Tag: Peeps

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal

Mark 5 Comments

Kellogg s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal

What is Kellogg’s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal?

Forget winter. It’s a marshmallow world in the springtime, and Kellogg’s has joined the trend of Peep-ifying everything by creating Peeps Cereal. It consists of yellow, pink, and blue marshmallow-flavored rings and small marshmallows.

How is it?

Kellogg s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal Dry

When I first opened the box, I got a strong whiff of generic sweetness. It reminded me of Sugar Cookie Pop Tarts. The rings look exactly like Froot Loops or Apple Jacks, just with different colors, and the marshmallows are small, white pieces.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal Wet

When I eat the cereal, there’s not really a flavor to it. I can’t say it tastes like marshmallows, but then again, I can’t say that marshmallows really taste like anything. It’s sweet enough that I enjoy eating it, but there’s nothing groundbreaking here. I can totally see them swapping the pink and blue rings for red and green and calling it Sugar Cookie Cereal for Christmastime.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal Swimming Peep

The flavor is mostly identical whether it’s dry or in milk, so enjoy it however you prefer cereal. The milk at the bottom of the bowl is enjoyable, but again, I don’t think of Peeps. I do appreciate that the marshmallows aren’t too crunchy compared to the cereal, which is sometimes a problem with other cereals.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Kellogg s Limited Edition Peeps Cereal Box Back

I absolutely love the cheerful packaging: the spring colors, the iconic chick and bunny, the flowers made of the cereal. On the back of the box is a Candy Land knockoff, called Peeps Land (what else?). Instead of drawing a card from a pile to determine how many spaces to move, you draw a cereal piece. See, it’s better than Candy Land, because you actually get something out of it.

Conclusion:

As a cereal, it’s OK. As a seasonal novelty product, it’s simply adorable.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 18.7 oz. box
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 110 calories, 5 calories from fat, 0.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 0 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 35 milligrams of potassium, 26 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Peeps Filled Delights Neapolitan

Sean 1 Comment

Peeps Filled Delights Neapolitan

I eat a whole helluva lot of ice cream, but I can’t remember the last time I had Neapolitan.

The tri-flavor container of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla is said to have originated in the late 19th century in Naples, Italy, and as far as I’m concerned is only enjoyed at an eight-year-old’s birthday party next to a slice of Power Rangers cake.

How the city responsible for some of the most pristine and perfectly simple pizza known to man can also create one of the silliest ice cream flavors that no one really eats is mind-boggling, but leave it to Peeps to make the mundane even more readily consumable.

The latest addition to the Filled Delights line pairs a strawberry marshmallow with decadent chocolate filling that’s dipped in creamy white fudge. Hey…that actually sounds kinda good.

Peeps Filled Delights Neapolitan 2

The aroma is a super strong sweet strawberry with a notable creaminess that does evoke Neapolitan ice cream. There’s no chocolate on the nose, which is to be expected with all of the fudgy goodness hiding on the inside. There’s something always oddly nostalgic about artificial strawberry and the way it mingles with the vanilla marshmallow scent is inviting.

Going in for the kill, the ‘mallow isn’t as sweet as I was expecting and is surprisingly pretty well balanced for something composed almost entirely of sugar. The sometimes harsh over-the-top fake strawberry notes are mellowed by the cool and creamy white fudge, which, as with all Delights, brings a nice smooth foundation and slight crunch to the bouncy Peeps body. The fudge also helps bring to mind the mouthfeel of ice cream and a legitimate vanilla component that’s necessary to the create the Neapolitan trifecta.

Peeps Filled Delights Neapolitan 3

The chocolate filling is ample and erupts from the midsection of the Peep with a mellow milky cocoa quality very similar to Hershey’s Syrup and an appearance like a snapshot from a Law & Order: SVU crime scene. It’s runny enough to bring a completely different texture than the vanilla dip, but firm enough that it stays in place while biting. The chocolate is pretty sweet, but again, not over the top, and all three desired flavors come through on their own, but also work in harmony.

I’ve gotta say, for a Peep that I had no intention of ever seeing exist (like all Peeps?) I enjoyed the execution of this oft-neglected style of ice cream turned into candy. In fact, I enjoyed these Peeps more than my last scoop of actual Neapolitan ice cream. But after eating two in a row, the sugar rush consumed my body. It’s best to leave these chicks with a one-and-done mentality.

(Nutrition Facts – 3 chicks – 180 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 32 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 1.75 oz. package/3 chicks
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Great nostalgic strawberry flavor. Gooey chocolate filling. Creamy smooth vanilla.
Cons: Eating multiple chicks can lead to stomach ache. Epic sugar rush. Crime scene photos of Peeps.

REVIEW: Peeps Mystery Flavors (2018)

Mark 7 Comments

Peeps Mystery Flavors 2018

UPDATE: Apparently, if you look at the boxes the Mystery Peeps come packed in on store shelves, they’ll tell you what the flavors are. If you want spoilers, here you go (in no particular order).

In college, I studied Early Modern English, which includes the language of the King James Bible. When I read the Old Testament passage that talks about “wizards that peep, and that mutter,” I imagined something like chicks with pointed hats casting spells in a dungeon somewhere.

Peeps Mystery Flavor 2018 2

The Peeping wizards at Just Born have once again conjured up three mystery flavors of Peeps Marshmallows just in time for Easter. All three flavors are as white as Dumbledore’s beard, so there’s no way to tell them apart from each other, other than the packaging.

Peeps Mystery Flavor 1 of 3

The first flavor is familiar, and after a few seconds of chewing, it is obvious: root beer. I’m 90 percent confident on this. It could also be wintergreen since that’s a similar flavor, but root beer seems more likely. It’s not as strongly flavored as, say, a root beer barrel hard candy, but it’s decent. There’s a little whiff of sassafras in the package.

Peeps Mystery Flavor 2 of 3

The second flavor…I’m not so sure about. It has citric acid in the ingredients list, which is not in flavor 1. I want to say it tastes like purple conversation hearts, so grape, but it also tastes like the smell of lemon Lysol. Given my guesses of flavors 1 and 3, I’m going to guess, with 60 percent confidence, they were going for a soda theme and made this lemon-lime (aka Sprite). It’s OK.

Peeps Mystery Flavor 3 of 3

The third flavor is different from the other two, as far as ingredients go. It has fumaric acid (whatever that is) and pectin, and citric acid is higher in the ingredients label than in flavor 2. As a result, it has a slightly spongier texture and a slightly lower sugar content. This one is by far the most fragrant of the three, with a strong scent infiltrating my nostrils.

While I’m eating the marshmallow, I really can’t place the flavor. I know I’ve had it somewhere, but all I can taste is a summer day at the amusement park. Minutes after I have swallowed, the residual flavor tastes like Dr Pepper. Even though Dr Pepper is what I taste eventually, it’s not what I taste while the Peep is actually in my mouth, so I’m not sure. My guess is cherry cola, but I’m only 50 percent confident. I’m 30 percent confident on Dr Pepper (or whatever they call it to avoid trademark issues), and I’m 20 percent clueless.

All of them are pleasant enough flavors and a nice change from the original, but I doubt I would buy them if they made them regular flavors. They’re not very memorable. Flavor 1 is the best of the three. My final verdict on the flavors: root beer, lemon-lime soda, and cherry cola.

But guessing was harder than I expected. If I get them wrong, will the Peeping wizards revoke my reviewer’s license?

And when I told my dad I was reviewing mystery-flavored Peeps, he thought I said Listerine-flavored. There’s an idea for next year, Just Born!

(Nutrition Facts – 4 chicks – Flavors #1 and #2 – 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Flavor #3 – 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 23 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $1.24 each
Size: 3 oz./10 chicks
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10 (#1 of 3)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (#2 of 3)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (#3 of 3)
Pros: Root beer is obvious and the best of the three. Pleasant enough flavors. They keep you guessing. It’s nice that they’re doing something fun with an otherwise boring treat.
Cons: It’s frustrating when you can’t guess! Not memorable flavors. Nutrition facts are not identical. Peeping wizards revoking your reviewer’s license.

REVIEW: Peeps Pancakes & Syrup

Meghan 1 Comment

Peeps Pancakes Syrup

Well, it seems that Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Left in its wake are wilted roses, broken hearts, and a ransacked holiday aisle at the grocery store.

But wait! What’s that, beyond the carnage of unwanted Sweethearts and Palmer’s chocolate-flavored hearts? It’s Easter to the rescue! Here comes the (REAL) chocolate bunnies! The Reese’s Eggs! The Cadbury Crème Eggs! Jellybeans! And let’s not forget a rainbow of marshmallow Peeps! Yellow Peeps, pink Peeps, blue Peeps, green Peeps, and…brown Peeps?

Taking the next step in marrying breakfast with dessert, Just Born Inc. teamed up with Kroger to bring Pancakes & Syrup Peeps into Easter baskets everywhere for the frugal price of only $1.99 per ten-chick pack. Being the cash strapped, deal hunting college student that I am, I decided to pick up two packs, on sale, for $3.00.

Ripping open the bag, I immediately pick up on the promised syrup aspect, although I can’t say I smell anything that reminds me of pancakes. I’d compare the smell more to maple extract than to a pancake breakfast complete with all the fixin’s.

Peeps Pancakes Syrup 2

Before I taste them, though, let’s take a moment to dissect how these chicks look. Now, I understand that they were trying to make me think “syrup” by coloring this variety of Peeps light brown, but this particular shade, combined with the shape that Peeps normally have, reminds me of a small pile of poop. Not that I want my marshmallows to be particularly photogenic or anything, but I still think that Peeps & Co. could have stood to work on the aesthetics of these guys a little more before they hit shelves.

But the big question is, “How do they taste?”

Well, I definitely get the syrup flavor. It’s not like an authentic maple syrup flavor, though. It’s more of like a “pancake” syrup flavor that’s going to remind you of Aunt Jemima’s. It actually kind of makes me nostalgic for my old dieting days when I doused everything with Walden Farms Sugar-Free Syrup. I guess that that’s maybe where the “natural & artificial flavor” is shining through.

I’m still not getting anything that reminds me of pancakes, though. Either they forgot to put it in, or the syrup flavor is overpowering it. Other than that, it’s a standard Peeps experience, complete with soft, plushy chicks that have a crunchy sugared coating.

Normally I’d just end it here, but I want to pursue this breakfast/dessert merger for a minute and bring these Peeps into the realm of syrup-ception by dicing up a few, cooking them INTO pancakes, and then dousing THEM in syrup for the ultimate in early morning sugar bomb.

And the results are nothing short of spectacular!

Peeps Pancakes Syrup 3

The Peeps kind of melt into the dough to create these little maple-marshmallow pockets in the pancakes, and the lake of real maple syrup on top just brings the whole experience full circle. Forget about cereal, THIS is the way marshmallows were meant to be eaten for breakfast!

(Nutrition Facts – 4 chicks – 110 calories, 0 calories from fat, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 24 grams of sugars, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $1.50 (on sale)
Size: 10 chicks
Purchased at: Kroger
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Signs of spring! On sale! Soft and plushy! Delicious when cooked into real pancakes!
Cons: Tastes like “pancake” syrup. No pancake flavor on their own. Kind of looks like little piles of poop.

REVIEW: Peeps Mystery Flavors (2017)

Leonard 11 Comments

Peeps Mystery Flavors (2017)

I remember stumbling upon last year’s Peeps Mystery Flavors and I was very much caught off guard.

Not one, not two, but three new flavors that I get to try and guess?! COUNT ME IN. I fell in love with the buttered popcorn one and so this makes me very excited to see what Peeps has in store this year. What would be the new buttered popcorn for me?

There are again three flavors to guess and while the packaging has stayed similar the Peeps are now speckled with bright color flakes. This adds a whole another layer of complexity as it ties the colors directly to the peeps giving you another reference point to lead you to the correct flavor or just throw you off completely.

First up is my favorite, Mystery Flavor #1 of 3.

On first whiff, there is a predominately maple kind of scent like straight maple syrup, perhaps even a hint of caramel as well. Biting into the Peeps, I love how the sugar and flakes on the outside mix together with the squishy marshmallow inside.

However, the flavor doesn’t get any stronger, which is disappointing. I still taste maple but then also think these could be coffee too, but definitely with some creaminess. I really enjoyed these but am completely stumped by the flavor. They could be waffles or pancakes or cappuccino or latte but what I keep coming back to is maple syrup.

Peeps Mystery Flavors (2017) 2

Next up is my least favorite, Mystery Flavor #2 of 3.

After opening it I got a serious blast of fruitiness, but not sure which one yet. Eating the Peeps, made me think instantly of orange. These had a lot of flavor and were sweet, but also tart. There may be another flavor in there but these tasted exactly like those orange fruit slice candies. It can’t be THAT simple, though, can it? Maybe these are blood orange or something. Plain old orange would be a serious missed opportunity.

Finally, Mystery Flavor #3 of 3.

Smelling these I got fruitiness again but distinctly a lemon-lime scent. Eating them, yep, lemon-lime was coming in very strong with sour notes, too. However, the flakes are yellow and green, which seems way too easy, unless that was on purpose to trick us? Brand mashups are all the rage recently, so maybe these are in fact sour Sprite flavored. Let’s go with that!

(Nutrition Facts – 5 chicks – 140 calories, 0 calories from fat, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 32 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein..)

Purchased Price: $3.19 each
Size: 3 oz./10 chicks
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (#1 of 3)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (#2 of 3)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (#3 of 3)
Pros: The fun that mystery flavors bring. Colored flakes upping the confusion factor. Sugary outsides and marshmallow insides joining together in perfect harmony.
Cons: Two-thirds of the flavors seem to be fruit based. Not finding my buttered popcorn successor. The agony that will take place until the flavors are officially revealed.