[Experiments] Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry Applesauce and Peanut Butter Apple

Description: Cinnamon Toast Crunch has been throwing so many flavors at us lately, it's hard not to want to mix some of them together. When Apple came out, it wasn't a far cry, knowing that Strawberry and Peanut Butter were both still on the shelves, for me to imagine them each together with this newest version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Strawberry and apple together in a cinnamon cereal? That's a perfect formula for strawberry applesauce! So, how is it? The flavors are complementary. The buttery flavor of Cinnamon Toast Crunch kind of precludes it from giving you the full impression of eating applesauce, and I'm not sure it's enough of an improvement over each flavor alone to justify the effort of mixing them together. But it sure was fun to try!

Rating: 🥣🥣

Description: Now, Peanut Butter and Apple is more of a stretch for me - I put peanut butter on my bananas, not my apples. But in honor of Stephen Colbert, whose award-winning late night show was canceled this year under political pressure from a fascist federal administration, I wanted to give it a try.

The toasties don't distinguish themselves as much from each other, yet the flavors don't blend as well as strawberry and apple. The sweetness of the apple is subdued, and there's that impression of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, but without the full flavor of peanut butter. It's an odd combination. I feel that these flavors detract from each other more than reinforce one another. I'm not crazy about it. Sorry, Stephen...

Rating: 🥣

Addendum: On a whim, I tried mixing equal parts of Apple, Strawberry, and Peanut Butter all together in one bowl (because of course I did). And it was really good! The sweetness of the fruit flavors stood out, and there was still that occasional savory peanut butter flavor. Maybe I just needed to tweak the ratio (2:1) in favor of the fruit all this time!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Apple

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Apple
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Without having them side-by-side, I can't say how this cereal differs from Cinnamon Toast Crunch's seasonal fall variety, Apple Pie Toast Crunch. What does apple pie have, other than apples? I know it's not caramel, because you have to add Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch to get the Caramel Apple flavor. Regardless, if Apple Jacks is any indication (and it is, although I would pick Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, myself), this is a great flavor idea for a cinnamon cereal. I mean, some cereal novelties are pretty out there, while others are obvious. This one's a no-brainer.

I could smell the pleasant aroma of apples as soon as I opened the box. And it's a pretty box - in a complementary shade of green. The cereal is good. It's sweet, and the apple flavor blends with the cinnamon really well. I still don't know how it differs from Apple Pie Toast Crunch, but this version is more universal. I notice the box doesn't say "new" (I could believe this flavor has been floated before), or even "limited". Will it stick around? It's about the most logical choice of alternate for a cinnamon cereal as I could think of (even more so than chocolate, although I do like Chocolate Toast Crunch). Kellogg's (which manufactures Apple Jacks) better beware.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: It's the applesauce-flavored milkshake you never knew you wanted!

Mott's Very Berry

Name: Mott's Very Berry
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I had to take a break after trying Mott's new applesauce-inspired Apple Cinnamon cereal, but I couldn't avoid trying its companion flavor, Very Berry. Honestly, I'd be more excited it it were just classic strawberry, instead of this generic conglomerate of berry flavors. The puffs are dark pink and purple, and smell very fruity. The cereal still isn't sweet enough, and tastes too corn-y, but it's marginally better than Apple Cinnamon was. Which isn't saying much. And it's not enough for me to recommend it.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Barely berry...

Mott's Apple Cinnamon

Name: Mott's Apple Cinnamon
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Mott's enters the cereal market! I have to wonder if this is General Mills' bid to compete with Kellogg's Apple Jacks. If so, they're going to have to try a little harder, because this cereal just isn't doing it. It's plain, it doesn't have a very strong apple flavor (who puts corn in their applesauce, anyway?), and it isn't sweet enough. There have been some good apple cinnamon cereals on the market - like Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, and even TMNT Mutant Mayhem. Mott's is the king of applesauce. So how did they mess this one up? Were they trying too hard to be "healthy"? Yet, despite being "made with apple puree", their cereal is "not intended to replace fruit in the diet". I did see, after picking up this box, that there is a Very Berry flavor available, so I hope it fares better. But in the meantime, if I want to dig into a bowl of Mott's, I'm just going to have some applesauce.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Kinda plain, but flavored with cinnamon & apple.

Wicked (Elphaba Caramel Apple)

Name: Wicked (Elphaba Caramel Apple)
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: It's time to try Elphaba's caramel apple cereal! Can I just say, I think caramel apple is a great flavor for fall. I'm surprised there isn't a dependable standard that appears on the shelves every year. You can't even have Caramel Apple Toast Crunch without getting Apple Pie Toast Crunch and Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch (assuming you can find them both), and mixing them together. Apple Jacks tried a Caramel variety once upon a time, but I barely had a chance to taste it. I thought Monster Cereals' new addition Carmella Creeper was here to stay, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of her this year.

On to the cereal at hand. These puffs are a sickly green color, but it contributes to the "Wicked Witch" aesthetic - similar to Snow White's poisoned apple, but that's a different story. The texture and corn flavor is comparable to that of Glinda Good Berry, but with caramel in place of strawberry. It does remind me of eating Carmella Creeper without the marshmallows. But how come these "caramel apple" cereals always taste predominantly of caramel, but not really apple? Apple is a good flavor! TMNT Mutant Mayhem was just cinnamon apple - no caramel - and it was pretty good. Very sweet and fruity, like applesauce. Come to think of it, this cereal reminds me more of caramel corn.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Imagine somebody dropped a single Werther's Original into your milk.

I mentioned that pink and green were my favorite colors, didn't I? Well, I also like putting them together, so I couldn't resist mixing Glinda and Elphaba in the same bowl. And you know what? It's actually quite good. The Good Berry adds some needed fruitiness that was lacking from the Caramel Apple. Perhaps they should have mixed them together from the get-go. I guess these witches really are two halves of a whole heart!

Glazed Donut Holes - Apple Cinnamon

Name: Glazed Donut Holes - Apple Cinnamon
Variation: Glazed Donut Holes, Apple Jacks
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Although it's probably just because Kellogg's has Apple Jacks sitting around, I really like the idea of doing an apple cinnamon version of their new Glazed Donut Holes lineup this year. You've got Glazed Original and Glazed Chocolate - which are pretty standard flavors - and then Apple Cinnamon comes in as the wild card, to mix things up. It's like having an apple fritter for breakfast! Although I'm not sure if it tastes more like apple fritter, or Apple Jacks Puffs. Regardless, it's pretty good. I would not have predicted that I would like it better than chocolate, but I think this is my favorite flavor of the Glazed Donut Holes cereals in the end.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Mildly sweetened with apple and cinnamon.

Monster Combos

Three years ago, the appearance of Monster Mash cereal inspired me to combine my own mix of the Monster Cereals together for a frightful concoction. The result was disappointing; there was just too much going on in the bowl. So I'd been thinking of trying out different combinations of these cereals, two at a time. And with last year's introduction of Carmella Creeper to the lineup - a caramel apple cereal - the possibilities show even more promise. Step into my kitchen laboratory, and we'll try some experiments!

Chocolate/Caramel Apple

I thought this sounded like a good combination - chocolate and caramel go well together, and it's in a similar vein to the classic fall treat, the candy apple. And it does taste good. Honestly, I think the chocolate draws out the caramel flavor better. I'm surprised General Mills hasn't done something like this yet, although Carmella Creeper is still pretty new. Maybe it'll be next year's version of Monster Mash. I'd like that.

Strawberry/Blueberry

Mixing the two berry cereals together seemed like a no-brainer, although their similarity means the combination lacks distinction. And though, as expected, the flavors complement each other well, it's not as fruity as I would have thought. It tastes mostly of corn. Even the milk is surprisingly plain. Once again, it's the marshmallows alone that carry this cereal.

Caramel Apple/Strawberry

Visually, the green balances out that vibrant pink, and the marshmallows kind of fade into the background. When I eat Carmella Creeper alone, the flavors don't really stand out, but pairing it with something else seems to make the caramel pop. This is like plain Carmella Creeper, but with a slightly fruitier balance. I'd say it's an improvement over either cereal alone.

Caramel Apple/Blueberry

As far as I can tell, this is the combination they use for Monster Mash Remix - although they probably use a different mix of marshmallows, and who can be sure what flavors they might add without telegraphing it with the proper dyes? On that note, the colors complement each other well - bright green contrasted with dark purple. And the flavors do, too - better than you might think, pouring caramel over blueberries. This is pretty similar to caramel apple/strawberry, but I think Boo Berry has a slightly better flavor than Franken Berry, so this is a little bit better. It's not a bad choice for a Monster Mash; although I would still prefer chocolate/caramel apple.

Strawberry/Chocolate

Chocolate-covered strawberries, anyone? The brown and pink make a nice contrast. I feel like the fruity flavor is more front-and-center, but there's a nice chocolate undercurrent. It's not a bad combination - it certainly makes Franken Berry more palatable. I don't think I like it as much as chocolate/caramel apple, though. Every once in awhile, I get a bite that seems to clash, but I'm not sure why.

Blueberry/Chocolate

Although conceptually very similar to strawberry/chocolate, I think blueberries and chocolate is a somewhat less common combination. But still good. The purple Boo Berry pieces are so dark, you can hardly distinguish them from the brown Count Chocula pieces. It's a shame it doesn't make as good a visual impression (looks do matter), because I think it tastes better than the mix with Franken Berry. Which was to be expected.

Caramel Apple/Berry

I did this with Count Chocula way back when, so I thought it would only be fair to give Carmella Creeper a chance. And it's not bad. I used two parts caramel apple (1 cup) to each part strawberry and blueberry (half cup each) for a proper balance of flavors. It's really not that much different from using Franken Berry or Boo Berry alone. And the mix of colors looks much more lively. I have no idea why they don't use this as their Monster Mash; I think it's just as good.

Berry/Chocolate

Although I did this once before, with all the other combinations I was mixing together, I figured I could stand to give it a second chance. And this time, like with my caramel apple/berry concoction, I mixed the chocolate 2:1 with the strawberry and blueberry, so it's equal parts chocolate and fruity. The blending of the Count Chocula and Boo Berry pieces does dull the visual impression a little - on the other hand, it has more of a gradient look. I taste the chocolate more than the fruitiness. That said, the fruitiness kind of clashes with the chocolate for some reason. I honestly can't say why this combination doesn't work better, but the success of Monster Mash clearly relies on the presence of newcomer Carmella Creeper.

Monster Medley

I'm calling this "Monster Medley" because Monster Mash was already taken. You know I had to do it. But yeah, there's a lot going on in this cereal. The flavors aren't bad, but it doesn't really coalesce into a single flavor experience. Even if you take the time to mix it up evenly, you're bound to get a different concentration of pieces in every spoonful. It looks interesting, though - with all those colors. And now, I'm kinda sick of the Monster Cereals. I don't think I wanna eat them again for a whole year... :-p

Cheerios Veggie Blends

Name: Cheerios Veggie Blends (Apple Strawberry & Blueberry Banana)
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I know I said I wasn't going to bother trying these - as it's my experience that foods blended with veggies don't usually taste very good (V8, I'm looking at you). But I've been a little more health-conscious lately, and I was looking at the possibility of eating some less sugary alternatives to my usual Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs for a change. Plus, I was sure Maple Cinnamon Cheerios Hearty Nut Medley would be better than these, but that cereal turned out to be a total trainwreck. And these? Well, at least they're edible...

They have a dull, multigrain-like coloring. I can definitely taste that veggie-like flavor (1/4 cup of veggies per serving!), but also with a hint of fruitiness - but only a hint. However, with about half the sugar (or less) of the sugariest cereals on the market, they are not sweet. Are they improved by adding fresh fruit? Well, marginally. Even with fresh fruit, they're still not sweet enough for my palate. I think I'll be able to stomach these two boxes, but there are better flavors of Cheerios out there - in the mid-range for sugar and with low fat content - that I would rather eat.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Just a little sweet and fruity, with an unmistakable veggie undernote.

Apple Jacks

Name: Apple Jacks
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Having recently had both Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and TMNT Mutant Mayhem, I think I can say with confidence that I don't dislike cinnamon and apples as a cereal flavor. So if I'm not especially fond of Apple Jacks, it can only be because Kellogg's formula is too bland. Which is saying something, given that Cheerios is more or less the General Mills cereal with the blandest reputation (although I'll concede that if you branch out from the original flavor, there's a lot of value to discover).

Apple Jacks aren't as soft as Cheerios - the texture is more akin to Froot Loops (which makes sense). I don't dislike the mouthfeel, but the taste is just too subtle. It's not sweet enough, and there's too much of that base corn flavor (in comparison, Cheerios is an oat-based cereal). I'm gonna have to say, it's not for me. But throw in some marshmallows, and I'm game.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Actually pretty sweet.

Apple Cinnamon Cheerios

Name: Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I feel like "apple" is maybe a bit of an underrated fruit flavor in cereals. You've got the citrus family, and you've got the berry family, and then you have apple just sitting out there all alone. And it's not like apples aren't popular.

Anyway, apple cinnamon is definitely an improvement over just cinnamon. That sweet, fruity taste gives the cereal more of an actual flavor. And while I said that TMNT Mutant Mayhem tastes like applesauce in cereal form, I feel like this cereal tastes more like whole apples. As far as Cheerios flavors go, it's pretty good.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet and apple-y.

Apple Pie Toast Crunch

Name: Apple Pie Toast Crunch
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Technically, I've already reviewed this cereal, but I feel like the individual components were overshadowed in the Caramel Apple Toast Crunch experiment, and I've been meaning to give these two cereals their own spotlight (stay tuned for the other one).

Taken alone, Apple Pie Toast Crunch is very sweet and apple-y; it's reminiscent of pie filling and not just mashed apples, which is pretty cool. The sweet, fruity flavor dulls a little bit as you progress through the bowl and your tongue acclimates to it, but it's a fun holiday cereal that I enjoy. If you have some Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch to add to it, all the better! My rating of two bowls from before shall stand.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: If your tongue isn't completely desensitized by the end of the bowl, it's sweetened with apple and cinnamon.

Carmella Creeper

Name: Carmella Creeper
Variation: Monster Cereals
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I'm very excited that General Mills is introducing (for the first time in 36 years!) a brand new member of the Monsters line of cereals this year. My only regret is that I haven't had a proper chance to review Fruity Yummy Mummy yet (my great regret from 2013, when I was only just starting to get back into eating cereal).

Before even trying it, I can say that I love everything about this cereal. Conceptually, it's an excellent choice of addition to the lineup. It's a zombie character; she's a girl; it has an eerie green motif that is quite festive; and the flavor is caramel apple!

Not only is this an intriguing flavor - and a great choice for a cereal available exclusively in the fall - but it adds some welcome novelty to a lineup that, if not for Count Chocula, would be nothing but different shades of "fruity with marshmallows" (although last year's Frute Brute was surprisingly good - I still think it should replace Franken Berry in the regular trio). All that's left is to actually try the cereal and see how it tastes. :-p

The color of this cereal is not the prettiest shade of green, but I think it effectively conveys the look of zombified flesh. The flavor and texture seem consistent with the other Monster cereals - you're not punched in the mouth with it, but there's an underscore of caramel apple flavor. And the marshmallows pull their weight (although they don't look very distinctively like anything in particular).

I don't think this is going to become my new favorite Monster cereal. Nobody can compete with Count Chocula; and I don't think I like it even as much as the new and improved Frute Brute (wish that would stick around). But I like that it stands out from the other cereals with a unique flavor that is perfectly poised to join the lineup. Whether or not this one lasts - I guess that depends on how well everyone else likes it.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Not really colored and only subtly flavored.

TMNT Mutant Mayhem

Name: TMNT Mutant Mayhem Cowabunga Cinnamon Apple
Variation: Cookie Crisp?
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I was intrigued by this cereal promoting the new animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie Mutant Mayhem right from the outset, with its "Cowabunga Cinnamon Apple" flavor, and the fact that it has marshmallows. Is this General Mills' answer to Kellogg's Apple Jacks? The Nickelodeon tag calls to mind last year's variation, Apple Jacks Nickelodeon Slime. The back of the box features half of a board game, in what feels like a cheap ploy to get you to buy a second box; but the game looks fun pieced together.

"Collect both games to complete the adventure."

Upon opening the box, I see suspiciously Cookie Crisp-like wafers, but with a sweet and apple-y taste. The marshmallows (I feel like there could be more of them, or have they sunk to the bottom of the box?) are little green turtle heads with their four different colored masks. I would describe the taste as if applesauce were made into a cereal, but the flavor fades a little bit as your tongue acclimates to it. The wafers offer a satisfying crunch, and the occasional bite of marshmallow is always appreciated.

I feel like these flat, round saucers could easily have been pizzas - I'm surprised they didn't capitalize on that. But I guess that would have been a weird flavor for a cereal (can you imagine "Pizza Puffs", or "Marinara and Mozzarella Crunch"?). I feel like this cereal distinguishes itself perfectly well from Apple Jacks, despite featuring a similar flavor (though it's a good choice as we're heading in to fall). As to whether I prefer it over Apple Jacks with Marshmallows? Hard to say.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Definite hints of apple & cinnamon.

Apple Jacks with Marshmallows

Name: Apple Jacks with Marshmallows
Variation: Apple Jacks
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: This cereal is very similar to Apple Jacks with Star Marshmallows that I've had before, but with less flashy marshmallows. And I think that the rating I gave it back then has borne out, because I'm enjoying eating this cereal, too. It remains to be seen if I'll ever become a fan of plain Apple Jacks, but adding marshmallows to it is definitely enough to grab my interest!

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Tastes a bit marshmallow-y.

Apple Jacks Nickelodeon Slime

Name: Apple Jacks Nickelodeon Slime
Variation: Apple Jacks
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: This has got to be one of my favorite concepts for a novelty cereal that I've seen all year. We start with Apple Jacks, but they've got green flecks in them instead of red ones, which no doubt reflects the distinctive "green apple" flavor (a natural choice for an Apple Jacks alternative) in place of cinnamon. And when you stir it up, the milk turns green!

How does the milk turn green? "I don't know." XD

As this is still Apple Jacks, I'm not going to say that I'm in love with the way the cereal tastes, but the theme is so much fun. And it's great timing, too - as we're heading in to Halloween. I feel like this cereal would sit comfortably on top of the fridge between a box of Halloween Crunch and Shocking Orange Krispies.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: More green than apple.

Apple Jacks with Star Marshmallows

Name: Apple Jacks with Star Marshmallows
Variation: Apple Jacks
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Apple Jacks is another cereal that's not in my regular roster of usual suspects, so my familiarity with it is not great. I feel like maybe the flavor is a little weak to grab my attention. I see green and orange loops, and I guess I'm expecting the vibrant flavor of Froot Loops. However, this is another situation where the addition of marshmallows gives the cereal new life in my eyes. I guess, if you think about how much I love Lucky Charms, and how dull that cereal would be if you took out the marshmallows, it makes sense. I'd eat this cereal again.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: A little green, but not very flavorful.

Caramel Apple Toast Crunch

Name: Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch + Apple Pie Toast Crunch
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Technically, this is two different cereals - Dulce de Leche (a.k.a. caramel) Toast Crunch, and Apple Pie Toast Crunch. Individually, I like the caramel Toast Crunch better. It's pretty neat how the other one tastes like apples, but I think the flavor is maybe a tad strong. The box itself recommends mixing them together for a "caramel apple flavor explosion", and I gotta say, it's a great idea. It's rare to have an autumn-themed cereal that's flavor-based, and not just branded for Halloween.

Sometimes sold separately.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Caramel apple goodness!