REVIEW: Carl’s Jr. Froot Loops Mini Donuts

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Carl s Jr Froot Loops Mini Donuts

I love hip-hop.

And I love junk food.

Those may seem like unrelated interests, but truth be told, they have a lot more in common than you think. They both have very high highs – Travis Scott’s Astroworld and Krispy Kreme’s Reese’s Outrageous Doughnut, and very low lows – Hostess’ Cotton Candy Twinkies and the general existence of Lil Pump. They both simultaneously flourish and hurt themselves with excessive output.

Like Nabisco’s continual push to release more Oreo flavors than the year before with only a few true gems, or when E-40 released “The Block Brochure,” with nearly 60 songs and only a handful worthy of repeat listens. But the shining light of commonality between these two separate things is their ability to thrive in collaboration. Hip-hop tracks that bring together three or four of the hottest MC’s in the game are almost always bangers, and when junk food titans join forces to create a cohesive product, it isn’t always great, but at the very least it’s fun.

Welcome to the world, Carl’s Jr’s Froot Loops Mini Donuts!

First things first, the packaging is fantastic. So much of the allure of limited time junk and fast food lies in the bag or box that it comes in, and this Froot Loops-branded carton that looks like it could house mozzarella sticks or jalapeno poppers sets the stage for a wonderful fulfilling experience before the eating even begins.

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Opening the box is a sight and smell to behold, with five different colored donuts that mimic Froot Loops’ signature rings perfectly and carries the bold, strong scent of the cereal with absolute precision. It’s a sensory symphony of artificial fruit flavor and sugar. Some of the donuts have a thicker coating like a layer of frosting, and some have a thinner, more dissolved look like a traditional glaze.

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My hypothetical rule of collaborative truth continues to thrive as these donuts taste as good as they look and smell. Super soft and slightly crispy, the donuts burst with a perfect fruity citrus-forward flavor that tastes EXACTLY like the love child of Little Debbie and Toucan Sam. This revelation leaves me with some pretty haunting visuals, but it’s the absolute realest description possible.

The rings with a thicker, more visible layer of icing unsurprisingly pack a heftier taste bud punch, but the lighter glazed ones still get the point across, just a bit less convincingly. Like the actual cereal pieces, despite the glaringly different colors schemes, they all taste the same, like “froot.”

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In the vast land of junk and fast food collabs I can safely declare Froot Loops’ appearance at Carl’s Jr. a super hot feature. It’s such a natural and well-done pairing that I can’t believe one of the bigger companies like Dunkin’ or Krispy Kreme didn’t get to it first, but as a company known for welcoming bigger brands into their home with open arms, Carl’s Jr. just earned themselves another gold star.

(Nutrition Facts – 5 donuts – 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 360 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 5 donuts
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Perfect Froot Loops flavor packed into a soft mini donut. Great box art. Awesome vivid colors
Cons: Slight inconsistency in the glaze/coating that leaves some donuts a little less spectacular than others. $2.99 is a bit high for 5 donuts, but I saw in other markets it’s $1.99, which seems perfect

QUICK REVIEW: 7-Eleven Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries Slurpee

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7 Eleven Cap n Crunch s Crunch Berries Slurpee

What is it?

A strange marriage between 7-Eleven and the Cap’n to say the least – Crunch Berries Slurpee.

How is it?

I was skeptical, but this really hit the mark. They managed to “slurpitize” Cap’n Crunch Berries.

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It was especially good for the first few sips while the ice was still crystallized. You get the classic Crunch Berries taste up front, but also a starchy cereal flavor. This is basically “Oops! All Berries” in Slurpee form, but I contend there is a hint of the corn cereal pieces in there as well that brought a nice dry finish to early sips.

While I’m pretty positive there’s no lactose element, they somehow managed to mimic a milky vanilla creaminess. It’s somehow both creamy and icy, but in no way like ice cream – if that makes sense. Just nod your head.

Those flavors paired with the fluffy slush reminded me a bit of cotton candy.

Is there anything else I need to know?

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You probably need to be a fan of Crunch Berries to enjoy this. While I figured this was a berry-flavored frozen drink that they just slapped a familiar name on, it honestly tastes like full-blown Cap’n Crunch cereal.

It may be shocking to taste these flavors at this temperature, but I really dug it.

I would recommend getting a small because it’s best fresh from the machine. Once the ice melted, it became a slurry of pure syrup.

Conclusion:

This is an ambitious partnership. I imagine it may be polarizing as it is definitely strange to taste cereal in frozen form, but I’d say give it a go. It won’t be around forever, and Slurpees cost a buck and change.

Some 7-Eleven stores are also selling exclusive Cap’n Crunch Slurpee T-shirts, and I won’t lie, I’m pretty mad I didn’t get one.

Oh, and be forewarned, you’re gonna have a blue tongue.

Purchased Price: $1.59
Size: Large
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on 7-Eleven website.

QUICK REVIEW: Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon Cereal

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Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon Cereal

What is it?

A new variety of Cheerios that combines Multi Grain Cheerios, whole oats, and real cinnamon. If you’re not familiar with the multi grain cereal, it’s made with five types of whole grains — oats, corn, rice, millet, and sorghum. It’s not the first cinnamon-flavored version of the cereal. Cinnamon Burst Cheerios came out back in 2011, which was very good, and, of course, there’s Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, one of the brand’s elder statesmen.

How is it?

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It’s really good.

Although, I’m not surprised by that.

Cheerios has a good track record when it comes to cinnamon cereals, and I guess that comes down to the fact that the real stuff is used, not anything artificial. The level of flavor is just right, and it hides the fact that you’re eating some sorghum.

It’s not going to make you leave Cinnamon Toast Crunch for it, but it has enough of the sweet stuff that you might cheat on CTC once in a while. Shhhh! I won’t tell. I’ll keep in on the DL. The cinnamon doesn’t seem to wash off when in milk because the dairy at the bottom of my bowl was mostly devoid of the warm spice.

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The oats provide a nice crunch that’s more noticeable the longer the cereal pieces sit in milk. Don’t think of the oats as the limp things in oatmeal. Instead, they’re more like the oats in a Nature Valley granola bar that resist the urge to head on over to Soggyville. Hence, the cereal’s name.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Sorghum is also used to make alcoholic beverages. Um, that’s it.

Conclusion:

Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon Cereal is an excellent addition to the line. Before trying it, I thought the oats wouldn’t do much, but they do provide a noticeable crunch boost. Its sweet spice flavor is great, but now I’d like to taste it on Chocolate Cheerios Cereal.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 15.2 oz. box
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) – 200 calories, 45 calories from fat, 4.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 140 milligrams of potassium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, 22 grams of other carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Kellogg’s Wild Berry Froot Loops Cereal

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Kellogg s Wild Berry Froot Loops Cereal

What is it?

Froot-flavored loops and froot-flavored staars that mostly don’t look like regular Froot Loops. There are red pieces, which I assume represent strawberries, purple pieces, which may stand for blackberries, teal pieces for blue raspberries, and green pieces that don’t symbolize any berry and are there just to throw us for a Froot Loop.

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How is it?

As expected, it doesn’t have a generic amalgamation of a wide spectrum of fruity flavors like original Froot Loops. Instead, it’s like a generic amalgamation of a wide spectrum of berry flavors.

It’s not bad. Sometimes it reminds me of berry smoothies I’ve made for myself and other times it tastes like snack bars with dried berries. Can I pinpoint particular berries by eating individual pieces? No, but who, besides birds and infants, eat cereal pieces one by one. Okay, maybe a few of you, but not spoon-wielding me.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Froot Loops’ mascot, Toucan Sam, has said to follow your nose to the fruity taste of the cereal he represents. But if I did that with his new Wild Berry Froot Loops, I’m sure my nose would lead me away from it because it smells weird. Inside the bag or right after pouring it into a bowl, my beak noticed a plasticky and berry smell. It reminds me of those scented play dolls my sister had in the 80s whose eyes would follow me around the room. The aroma subsides once I pour the milk, but it’s odd and a little unappetizing.

Conclusion:

Kellogg’s Wild Berry Froot Loops Cereal is a decent cereal, but I have to say it doesn’t compete with the original. It’s different and a nice change of pace, but I’m not wild about it.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample from Kellogg’s, but this didn’t influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10 oz. box
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 110 calories, 5 calories from fat, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: General Mills Dippin’ Dots Cereal (Cookies ‘n Cream and Banana Split)

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General Mills Dippin Dots Cereal Cookies N Cream and Banana Split

Are actual Dippin’ Dots still a thing anymore?

I used to beg my mom to buy it for me all the time when I was a kid, but I can’t even remember the last time I saw a Dippin’ Dots kiosk. For something that used to tout itself as being the “Ice Cream of the Future,” it sure seems like it hasn’t aged well. Perhaps a reason for its lack of success was that the ice cream had to be stored in ultra-cold super-freezers, which prevented people from buying and eating them at home.

Thankfully for those of us who don’t have freezers that can hold ice cream at -40° F, the kind people over at General Mills lent their breakfast-making prowess to Dippin’ Dots to recreate two of its most popular flavors into a much more easily distributable cereal form.

General Mills Dippin Dots Cookies n Cream Cereal

The Cookies ‘n Cream flavor features tan and brown cereal puffs mixed with clusters of milk chocolate-coated cookie bits. Opening the bag, there was an aroma that reminded me more of Corn Pops mixed with a few crushed Oreo wafers than it did of ice cream.

The corn-heavy smell of the cereal foreshadowed its flavor, which didn’t taste like Cookies ‘n Cream at all. I had hoped the brown and tan puffs would emulate both flavors respectively, but they instead had that generic “corn-y” taste shared by most cereal puffs.

The chocolate cookie clusters were the only element that actually tasted like how they were supposed to, but there weren’t nearly enough of them to go around, and I found they had a tendency to sink to the bottom of my bowl once I added milk.

General Mills Dippin Dots Banana Split Cereal

Banana Split is constructed like the Cookies ‘n Cream version, but the quality here is a different story. I was hesitant to try it at first since banana is a flavor that often oversteps into the territory of being overly artificial. But it turns out it was what this cereal needed to overcome the flavor coming from the corn flour in the puffs.

Every bite I took tasted like authentic, sweet bananas and the banana-flavored white chocolate crunchies brought that creamy element of vanilla that really let this cereal hone in on being an ice cream-inspired flavor.

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While I’m on the topic of those crunchies, they’re the best part of the cereal. Dippin’ Dots should consider boxing them up and selling them as candy. But there seemed to be way more of them in my box of Banana Split than in my box of Cookies ‘n Cream.

Both flavors got soggy quickly in milk, but the Banana Split flavor was able to use this to its advantage by getting the dairy to work alongside the white chocolate crunchies to produce a flavor reminiscent of a melting banana split. Cookies ‘n Cream didn’t fare as well. It sopped up the milk and tasted like mushy Corn Pops that had jarring chunks of chocolate coated sandwich cookies in it.

So, has Dippin’ Dots created the Cereal of the Future? Probably not, but it sure is fun to be able to say that you’ve just had a bowl of Dippin’ Dots for breakfast.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup – Cookies ‘n Cream – 120 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 65 milligrams of potassium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugars, 15 grams of other carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. Banana Split – 130 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2.5 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 55 milligrams of potassium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugars, 15 grams of other carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.64 each
Size: 18 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 3 out of 10 (Cookies ‘n Cream)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Banana Split)
Pros: Not needing a super-freezer. Great flavor in the Banana Split version. Awesome crunchies in both flavors! Getting to tell people that you’ve just had Dippin’ Dots for breakfast.
Cons: Not enough flavor in the Cookies ‘n Cream variety. Neither one holds up well in milk. Crunchy bits are not available in stand-alone candy form.

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