Tag: Kellogg’s

REVIEW: Nestle Coffee mate Golden Graham and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats Creamer

Marvo 4 Comments

Nestle Coffee mate Golden Grahams Creamer Bottles

It’s fascinating that cereals from competing companies are two of Coffee mate’s new creamer flavors — General Mills’ Golden Grahams and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats.

I don’t know if the behind the scenes there were awkward moments where the Coffee mate person who makes these deals had to explain to the cereal people that Coffee mate is also going to offer at the same time a creamer that’s flavored like a competitor’s cereal. I also don’t know if those moments were followed with an “Oops. Tee hee hee. No backsies.”

The cereal choices are also fascinating. One has marshmallow flavor and the other has graham flavor, and if you’re doing the snack math in your head, we’re some chocolate away from s’mores.

I’ll get back to that creamer mixology in a moment, but let’s talk about them individually.

It’s been a year or two since I’ve last had Golden Grahams cereal, but the moment I put my nose above the creamer’s spout, it immediately registered as the classic cereal. When I sampled it sans coffee, it hit my taste buds with a Golden Grahams flavor that’s stronger than the cereal itself. It would make the Golden Grahams mascot proud, whatever it is. Has there ever been one? Anyhoo, in my cold brew coffee, that flavor is still noticeable, but obviously milder because it’s competing with the coffee’s flavor.

Nestle Coffee mate Rice Krispies Treats Creamer Bottle

As for the Rice Krispies Treats one, it smells exactly like the marshmallow and rice cereal treat, but I can’t say the same about its taste. In coffee, it gives my daily cold brew a marshmallow flavor that pops, but there’s no Snap, Crackle, or Pop. Though, it’s not surprising since I couldn’t taste any cereal when I drank it straight out of the bottle like a good product reviewer should. With just a marshmallow flavor, it reminds me of another coffee creamer I’ve had, but I’m not sure which one. I’ve had a lot. Maybe I’m thinking of the s’mores-flavored creamer or the Peeps one I had a few years ago.

Nestle Coffee mate S mores Mashup

Speaking of s’mores, let’s now find out how combining the two with a bit of chocolate will turn out. Fortunately, I had some Hershey’s syrup sitting in my fridge like a good product reviewer should. After some trial and error, mixing two tablespoons of each creamer with one tablespoon of Hershey’s syrup got me a balanced s’mores flavor in my coffee and a lot of sugar. It was definitely better tasting than the s’more-flavored creamer I mentioned earlier that lacked a graham flavor.

Now I don’t know if Coffee mate decided to release these two flavors at the same time to encourage shoppers to buy both so that they can make s’mores-flavored coffee, but I’ll just make the folks there look good by saying they did. After trying them separately and together (with chocolate) in several cups of coffee, I’ve enjoyed these creamers either way and I recommend giving them a try.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Coffee mate. Doing so did not influence my review. I know it totally reads like it did, but I assure you it did not.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 32 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: Received from Coffee mate
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Golden Grahams), 7 out of 10 (Rice Krispies Treats)
Nutrition Facts: (1 tbsp) 35 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of sugar, 5 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Frosted Boston Creme Donut and Frosted Apple Fritter Pop-Tarts

Alex 17 Comments

Frosted Boston Creme Donut and Frosted Apple Fritter Pop Tarts

On a website full of reviewers devoted to seeking out the greatest junk food, claiming any sort of donut expertise would involve Icarus-level hubris, and I’m not trying to drown in a sea of comments. However, as a native Bay Stater turned Southern California resident, I’ve spent my life in two places that are well known for the treat and feel comfortable claiming a deep love for doughnuts, which I spelled in full to pay proper respect. And of all the varieties that can make up a delicious dozen, someone from Massachusetts especially appreciates the donut shop staples that inspired the two newest Pop-Tarts: the Boston cream donut and the apple fritter. I was excited to see how they fared in toaster pastry form.

Frosted Boston Creme Donut Pop Tarts Icing

Let’s start with the Frosted Boston Creme Donut. I was skeptical because the bakery item this ‘Tart is based on is no slouch. We’re talking about the official state donut of the home of Dunkin’ Donuts here. But they certainly smelled like a Boston cream donut in the foil and looked exactly as a Pop-Tart version would and should. After taking a bite, I had to admit it was pretty close. The chocolate on top was too mild to evoke the thick frosting that would be on a donut but tasted nice. The custard filling was rich with hints of butterscotch, though achingly, unflinchingly sweet. I wouldn’t want to eat this for breakfast. But I never eat Boston cream donuts before noon, either.

Frosted Boston Creme Donut Pop Tarts Split

I’m not sure if heating up Boston cream donuts is a thing, but of the four ways one can enjoy a Pop-Tart according to the box (as-is, frozen, microwaved, and toasted), I thought toasted was the clear winner. It really intensified the chocolate flavor and made for a more balanced bite.

Frosted Apple Fritter Pop Tarts Icing

The Frosted Apple Fritter Pop-Tart felt like very comfortable territory for the brand. Fruit and frosting is a no-brainer for them at this point, and one could argue this was a little phoned-in. It smelled like any basic apple baked good but was not easily recognizable as an apple fritter. I had a similar feeling about the flavor. Knowing what it was supposed to taste like, I could convince myself that the frosting was like the hearty coating of glaze on a good fritter. The dried apples that found themselves in the “Contains 2% or less of” section of the ingredients packed a wonderful sharp appley punch (next level food science) that seemed to be coated in the same cinnamon as the chunks that dot the real thing. If I’m being honest with myself? This was just a very good apple Pop-Tart.

Frosted Apple Fritter Pop Tarts Split

If you need this one to taste like a fritter, I did find freezing it brought it closer to its namesake’s flavor profile. If you want to have a great time and don’t care about the name on the box, toast it. Hot apple cinnamon filling never hurt anybody. Okay, never hurt anybody patient enough to let it cool down enough first.

When I reflected on them as a pair, I realized the flavors were technically successful but shared the same fatal flaw: they aren’t exclusively donut flavors to begin with. The apples in a fritter are reminiscent of pie filling, and the Boston cream donut is unapologetically supposed to taste like a type of cake. Those flavors paired with a crumbly pastry crust? Well, to loosely quote a line said to a fellow donut lover on The Simpsons, ’tis a fine pie/cake Pop-Tart, but sure ‘tis no donut Pop-Tart.

So, they miss out on the same respect I pay doughnuts. But I do respect Pop-Tarts for always trying to give us offerings that are both comfortingly familiar and intriguingly unexpected.

Purchased Price: $3.29 (Both)
Size: 8-pack box (Both)
Purchased at: Shaw’s (Both)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Frosted Boston Creme Donut), 7 out of 10 (Frosted Apple Fritter)
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries) Frosted Boston Creme Donut – 370 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of total carbohydrates, 31 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 4 grams of protein. Frosted Apple Fritter – 370 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of total carbohydrates, 29 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Eggo Frosted Maple Flavor Pop-Tarts

Vin 1 Comment

Eggo Frosted Maple Pop Tarts Box

Oreo seems to get all the hype, but I’m not sure any snack brand has had more flavor variations over the years than Pop-Tarts.

Sure, I could probably look that up and get you exact figures, but I’m too lazy. After all, I DID eat a Pop-Tart for breakfast today.

To be fair, Pop-Tarts may be a “lazy” breakfast, but they are the KINGS of lazy on-the-go breakfasts, and that’s exactly why I’ve always appreciated them.

Don’t feel like putting forth even the slightest bit of cooking effort? Grab an ol’ reliable Pop-Tart. You’ll still feel like you actually ate breakfast, especially now that they’ve teamed up with another breakfast staple, Eggo.

A handheld pastry that tastes like Eggo waffles? Sounds like a hall of fame “lazy” breakfast to me.

Eggo Frosted Maple Pop Tarts Frosting

Well, it sounded like one at least…

I wouldn’t necessarily say these BURST with flavor. They do a decent job toeing the line between the two familiar experiences each brand brings to the table, but I’m a little baffled.

I wanted to be waffled.

Eggo Frosted Maple Pop Tarts Split

You get some maple syrup, but it’s cut with that very distinct Pop-Tart crust taste and texture. Imagine pouring Pop-Tart crust batter into a waffle iron. It tastes wayyyyy more like Pop-Tart than waffle, to the point “Eggo” just feels there in name only. “Eggo” must only be repping the maple flavor because these only kinda taste like Hint o’ Waffles.

There’s a dab of “butteriness” in there too, which I liked. I thought maybe the yellow icing was butter flavored, but upon isolating it, it just had a generic sugary flavor. I guess that butter also came from the crust, and maybe that’s ultimately where the “waffle” plays in.

Pop-Tart pastry is just the dominant flavor, even more so than the maple filling and icing, which makes these kinda bland overall. They smell like maple, though, which is always a welcome aroma.

Eggo Frosted Maple Pop Tarts Toasted

I’m not a huge toasted Pop-Tart guy, I usually just go pouch to mouth, but this seemed as good a flavor as any to eat warm. The toaster didn’t really improve the experience, but hey, at least I managed to burn my palm on the scolding hot icing!

So yeah, whether you lazily eat your Pop-Tarts right out of the pouch or toast them, these just come away tasting like mildly sweet Maple Pop-Tarts. They’re not terrible. They’re mid-tier, and I like them better than the Maple Bacon flavor from a few years ago. That being said, they’re still disappointing since they almost accomplished what they set out to do.

I bought 16 of these things, so they’ll stick around for a bit, but I don’t necessarily mind knowing I’ll have ’em there for some future lazy mornings. I may even get adventurous and use them as bread in an egg and sausage sandwich at some point… if I have the energy. Meh, maybe I won’t. Who knows? I’m going to take a nap.

Purchased Price: $4.14
Size: 16-pack box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries) 380 calories, 12 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 330 milligrams of sodium, 67 grams of total carbohydrates, 30 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Wendy’s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal

Alex 20 Comments

Kellogg s Wendy s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal Box

I love Wendy’s Classic Chocolate Frosty, but I have no idea how to explain the treat to the uninitiated. With its mild flavor and a texture that will make you doubt your choice of a spoon, try a straw, then realize that’s somehow even worse than the spoon, it almost seems intentionally ambiguous. So, when I saw someone tried to capture its essence in a cereal, I thought I may finally have some answers.

Kellogg’s Wendy’s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal is described on the box as a “chocolate flavored multi-grain cereal with marshmallows.” Hmm, none of Dave Thomas’ secrets revealed there. I opened it up and gave the cereal a whiff. It smelled like a packet of instant hot chocolate, but there was something indescribably Frosty-like about it. There’s that ambiguousness again.

Kellogg s Wendy s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal Dry

I needed to crack this code, so it was time to try each component separately without milk. The cereal had a pleasant cocoa taste, but it was very light on the corn-forward puff. The marshmallow was where things started to get interesting. A bit more cocoa, but notably some vanilla and… some malty goodness? My mind began to race. Have Frostys been malted this whole time?! A quick check of the ingredients on the Wendy’s website showed no mention of malt. Wait, there was no malt in the marshmallow ingredients, either. What the heck was going on?

Kellogg s Wendy s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal Milk

I poured a bowl, added some whole milk, and took a bite. It was exactly what you want from a chocolate cereal but was lacking in Frostyness. I finished the bowl and I took a sip of the leftover milk. I’ll be darned, the milk tasted like a Frosty! How? The marshmallows! I investigated the bag of remaining cereal and noticed many of the little mallows had fallen to the bottom, not making it into my bowl.

I tried again. Marshmallow by marshmallow, I made a more evenly distributed serving (the first time I’ve ever eaten what could be called a balanced breakfast) and followed the box’s advice I had previously ignored. I froze the bowl of cereal for five minutes and ate it with mittens. Well, gloves, because mittens are the worst. Sure enough, it started to taste a little like a Frosty!

Kellogg s Wendy s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal Mittens

Despite the exciting development, it didn’t taste enough like a Frosty and I was left with more questions than answers. If you’re less concerned about such things, it was a somewhat basic but extremely eatable cereal. Chocolatey, a little vanilla-y, a perfectly crunchy yet puffy textured cereal, and just the right amount of sweetness from the marshmallows.

Kellogg s Wendy s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal Box Back

If you’re more concerned about such things, well, I found that a quick internet search will give you the answers to your Frosty questions. But, having done both, I can say eating a whole bunch of Kellogg’s Wendy’s Frosty Chocolatey Cereal in the hopes of finding them is a lot more fun.

Purchased Price: $4.29 (on sale, originally $4.49)
Size: 8.3 oz box
Purchased at: Shaw’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/2 cups without milk) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, 17 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles

Rachel 5 Comments

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Box

What are Kellogg’s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles?

This time last year, Kellogg’s released a collection of frozen waffles that included flavors like Mermaid (Blue Raspberry), Unicorn (Cotton Candy), and Birthday Cake. This year, raspberry-flavored Narwhal waffles have joined them.

What in tarnation is a narwhal you ask? Unlike mermaids, unicorns, and the mythical “birthday cake,” narwhals are real. They’re medium-sized whales with a single, long horn (tusk) on the front of their heads. I hear they taste like raspberries, hence the waffle flavor.

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Closeup

How is it?

These blue-green raspberry waffles looked an awful lot like the blue raspberry Mermaid waffles from last year. Suspiciously alike. But did I even care? I loved the Mermaid (and the Unicorn) waffles. So even if they were simply a retread, I’d be happy.

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Berries

And they were a retread – woo hoo! The same fruity-eggy aroma, really fun teal hue, and sugary raspberry flavor. They were thick waffles that toasted nicely, and something about the octagonal shape was so satisfying. I couldn’t hate on these, even if the narwhal was just a mermaid in a new costume.

Anything else you need to know?

The back of the box asked me to “check out all our other fun waffles,” but only showed Unicorn and Birthday Cake flavors, so I’m thinking Narwhal is a replacement for Mermaid. Mermaids are SO 2020.

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Back

Conclusion:

I loved these! You will too if you’re a fan of: cute things, sparkly things, pink/blue/purple things, things that taste like someone lightly rubbed a Jolly Rancher on them, things that taste like last year’s things lightly rubbed with Jolly Ranchers, 8-sided things, things to put in the toaster and forget are there, things that make other people ask why they exist, or things that are unapologetically happy.

Purchased Price: $2.96
Size: 11.oz box (6 waffles)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 waffle) 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 7 grams of total sugars, including 7 grams of added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.