Tag: Stuffed Puffs

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is one of the greatest cereals of all time. The original Stuffed Puffs is what happens when graham crackers realize it’s the third wheel and lets chocolate and marshmallow finally be alone together.

As a fan of both, my eyes got as big as marshmallows when I first saw the promo photos for Stuffed Puffs Big Bites Cinnamon Toast Crunch Filled Marshmallows. Even before trying them, I thought a Cinnamon Toast Crunch-coated marshmallow with a Cinnamon Toast Crunch-flavored creme would be epic. But after trying them, my eyes are as puffy as marshmallows from all the crying about how NOT epic they are.

Okay, I didn’t cry, but I’m a little disappointed with these.

Although the cereal is pulverized into dust, I expected some crunch from the coating. There is a crunch, but after getting up close and personal with these, it turns out it doesn’t come from the cereal.

Instead, it comes from opaque crystals dotted across the surface. The light crunch is similar to the sugary coating on Peeps, but because those crystals aren’t everywhere, like on Peeps, the cereal dust’s soft texture gets exposed. Cinnamon Toast Crunch’s lowercase crunch is part of what makes it so great and to not have it here is saddening.

Also, the coating lacks a noticeable Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor. I think there’s a hint of it, but I’m surprised it doesn’t stand out for something that covers so much surface area. So lack of crunch and flavor makes it seem like the cereal is really there for looks and not much else. If the crushed cereal wasn’t so smashed, the coating might have had an authentic cereal crunch and a bit more flavor.

While the exterior doesn’t remind me of the popular cereal, the creme filling somewhat does, and it provides all the cinnamon flavor. Although, I get more of a cinnamon roll vibe (and aroma) than a Cinnamon Toast Crunch vibe. But I’m not complaining about that because the filling is scrumptious. There are also crumbles in the creme, and I do notice them, but they have a soggy oat texture, and I’m wondering what’s the point of them.

I’ve enjoyed most Stuffed Puffs I’ve stuffed into my mouth, and, of course, every morning, afternoon, and evening is a little brighter after a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but this mashup of the two is just good and not great. Maybe I shouldn’t have had such high expectations, or I’m being a Snack Scrooge. I don’t know. But I’m just closing my eyes and shaking my head at what could’ve been.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 5.9 oz pouch
Purchased at: Received from Stuffed Puffs (but are exclusively available at Walmart)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 piece) 80 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

What are Cookies ‘n Creme Stuffed Puffs?

The food (mad) scientists at Stuffed Puffs have introduced a new cookies and creme variety to its permanent flavor lineup of stuffed marshmallows. This flavor takes the familiar vanilla marshmallow and wraps it around a white creme and chocolate cookie crunch center. ??

How are they?

The cookies and creme flavor is always so tricky to me. It’s a seemingly simple combination that can fail spectacularly. Sometimes they are spot on, but other times it almost feels like they got close and said, “Meh, good enough.” Luckily, in the case of these marshmallows, they nailed it.

The marshmallow exterior is a standard sweet, vanilla flavored marshmallow. Fluffy, squishy, and perfectly delicious on its own. However, it holds a sweet treasure within: a nugget of creme blended with bits of crunchy chocolate cookie.

The center is gray in color due to the blending of the creme and cookies. It can be jarring if you’re accustomed to a very defined black and white presentation when you think of cookies & creme, but in the words of the singing candelabra Lumiere: “Try the gray stuff, it’s delicious!”

The center’s flavor is very reminiscent of the Oreo branded candy bars/chocolate eggs. There’s a good balance between the very sweet creme and crunchy chocolate cookie bits.?

Anything else you need to know?

When I first tried them, they had been sitting in a box outside my house for a bit which made them slightly warmed and soft. I tried to replicate this in my microwave to varying degrees of success. Next time I’ll just put them in a cardboard box into the Florida sun for an hour to get them perfect.

Conclusion:

After finally trying my first Stuffed Puff, I have to say I’m impressed. Even though they didn’t make it past just eating them straight from the bag, they are certainly good enough to try in other ways. There’s a “krispie treat” recipe on the back of the bag that is calling to me.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 8.6 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from Stuffed Puffs
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pieces) 140 calories, 4 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 1 grams of protein.

I like to think peppermint bark was created by someone who was frustrated with attempting to tear open the tight wrapper around candy canes.

They got so annoyed that they smashed every candy cane within sight with a sledgehammer, leaving behind a trail of white and red peppermint candy shards that were sharp enough to pierce through the wrapper that their nails and teeth couldn’t penetrate. Not wanting to waste those minty fragments, they decided to use it as a chocolate topping.

And the name “Bark” doesn’t come from it looking like snow-covered tree bark. Instead, it’s the loud cry the peppermint bark’s originator let out with each anger-releasing sledgehammer swing.

With Stuffed Puffs Chocolate Peppermint Bark, you don’t have to worry about hard-to-open wrappers, swinging sledgehammers, peppermint shards, or loud crying. They feature cocoa marshmallows with a pink peppermint-flavored filling, and it’s the first seasonal variety from Stuffed Puffs. (Sorry, pumpkin spice. Maybe next year?) It follows the original Stuffed Puffs (regular marshmallow with a chocolate filling) and Chocolate-on-Chocolate Stuffed Puffs (cocoa marshmallow with a chocolate filling).

I’ve always found the flavored interior of Stuffed Puffs to be unappetizing to look at. It appears crumbly and chalky. But, fortunately, its texture isn’t. When the filling melts in my mouth, it becomes creamy. The sweet peppermint flavor is mild, and there isn’t any cooling sensation from it.

While the mint is mild, the cocoa marshmallow coating has an even milder flavor. Actually, I don’t notice any cocoa notes while chewing it with the filling. I mean, if I told you to close your eyes and trust me to put something in your mouth, and this time I promise it’s not slimy, super spicy, or alive, you would probably think I’ve put a peppermint-flavored marshmallow that was either red or white-colored, but not cocoa-flavored.

The back of the bag encourages us to also roast, toast, bake, or melt it. Sure, I could add it to some hot cocoa, toast it over an open fire, or fill a water barrel, dump a bag of these into it, and go Stuffed Puffs bobbing. But I’m okay with popping one into my mouth. Not two, though. And definitely not three. I tried, but my dainty mouth couldn’t fit three.

Stuffed Puffs Chocolate Peppermint Bark may not have the cocoa flavor I expected, but they are a pleasant holiday treat.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the product. (Thanks, Stuffed Puffs!) Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 8.6 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from Stuffed Puffs
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pieces) 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Stuffed Puffs are chocolate-filled marshmallows that theoretically allow one to make an instant s’more without separate chocolate. While I never tried the original variety, I was excited to gorge on the new Chocolate-on-Chocolate Stuffed Puffs.

They have a pleasant chocolatey hue and welcoming aroma. The marshmallow itself is full-on chocolate and the outside appears to be coated in sugary cocoa powder. They are fluffy and familiar, with a pleasant onset of sweet cocoa.

The chocolate inside is more substantial than the soft exterior. I was expecting either a dense hunk of chocolate or a whipped filling and it was neither. It was creamy, but denser than the surrounding marshmallow. Above all, it was incredibly delicious.

Being that it’s already pushing 100 degrees outside here, I shied away from making a fire to roast these. I delicately skewered one with a fork and placed it over a gas burner.

When it comes to roasting marshmallows, I’m highly neurotic. I take my time to get a perfectly golden exterior. I can’t stand one that has been scorched. I hovered the Stuffed Puff just out of reach of the dancing flames, expecting a wait. Within seconds, it caught fire. I quickly blew it out. Since it didn’t seem too badly burned, I gave it a shot.

The Stuffed Puff was even better like this, but the filling only melted toward the edges. It wasn’t in the heat long enough to cook thoroughly. The coating seemed to contribute to the marshmallow igniting. It would probably be easier using the residual heat from the coals of an actual fire. One thing completely surprised me: I didn’t lose any chocolate out of the marshmallow. I assumed that would be a big problem.

I also tried something I normally wouldn’t have: a microwaved s’more. I placed the the Stuffed Puff on a graham cracker and nuked it for about 15 seconds. It was gooey, decadent and cooked through, but missing the satisfying caramelization of an authentic s’more. After this, I noticed that one of the recommended preparation methods was a toaster oven. That would have been smart.

I stirred one into a cup of coffee and it was magnificent, so these should elevate hot cocoa nicely.

Despite my fumbling with cooking applications, these marshmallows are total winners. I have finished off the bag, popping them into my mouth as I write this. I fully intend to buy more.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 8.6 oz. bag
Purchased at: Received from Stuffed Puffs
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pieces) 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

What are Stuffed Puffs Filled Marshmallows?

Forget about Kraft’s Jet-Puffed, because these puffs are packing some serious stuff! Chocolate stuff, that is.

Created to be the perfect companion for celebratory bonfires and unexciting graham crackers alike, these pillowy cylinders of fluff feature a melt-ready chocolate filling packed into a soft marshmallow shell.

How are they?

In terms of packaged snacks, marshmallows are so simple that it’s hard to think of too many things to critique them on. Nearly all brands seem to be identical in appearance and made almost purely of sugar. In fact, they don’t even have to be different, because they’re generally accepted to be a homogenous kind of treat.

And so, Factory LLC deserves applause for bringing something different into the mallow game. Flavored marshmallows are almost standard by this point, but filled ones are still novel and unique. Better yet, the filling here helps accentuate the best aspects of a marshmallow’s vanilla flavor and chewy texture, and it even tastes pretty darn good all by itself.

Rather than using either a rock-solid or lava-like filling, Factory LLC instead decided to go with something in-between, creating a center that resembles a whipped Hershey bar in the process. Melting almost instantly on your tongue, it’s pleasantly creamy and smooth and showcases the use of real cocoa and cocoa butter. Honestly, if the filling itself was for sale, I’d buy it so that I could frost cupcakes with it. It’s that good!

Is there anything else you should know?

To test the package’s claim of being “Great for S’ mores!” I decided to roast a few over a backyard fire, intending to fashion them in-between some slightly stale graham crackers I had found languishing in the back of my snack cabinet. Sadly, I found it pretty much impossible to thoroughly toast one without having it fall off my roasting stick, tumbling into the roaring flames below. The issue was the center – it liquefied before the marshmallow was completely toasted, and the thin, melting exterior of the treat was insufficient to support the puff’s weight on my stick.

After multiple attempts, I gave up and ultimately broiled them in the toaster oven. This method worked much better, allowing the puffs to melt evenly onto graham crackers without needing to support their weight. Here, they did make for delicious s’ mores, complete with all the gooey, melty, sticky messiness that separates mediocre s’ mores from genuinely great ones.

Conclusion:

If you’re on the hunt for a switch-up from standard marshmallows and are willing to swing for the higher price tag, then I’d say these are worth a buy. Just don’t expect to be able to use them in place of typical campfire marshmallows, because they are better suited for indoor toasting.

Purchased Price: $3.98
Purchased at: Walmart
Size: 10 oz.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts:: (2 pieces) 150 calories, 6 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 19 grams of total sugars, 19 grams of added sugars, and 2 grams of protein.