Tag: Cinnamon Toast Crunch

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Cereal

Julie 6 Comments

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Box

General Mills’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand name reaches far and wide, allowing consumers to experience its beloved cinnamon-sugar flavor via cookie dough, creamy spread, and even bottled Cinnamilk. Through its newest offering, the brand now offers consumers the chance to eat 87 cinnamon rolls in one sitting without becoming dreadfully sick.

Of course, each of those “cinnamon rolls” is a piece of cereal. (Do not mistake the previous paragraph as an endorsement to consume 87 Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, which also bear the Cinnamon Toast Crunch name.) Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Cereal consists of cinnamon roll-shaped sweetened wheat and corn cereal. Each piece is cinnamon-flavored and boasts a delightful swirl design to emphasize the cinnamon roll comparison.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Dry

Further supporting the comparison is the cereal’s intense cinnamon scent, which seems to leak through the product packaging. Remember going to the mall and smelling the cinnamon roll kiosk all the way from inside the department store? (Remember department stores? Remember malls?) That’s how strong and enticing the scent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls is.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Size

Weirdly and sadly, the cinnamon smell is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls’ siren song. The scent is much stronger than the flavor, which has an artificial aftertaste. Minus the artificial quality, the taste itself is fine. It just lacks the punch that OG Cinnamon Toast Crunch has. I think this is because the cereal pieces themselves are cinnamon-flavored, while their dusty coating is spare and more sugar-heavy than the Cinnadust we know, love, and sometimes buy in bulk to sprinkle on our popcorn. A different coating–maybe a vanilla powder to mimic a cinnamon roll’s icing–may have been more successful in elevating Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Milk

Hope is not lost. In milk, the artificial quality dissipates, and the cinnamon livens up a little bit, getting closer to that sweet center-of-the-roll ideal. This enhanced flavor arrives at the expense of the cereal’s texture, though. Dry, the pieces have the light, airy texture of other corn-based or partially corn-based cereals. Wet, their texture softens to mush quickly.

For best results, you should eat the cereal with milk — but fast. Like within a minute. Maybe this is why the cartoon cinnamon roll on the front of the box has such powerful-looking teeth. He’s trying to show you his technique.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Mascot

Compared to other cinnamon cereals on the market, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls is only average. The original Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which I count among my favorite cereals, bests the Rolls in terms of flavor. Kellogg’s Cinnabon and Cinnamon Mini Buns cereals both provided a more satisfying texture, and I long for their return. (If you remember the latter product, you probably also remember malls and department stores.)

While Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls Cereal makes for a passable breakfast, it is not quite deserving of the Cinnamon Toast Crown.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Family Size – 16.7 oz (473 g)
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 cup) 150 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamy Cinnamon Spread

Marvo 5 Comments

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamy Cinnamon Spread Jar

According to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamy Cinnamon Spread’s jar, it’s a product of Greece. But after touching the jar, pulling back the foil lid, and trying to keep the tan condiment on a butter knife, I began to wonder if it’s also a product of grease.

Before getting a chance to sample the spread, my first experience with the CTC spread was wondering why my fingers felt as if I’d just eaten pizza after touching the unopened glass jar. After inspecting the screw-on plastic lid and foil safety seal, it appears there wasn’t any leakage. But when I tried to remove the foil seal, only the golden top layer peeled away, leaving behind a fragile paper layer that broke into pieces as I attempted to remove it. I suspect this happened because the sample I received from B&G Foods was transported on its side, and the oils in the spread partially penetrated the foil seal.

As for the spread itself, it’s goopy, has an aroma that makes me wonder if I should stick a wick in it, and comes in a color that a paint brand might call “Camel Hump Tan.” Well, I’m used to goopy because the Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter I use slides off the knife as easily as this CTC spread does. Its ingredients include canola and palm oils, which might explain this cinnamon condiment’s viscosity and oiliness.

While it’s goopy and smells a little off, its flavor is surprisingly delicious. Along with being a product of Greece, the jar also says it “delivers the epic taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with notes of brown sugar and graham flavor.” However, it doesn’t have me thinking this is a Cinnamon Toast Crunch-flavored slurry. But it does taste like something as tasty as the cereal — cinnamon rolls. Well, more specifically, the sweet stuff within the cinnamon rolls’ rolls. You know, the best part. There’s also a noticeable brown sugar flavor (which makes sense since it’s the spread’s first ingredient), but I didn’t get any graham notes.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamy Cinnamon Spread Toast

I spread it on bread, dipped pears into it, and swirled it in my overnight oats. With every application, I got a bold and wonderful cinnamon roll-like flavor. If I had the inclination and ability to bake up a batch of cinnamon rolls, I’d use this instead of the standard icing. Overall, its taste makes up for it being as slippery as a greasy pig.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from B&G Foods. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10 oz jar
Purchased at: Received from B&G Foods
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 tbsp/30 grams) 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 75 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of sugar (16 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: CinnaGraham Toast Crunch Cereal

Erin 15 Comments

CinnaGraham Toast Crunch Cereal Box

Fresh off the success of Apple Pie Toast Crunch, General Mills brings us another variant in the TC family, CinnaGraham Toast Crunch.

Hang on, IS this in the Toast Crunch family?

According to the front of the box, yes. According to me and the ingredients section of the Nutrition Facts, this is Golden Grahams’ kin. I guess the inclusion of cinnamon and the extreme popularity of Cinnamon Toast Crunch make marketing this as a TC spinoff the right call but let’s give Golden Grahams some credit! It’s an excellent cereal and deserves to crawl out from beneath the rug it’s been swept under long enough to introduce its sibling, CinnaGraham. Hi CinnaGraham, the pleasure is all mine.

I’m a big fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams and vastly prefer cinnamon graham crackers to regular (unless I’m making s’mores, in which case I prefer the traditional route because some things shouldn’t be messed with – get your peanut butter cups away from my campfire) so the announcement of this variety had me pretty excited.

CinnaGraham Toast Crunch Cereal Closeup

Opening the bag, I noticed the traditional cinnamon swirl on each square. But there is a darker appearance to these pieces, and the aroma is surprisingly deep and rich, smelling a whole lot like a cinnamon bun. I’m not sure if this is because I was expecting the pieces to taste closer to regular Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but I was bemused by how much these actually seemed texturally similar to graham crackers, both eaten plain and once doused in milk.

Comparing the ingredients, CinnaGraham uses corn meal where the original uses rice flour, and CG contains baking soda and brown sugar syrup. Golden Grahams also utilizes this corn meal, baking soda, and brown sugar syrup formula, which apparently does a great job mimicking graham crackers even though real graham crackers have no corn in them.

CinnaGraham Toast Crunch Cereal Dry

This cereal feels denser and richer than a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, even though the serving size and caloric content are the same. I think if I had any self-control, I’d be inclined to consume a smaller bowl of this just because it feels more indulgent and filling than the lighter rice flour type. It tastes like a bowl of dessert, and I could see that being too much for some people. Since I’ve already eaten half the box in the course of one session, I am clearly not one of those people.

The brown sugar/molasses notes really come through here and a hint of honey is present also, further reinforcing the graham cracker flavor. The cereal behaves in milk as your typical Toast Crunch or Golden Grahams would and it’s too tasty to eat slowly, so getting soggy isn’t an issue.

CinnaGraham Toast Crunch Cereal Milk

The milk left behind is a deeper shade than with your classic Cinnamon Toast Crunch and with a more intense flavor to match. I saw this as a positive and have really high praises for this cereal overall. I think General Mills aced both the texture and flavor profile, and I hope this stays on shelves because it’d definitely go into my regular rotation.

Purchased Price: $5.29 (This seems too expensive but is probably just because it’s new)
Size: 12 oz box
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup without milk) 170 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 12 grams of sugar including 12 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Apple Pie Toast Crunch Cereal

Marvo 27 Comments

Apple Pie Toast Crunch Cereal Box

Off the bat, I’m going to tell you that you shouldn’t try to wrap your head around the idea of apple pie toast. Because it’ll lead to you wasted way too much time thinking about it, like I did. To spread a slice on top of toast, no matter the bread size or toastiness level, defies all toast logic.

Ugh. There I go again.

I don’t want you to ponder the logistics of apple pie toast because it would take away from the fact that Limited Edition Apple Pie Toast Crunch is a divine holiday treat you should hoard so that you can eat it year-round. Or ask Santa for a bunch of boxes.

(Side note: Now that the Toast Crunch Cereals have taken the pie route, should we expect to see a pumpkin pie variety within a year or two?)

Apple Pie Toast Crunch Cereal Dry

Apple Pie Toast Crunch’s aroma isn’t too noticeable in the bag, but when it’s poured into a bowl, it’s as if you were near a window sill with a cooling apple pie on it. Also, if you are near a window sill, what are you doing there? Do I have to call the cops?

Apple Pie Toast Crunch Cereal Closeup

As for its flavor, the cereal scientists at General Mills nailed it HARD. There’s cinnamon, which a Toast Crunch cereal should have down pat, and an ever so slightly artificial but delightful sweet apple flavor that dominates the bite. Also, I swear I taste slight buttery crust notes. But from the moment I put several pieces into my pie-flavored cereal hole, I instantly thought of apple pie and how I need to find kitchen cabinet space for all the boxes I’m going to buy. Can I freeze breakfast cereal?

Also, the cereal brings back recent memories of Apple Pie Kit Kat and distant thoughts of every apple-flavored Pop-Tart I’ve ever loved.

Apple Pie Toast Crunch Cereal Milk

My milk of choice, vanilla soy, doesn’t improve or hurt its taste. Also, much like all other Toast Crunch cereals, it gets soggy if you dilly dally with your eating. As for the milk at the bottom of the bowl, it’s not as wonderful as the cereal itself, but has a drinkable cinnamon apple flavor.

The most unfortunate thing about Apple Pie Toast Crunch is that it’s part of a complete breakfast for only part of the year. Something this delicious shouldn’t be confined to a season.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 oz box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup without milk) 170 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 12 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough and Cinnamon Rolls

BrandonP 2 Comments

Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough and Cinnamon Rolls

When it comes to cereal mascots – Wendell the jolly baker and, more recently, the Crazy Squares – would not top your list of notable entries. But Cinnamon Toast Crunch has managed to cement themselves as the third best-selling cereal in the United States behind the Goliaths of BuzzBee’s Honey Nut Cheerios and Tony the Tiger’s Frosted Flakes. Even in his retirement, I can envision Wendell sitting in his rocking chair smiling about his dominance over Lucky the Leprechaun and Toucan Sam.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough Raw

The Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough comes in a tray of twelve pre-portioned sugar cookies with dark brown clumps of cinnamon pieces mixed throughout. They spread out thin when baking and achieve an even golden brown along the edges. The cinnamon looks faintly like the cereal pieces hiding just underneath the cookie’s surface but provides no actual texture.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookie Dough Sheet

While the cookies fill the house with a lovely cinnamon aroma, the actual flavor is slightly underwhelming. When still warm, the soft gooey consistency with a gentle crisp around the edges is very satisfying. As they cool, the texture is less pleasant, even in comparison to other cookies, but you can then pick up on more caramelized notes that do become slightly reminiscent of the actual Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. The balance of sweetness seems just right, but overall the cookies are lacking a pronounced cinnamon flavor. When tried raw, the cookie dough offers a stronger amount of spice and would make a good pairing with vanilla ice cream.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls Raw

The Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls come with eight rolls and icing ready to pop out of their tube. The dough has a slightly darker beige hue than the standard cinnamon roll and hard bits I was hoping was Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal mixed in. My hopes of a little crunch in the rolls did not come to fruition as they melted into little pockets of cinnamon during baking. Besides these little boosts of cinnamon throughout the dough, the rolls themselves are near identical to the standard offering.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls Icing

It is the cinnamon-infused icing that really drives home the spice in these rolls and makes them somewhat worthy of having cinnamon appear twice in their name. This offers a small upgrade over the vanilla icing that enhances the warm flavor without making the rolls overly sweet.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls Baked

While they pack a better cinnamon punch than the cookies, the rolls are also lacking any semblance of a crunch to drive home the Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand. Wendell might need to come out of retirement and show the bakers at Pillsbury a thing or two.

Purchased Price: $3.99 (Cookie Dough), $3.59 (Cinnamon Rolls)
Size: 14 oz. (Cookie Dough), 12.4 oz. (Cinnamon Rolls)
Purchased at: Lucky
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Cookie Dough), 6 out of 10 (Cinnamon Roll)
Nutrition Facts: Cookie Dough – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein. Cinnamon Rolls 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 350 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.