Krave Double Chocolate Brownie Batter

Name: Krave Double Chocolate Brownie Batter
Variation: Krave
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I tried Kellogg's Krave for the first time this year. I liked it. In fact, I liked it so much, I've already had a second box. But if it has one flaw, it's that the shells of the biscuits are so plain. Well, this cereal solves that problem by making the biscuits chocolate, and then ups the ante with a brownie batter-flavored filling! It's the next best thing since Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch. I'm going to have to grab another box or two while I can still find them in stores. The only thing preventing me from giving this cereal the rare privilege of an instant three bowl rating is the fact that, despite all that chocolate, the milk is still left awfully plain (something that not even the ample powder at the bottom of the bag could remedy). Come on, Kellogg's. You could have had it all. But there's no excuse for that.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: More biscuit-y than chocolate-y.

Great Value Fudge Brownie

Name: Fudge Brownie
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Great Value

Review: Normally, store brand cereals don't even register on my radar (unless I'm making fun of the knock-offs), but this flavor of Walmart brand cereal caught my attention. Firstly, because it's chocolate and marshmallows (one of my favorite combinations!), but also because it's fudge brownie! I've lamented in the past that there aren't more brownie-flavored cereals on the market. Even so, I was still going to pass it up, but I was in a pinch, and looking for a cereal I could pilfer the marshmallows from for an experiment, and this one fit the bill. And, since I had it, I figured I might as well give it a try. Right?

Rating a cereal like this one is tricky. What if I like it? I hesitate to start a precedent for giving store brand cereals a passing rating. The whole foundation of my understanding of cereal quality would crash down around me! But if I don't like it, it's going to feel like brand name snobbery. (In truth, I was raised with the good stuff, but I've learned to accept certain store brand substitutes). Above all, I want to be honest. And just underneath that surface level of fudge brownie flavor, there's a bit of a "cardboard" quality to the taste of this cereal that is definitely off-putting. The salient question in instances like this one is, would I buy it again? And the answer is: I doubt it.

I'm just going to have to keep that in mind when I look at the other intriguing cereal flavors Great Value has been putting on the shelves lately...

Update: And check out their fall lineup!

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Actually better than the cereal itself.

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".

[Flashback] Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch

Notice: Flashback reviews have been written from memory, without having the cereal in front of me. I started taking pictures of notable cereal varieties several years before I decided to start a blog reviewing them. As such, details beyond whether I simply liked the cereal or not may be hazy, especially regarding the quality of the leftover milk. Whenever possible, I have made an effort to procure another box of the cereal for a proper review (even the ones I didn't like), but due to the ephemeral nature of many of these novelty cereals, this is not always possible.

Name: Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch
Variation: Cocoa Puffs
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I stumbled upon this cereal last year while browsing the shelves at Gabe's, where you can sometimes find odd products that maybe didn't sell too well in more conventional venues. Although I can't imagine why these turned up there - they're incredible. Making Cocoa Puffs that taste like brownies (and they really do!) is one of those ideas so obviously brilliant that you have to wonder why it took them so long to come up with it (and why they're not more popular). I liked it so much I bought several boxes and then came back for more, until they were all gone. Now I fear I'll never see it again. And since I found Hot Cocoa Puffs this past winter, these (which I think I like even better) are bound to become my new Holy Grail.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣