more than enough to get me to try its new Kellogg’s cereal collab.

I haven’t had a cookie-based cereal in years, as I’ve been boycotting Cookie Crisp ever since Officer Crumb, Chip the Dog, and Cookie Crook were replaced with that generic Wolf. There’s room in my heart for a new Cookie Crisp to fill the void, and I promise there’s no bias here, because I do like Crumbl.

This ain’t it.

Look, Crumbl (you too, Kellogg’s). I like you, but what are we doing? This seemed like a slam dunk. At no point did I ever get any real essence of a “chocolatey chip cookie.”

To start, there are barely any chocolate chips. You get a couple of poppy seeds at best. We eat with our eyes first, so give us some more chips. The pieces are smaller, denser, and less chocolatey than Cookie Crisp.

It has a pleasant aroma out of the box, but I’d equate it more to an “almondy café latte” scent than a freshly baked cookie.

Taste-wise, I just never got to the right flavor. It’s a bit synthetic and maybe a tad caramelly. The chocolate is a no-show. There’s so little that the milk barely changed color and certainly didn’t taste chocolatey.

As a cereal, it’s… “whatever.” There’s an acceptable sweetness and a good crunch, but everything is lacking. Here’s where I landed on the flavor – it’s as if they made a blueberry muffin cereal and forgot the blueberries. This tastes like “muffin.” I’m not sure there’s a market for Oops! No Berries.

On top of all that, the box is really small. It’s expensive too. I was gonna complain, but it’s exactly what I pay for a cookie, so maybe that was the plan. There ABSOLUTELY should have been a coupon for a free or discounted Crumbl cookie on the box though. Huge misstep.

This might seem like Cookie Crisp for adults, but it’s just “blah.” Bring back Officer Crumb so he can arrest whoever gave this cereal the ok.

Like their name, report cards leave off “E,” so I give Crumbl cereal a “D.”

Crumbl? More like Stumbl. No, I didn’t mumbl, you heard me – stumbl! But I like Crumbl, I swear.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: 7.9 oz box
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/2 Cup) 150 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 13 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Eggo Fully Loaded Waffles

Marvo Leave a comment

I’m unsure why these new Kellogg’s Eggo Waffles are called Fully Loaded. Is it because they’re fully loaded with flavor? Or is it because a serving is fully loaded with 10 grams of protein? After trying them, I will have to say it’s more the former than the latter.

How do the waffles get 10 grams of protein? I’m glad you asked, my bulky friend. It’s soy and whey, just like in the famous nursery rhyme.

Little Miss Muffet she sat on her tuffet,
eating Eggo Waffles fully loaded with soy and whey.
Along came a spider who sat down beside her,
and, SMASH, she used her whey-made muscles to turn it to puree.

Ten grams might seem minor to someone who downs protein powder by dumping a scoopful into their mouth, chasing it with some water or milk, mixing the two by vigorously shaking their head, swallowing, and then repeating the process a few more times. But it’s 20 percent of most peoples’ daily recommended amount.

Unlike the Kellogg’s Eggo Cinnamon Churro Waffles, I had the other week, these have a lot more flavor. A LOT. So much so that I could eat them without any syrups or toppings. I would’ve tried replicating what’s on the boxes, but strawberry and chocolate sauces are not staples in my kitchen. So I had to settle for store brand pancake syrup. But even with the standard syrup, which I squeeze into every waffle pocket possible, I could still strongly taste the strawberry and chocolate, thanks to the bits baked into them. In fact, it seems like the syrup somehow enhanced the taste. Maybe it’s magic. Maybe it’s sugar. Maybe it’s the protein bulking up my tongue.

So, the strawberry one doesn’t need some fancy syrup or compote, and the brownie one doesn’t need Ghirardelli syrup to be enjoyed. However, I did find the fruity one less flavorful than the chocolate one when eating them sans syrup, and I wouldn’t say the brownie one tasted brownie-like. Instead, it was more chocolatey than other chocolate Eggo waffles.

If there’s one issue with them, it’s that the Chocolate Chip Brownie was $7.69 and the Strawberry Delight was $6.29 at Target. It’s strange to see two varieties from the same line have different prices. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.

Kellogg’s Eggo Fully Loaded Waffles are full of flavor but not quite as full of protein. In terms of taste and protein, they’re definitely a step up from Eggo’s regular waffles.

Purchased Price: $7.69 (Chocolate Chip Brownie), $6.29 (Strawberry Delight)*
Size: 12.3 oz boxes/10 waffles
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: (2 waffles) Chocolate Chip Brownie – 170 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar (including 6 grams of added sugar), and 10 grams of protein. Strawberry Delight – 190 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 7 grams of sugar (including 6 grams of added sugar), and 10 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.