Cookies & Creme Krispies

Name: Cookies & Creme Krispies
Variation: Rice Krispies
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I don't dislike milk and cookies. But "cookies & cream" isn't one of my favorite flavors, because I feel that it emphasizes the cream to the exclusion of the cookies. The same can be said of this cereal. And the little black specks that are supposed to represent the cookies? They're a joke. The best cookies & cream ice cream I ever had was in an ice cream shop in Asheville, NC. It had huge chunks of chocolate chip cookie in it (not the Oreo-style chocolate sandwich cookie that is more common in cookies & cream). But that's not what you're getting here. It snaps. It crackles. It pops. But it tastes predominantly of crunchy, vanilla milk.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: What's not absorbed by the Krispies tastes expectedly of cookies & cream.

Chocolate Caramel Crunch

Name: Chocolate Caramel Crunch
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: My recent experience with novelty editions of Cap'n Crunch has largely included holiday editions that still taste like the regular cereal, so I was really excited to try this Chocolate Caramel Crunch. Caramel may not be my favorite companion to chocolate (that would be peanut butter), but it's certainly not a bad choice. I remember the first time I had a bowl of this cereal last fall, the flavor combination was a little off-putting. But as I worked my way through the box, the taste of it grew on me (as sometimes happens). After all, it is still Cap'n Crunch. This cereal may not be my favorite ship in the captain's fleet, but I do enjoy eating it.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Flavored with chocolate and caramel!

Oatmeal Creme Pies

This weekend I'm reviewing two different varieties of Little Debbie-inspired cereals!

Name: Oatmeal Creme Pies
Variation: Little Debbie
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I'm not an aficionado of Little Debbie snacks, so I wasn't sure what this cereal was supposed to taste like. When I opened the box, there was a strong smell of oatmeal, but eating them, I swear the flavor is more akin to something like gingerbread. The cereal pieces even look like they could be gingerbread nuggets. I wasn't expecting to like these, after the disappointment of Little Debbie's Cosmic Brownies cereal, but to my surprise, they turned out to be...I'm not going to say "good", but pretty not bad.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: A faint hint of "oatmeal creme".

Cosmic Brownies

This weekend I'm reviewing two different varieties of Little Debbie-inspired cereals!

Name: Cosmic Brownies
Variation: Little Debbie
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I tried this cereal around the same time that I tried Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch - which I loved - but this one was so bland in comparison, even the rainbow chips (which, honestly, aren't that vibrant) couldn't save it. It's a shame, because the box is so colorful, and the market definitely needs more brownie-flavored cereals. Honestly, I love brownies, but Cosmic Brownies have a waxy texture, and they don't even really taste like brownies...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: A lingering taste of "cosmic brownie".

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros (& Chocolate Churros)

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros/Chocolate Churros
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: These two intriguing variations on Cinnamon Toast Crunch boast a cinnamon sugar and cocoa cinnamon crunch (respectively). Churros has a strong cinnamon sugar smell out of the box, but in milk, I'm suprised it tastes more doughy than sweet. Chocolate Churros is just what you would expect in a chocolate version of Churros. The churro pieces are pretty substantial, but easy to chew, with an interesting texture and a mouthfeel that tends to grow on you. It's the real star of these cereals and makes a case for itself above and beyond just getting regular Cinnamon or Chocolate Toast Crunch. I've heard that this cereal makes for a good hand snack (i.e., eaten dry), and I think that's likely to be true. I mean, they're basically churros, right?

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Cinnamony/Chocolatey.