Fruity Pebbles Waffles!

Name: Fruity Pebbles Waffles!
Variation: Fruity Pebbles/Waffle Crisp
Manufacturer: Post

Review: The cereal wars are real! Not long after I picked up Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle, I spotted Fruity Pebbles Waffles! on the shelf, as if in response. But I've seen pancake mixes flavored with different popular cereals, so I guess it's not that unusual. The first thing I noticed when I opened the comically fat box, is that these blocky waffle pieces remind me of Waffle Crisp - which makes sense, as that is also a Post cereal. So it's basically Waffle Crisp flavored with Fruity Pebbles. The rainbow flecks are pretty, if underwhelming compared to Fruity Pebbles. And the flavors are kind of subtle, especially after soaking in milk. I think I'd rather have plain Waffle Crisp so I can mix it with something better - like Peanut Butter Crunch.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Looks like a birthday in your bowl!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle

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

Review: Making a good companion to French Toast Crunch, here's Cinnamon Toast Crunch reenvisioned as a waffle cereal! The cereal pieces are bigger and thicker - like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls - but actually a little bit unwieldy to chew on. The taste is like CTC with a little bit of maple drizzled on top, but the predominant flavor is butter. It's like eating heavily buttered waffles. It's definitely the "butteriest" cereal I've ever had, and I'm not sure that's something I like. Plus, I'm not crazy about maple. It's been a minute since I've had Eggo Homestyle and Waffle Crisp, but - in spite of the quality of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand - I think I liked those waffle cereals better. But, if you really like the taste of butter, you might like these better than I did.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Have you ever had a cinnamon maple butter milkshake?

[Experiment] Peanut Butter Waffle Crisp

Description: As far as waffle cereals go, I actually like Eggo Homestyle better, but I thought "Peanut Butter Waffle Crisp" had a better ring to it. I was introduced to peanut butter waffles the first time I ate at a Waffle House, on a road trip. They sprinkle peanut butter chips (like chocolate chips, but made with peanut butter) over hot waffles. It's delicious! Since then, I've gotten into the habit of spreading peanut butter directly on my waffles at home (on the rare occasion that I do eat waffles). So I thought this would be a fun idea for a cereal experiment. It's good, and the peanut butter adds a little variety to an otherwise kind of one-note cereal. Give it a try sometime!

Rating: 🥣🥣

IHOP Mini Pancake Cereal

Name: IHOP Mini Pancake Cereal - Blueberry & Syrup
Variation: Cookie Crisp?
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Like DunkAroos, I suspect this is another low-key variation of Cookie Crisp (a cereal that deserves more novelty variations than it gets), based on the sprinkled, saucer-shaped cereal pieces. And they are purple! "Blueberry & Syrup" is a pretty accurate description of how this cereal tastes. And the milk it leaves behind is pleasantly blue, with sprinkles that effectively evoke the spirit of "blueberry".

To be honest, my expectations for this cereal weren't high - and not because I don't like IHOP. It's just that (as I've written before) I don't get that excited for cereals that imitate breakfast foods. But I was pleasantly surprised. I think I like this cereal at least as much as Eggo Homestyle and Waffle Crisp, and definitely better than French Toast Crunch. Which is funny, because outside of the cereal bowl, I like French toast better than pancakes and waffles both...

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: The epitome of "blueberry milk".

[Experiment] French Toast Crunch Berries

Description: So I tried General Mills' Cinnamon Toast Crunch derivative French Toast Crunch, and (like with my real French toast) I felt that it could benefit from being paired with a fruity companion. And Quaker Oats' Oops! All Berries is pretty versatile, and well-poised to serve as an add-in to other cereals. The result of their combination is basically strawberry French toast - in cereal form!

I'm still not super fond of the texture of the French toast pieces (no matter how cute they are). The addition of the Crunch Berries is an improvement, but I don't know if it really comes together. When I tried using JoJo Siwa Strawberry Bop!, it was a little more cohesive, but not necessarily any better. I can't imagine going out of my way to have either one again.

Rating: 🥣

Waffle Crisp

Name: Waffle Crisp
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I was very curious to try Waffle Crisp and Eggo Homestyle side by side, to see how they compare and contrast. And once again, there is a maple smell before I even open the box. The box is even yellow, too! But with more of an orange fade around the corners.

The cereal pieces themselves are noticeably different. They're blockier - these are square waffles, not circular ones - and darker, almost brown. I still think the sweet, syrup flavor could be stronger, and the taste has a weird background note that tends to linger, but the texture is not unpleasant.

I think Eggo Homestyle gets the mouthfeel of waffles down better, and I would give it the slight edge (as long as you don't eat them side-by-side - Waffle Crisp has a more intense flavor that can blow out your tastebuds for Eggo Homestyle), but I would say that either one is a good choice if you want waffles in your cereal bowl.

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

Eggo Homestyle

Name: Eggo Homestyle
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I like to have waffles on occasion, but generally I eat cereal for breakfast as a substitute for more traditional breakfast foods. So, cereals that imitate breakfast foods - while an excellent concept - are not usually the ones I get the most excited for. However, Eggo is a premier brand name for waffles, so let's see how these are.

The maple smell is noticeable even before you open the box. The cereal pieces are almost a glowing, pale yellow. They seem to be imitating the yellow of the box, rather than the slightly orange-ish cast you get from a waffle browned in the toaster. It's a tiny bit off-putting.

They're crunchy, but the flavor is a bit subdued. I do get a subtle hint of that distinctive waffle flavor and texture. Honestly, if I were eating these as waffles, I would probably pour on more syrup. Otherwise, it's a pretty decent facsimile.

I definitely regret getting the chance to try the chocolate version of this cereal, which I remember seeing on the shelves, but doesn't seem to be available anymore. I'll be interested to see how Waffle Crisp compares (and contrasts).

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

French Toast Crunch

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

Review: Here's a variation of Cinnamon Toast Crunch that would seem to be a no-brainer. Boasting a syrup and cinnamon taste ("bursting" may be an overstatement), the little toast pieces are cute as heck. Although, I think they could use some cinnamon swirls (they kind of just look like buttered toast to me), and I don't actually like the texture of the pieces as much as the pieces in regular Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Ironically, breakfast foods aren't my favorite flavor for cereals - the last maple-flavored cereal I had hinged on its inclusion of marshmallows. This isn't a bad cereal, but I wouldn't go out of my way to have it again. A suggestion for improvement would be to pair the toasties with some fruit-flavored pieces - as I like to put fresh fruit on my French toast.

It's better with strawberries, blueberries, and bananaberries.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flavored with a little bit of syrup and cinnamon.

Elf

Name: Elf
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Boasting a maple flavor, this cereal is almost like eating a bowl of waffles with syrup. Oh, and "Buddy the Elf's favorite marshmallows". Outside of a breakfast topping, maple isn't my favorite flavor in the world, so I wasn't sure how I would like this cereal, but it's enough of a novelty that I was excited to try it. And it's actually not bad. The marshmallows really are the clincher; I think I would buy it again. The leftover milk isn't much to look forward to, though.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Slightly sweet.