Both Birthday Cake and Cookies ‘n’ Creme Rice Krispies Treats look good.

Sure, the colorful sprinkles on top of the birthday cake version appears as if it was subjected to unicorn spittle as the magical beast recited “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” several times. And, sure, the cookies ‘n’ creme one appears to have been under a leaky laser printer toner cartridge. But, if you don’t have an imagination like mine, they look tasty.

With that said, if you’re expecting them to taste like birthday cake and cookies ’n’ creme, I’m going to snap, crackle, and pop your dreams because they don’t.

The underside of the Birthday Cake Rice Krispies Treat is dipped in a white confection and topped with a sugary drizzle and colorful sprinkles that add a crunchy texture to the party. Having consumed a number of artificially flavored birthday cake snacks that equal the years I’ve been alive, this doesn’t have that familiar flavor. It doesn’t taste like yellow cake with frosting. It doesn’t taste like chocolate cake with frosting. It’s basically a sweeter Rice Krispies Treat with sprinkles.

Cookies ’n’ Creme also has a white confection bottom and a sugary drizzle, but comes topped with something that looks similar to chocolate cookie bits. I’m not sure they’re actual cookie crumbs because they seem to have a texture that’s more like sprinkles than cookies. The rectangle treat has a whisper of cocoa flavor, but it doesn’t scream cookies ’n’ cream like its appearance does. It tastes like a normal Rice Krispies Treat with several rogue Cocoa Krispies.

Last year, we saw Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats jump on the pumpkin pie bandwagon. While it didn’t have a strong flavor, it didn’t taste like a regular Rice Krispies Treat either. I was hoping for, at least, the same result with these, but it didn’t happen. That’s disappointing.

Even though there’s nothing on the boxes to indicate this, these are for the Valentine’s season. But the wrapper around each crispy marshmallow bar has a heart shaped white space with the words “So much to love about—“ printed on it.

Thanks for doing that, Kellogg’s! It allows me to use the wrapper to show how I feel about Birthday Cake and Cookie ’n’ Creme Rice Krispies Treats.

Disclosure: I received free samples of these from Kellogg’s, but that didn’t influence my review in any way.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 bar – Birthday Cake – 90 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein. Cookies ‘n’ Creme – 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.9 oz. box/14 bars
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Birthday Cake)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Cookies ‘n’ Creme)
Pros: They look tasty. Can give out on Valentine’s Day.
Cons: Doesn’t taste like birthday cake or cookies ‘n’ creme. Both taste too much like original Rice Krispies Treats.

Is there anything better than gooey cinnamon rolls, hot out of the oven, while you’re trapped inside during a blizzard? There is, and it’s Pillsbury Grands Limited Edition Hot Cocoa Rolls. I got my hands on Pillsbury’s new concoction at the perfect moment – right before the “bomb cyclone” dumped snow and ice all over my world.

The best part of making Pillsbury rolls is the exquisite tension of opening the tube. It’s pressurized, like a doughy grenade. I start with tentative pokes of a spoon into the cardboard seam, expecting the BOOM to take my fingers off – or worse. When that doesn’t work, I start really digging in, still in expectant terror of explosion. Nothing. Finally, I’m a spoon-wielding maniac, stabbing from arm’s length until I hit the seam right on and a quiet POOF comes from dough and air squeezing through the tiny slit in the cardboard. Extremities intact, heart racing, I wrestle the tube open.

I had to re-spiral the dough once separating the five rolls from each other. Mass production and tube pressure mushes them out of shape and I simply cannot abide a wonky roll. Some chocolate filling flaked off in the process, but I sprinkled most of it back on.

After baking for the prescribed time (the low end – I’m impatient), I had five gorgeous rolls with decadent velvety brown spirals. I only got a mild chocolate aroma, but lots of the standard kitchen-filling baked goodness smell.

I like to ice my rolls when they’re warm, not hot – this way it melts but stays mostly on the top & sides. While I waited for my buns to cool, I snuck a taste of the marshmallow icing. It was like a dollop of Marshmallow Fluff fell into the traditional Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll icing.

Once iced, it was time to dig in. While snow whirled around outside, I uncoiled the first finished product. As with any good cinnamon roll, it started a little crusty on the outside and turned progressively soft and gooey as I moved further into the spiral.

The chocolate filling did remind me of a cup of Swiss Miss – a light but tasty cocoa flavor. With the deep chocolate color, I expected a more pronounced taste, but I really enjoyed the restrained milky/marshmallow feel. They were absolutely delicious and before I knew it, three were gone and I had to save the other two for the remaining people in the house who would definitely judge me for eating them all.

I didn’t try to pair these with a mug of hot cocoa – I was eating them too fast to even stop for a drink – but next time I’d try them with hot cider. And there will definitely be a next time.

Overall, this was like cinnamon roll’s cuter cousin from out of town came to visit. We had a winter fling and now I’ll go back to cinnamon – until hot cocoa visits again.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 roll with icing – 300 calories, 60 calries from fat, 7 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 530 milligrams of sodium, 56 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 24 grams of sugars and 5 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.78
Size: 17.5 oz. tube (5 rolls)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Hot Cocoa Rolls > Bomb Cyclone. Laid-back chocolate flavor. Packaging that scares the bejeezus out of me.
Cons: Having to share with others. Limited Edition = having to say goodbye to my winter romance.

Can someone tell me what number Nabisco has reached with unique flavors of Oreo cookies? It has to be in competition with the number of volumes of Now That’s What I Call Music (which is up to 64, by the way. I still remember rocking out to volumes 14, 15, 16 and 17 with my brother as pre-teens). A few new flavors hit the shelves, including these Limited Edition Chocolate Hazelnut Oreo Cookies.

My first thought – which I’m guessing is everyone’s first thought – is “Are these going to taste like Nutella?” The sweet, smooth Italian spread has a flavor of hazelnut cocoa, which made me think these cookies would taste similar.

Keep reading, my friends…

I applaud Nabisco for the smaller package sizes they’ve had with the limited edition cookies. That way you’re not stuck with a huge amount if you don’t like them, and your waistline will thank you if you do. As I opened the package, there’s a strong scent that in my opinion wasn’t super pleasant. I couldn’t place it exactly, but maybe a little artificial?

That aside, I grabbed a serving of two cookies and dug in. At first bite, the cream inside is smooth. I’m talking super smooth – even more so than the vanilla cream in a regular Oreo cookie. Dare I say, even creamier than a Double Stuf Oreo. But here’s the catch: No trace of hazelnut found. The cream tasted like good old chocolate. My husband even tried them and he said the same thing. He tasted a hint of hazelnut on the second bite, but I still struggled.

These cookies definitely taste better than they initially smelled. I enjoyed the smooth, rich cream in the middle, and I like that they were sweet, but not overwhelmingly sweet. But I’m disappointed in the lack of hazelnut. If Nabisco is going to make a chocolate hazelnut Oreo, then they might as well partner with Nutella and make a Nutella Oreo. It would be more authentic and recognizable. My husband deemed these “Nutella’s cheaper brother.”

I debated with what to rank these cookies because here’s the dilemma: I enjoyed the taste, but they don’t taste as they are marketed. They are a nice alternative to your standard Oreo – I like flavors that have the vanilla cookies because I love vanilla-based desserts. But they missed the mark with the chocolate hazelnut flavor, and I’m interested to know if others felt the same.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 10.7 oz package
Purchased at: Giant Eagle
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Smooth cream in the middle. I wish all Oreo cookies had cream this smooth.
Cons: Lack of hazelnut. They just taste like a vanilla and chocolate cookie.

I have never met an Oreo I didn’t like.

That said, not all Oreos hit the mark. Some of them taste too artificial, and some of the special flavors are too similar to the regular ones. I had lots of questions going into the Hot & Spicy Cinnamon Oreo. Would it taste like cinnamon candy? Would the cinnamon clash with the chocolate cookie? So many possible outcomes!

It has always bothered me that the serving size for Oreo cookies is only two cookies. Let’s be honest: nobody is ever going to eat only two of them, especially since there are at least three ways of eating them.

The first way I wanted to eat it was by isolating the red creme. How’d they do with making it taste like cinnamon candy as promised on the package? They nailed it! It tastes just like Red Hots/cinnamon bears/your favorite cinnamon candy of choice, but with the flavor of Oreo creme mixed in. I wouldn’t call it hot, though it might be too spicy for the smallest children. The texture is the same grainy goo of most Oreo cookies.

The second way I wanted to try it was the boring way: just biting directly into it. This would be a chance for it to mess up: would the cocoa cookie clash with the cinnamon candy–flavored creme? Nope! The cinnamon shines through without overpowering the cookie. We’re two for two.

But how about the third and best way to eat milk’s favorite cookie?

As much as I liked the cookies dry, they’re even better in milk. The cinnamon is more flavorful, yet still not overbearing, in a dipped cookie. I wondered if the cinnamon would clash with the milk, but it doesn’t.

I had thought these would be a good April Fool’s Day prank. You could buy a package of the plain Winter Oreos with the red creme, then replace them with cinnamon and trick your friends. But now that I’ve tried them, I realize that would be a benevolent prank, because the Hot & Spicy Cinnamon Oreo Cookies are better than the original.

At the risk of giving you high expectations and then having them dashed when you try them yourselves, I will say this: these are the best Oreos I have had. They are also the best cinnamon-flavored product I have had.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, 13 grams of added sugars, and less than 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 10.7 oz package
Purchased at: Lee’s MarketPlace
Rating: 10 out of 10
Pros: Tastes like cinnamon candy, but it doesn’t clash with the chocolate cookie. Tastes better with milk. The best Oreo I have had. The best cinnamon treat I have had.
Cons: Serving size is only two cookies. I might have made your expectations too high. I fear that people won’t buy these and they will be discontinued.