REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Churros Cereal

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Churros Cereal Box

Churros have provided me with many memories.

A large number of those involve eating churros at a carnival, hopping on amusement rides with names like Zipper, Top Spin, Orbiter, Gravitron, and Fireball during digestion of those churros, then preventing churro regurgitation while being flipped and spun on those rides, and then regretting the carnival churro consumption.

But I also have good churro memories, and the latest is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Churros, which I will not refer to as CTCCC (pronounced see-tee-seeeeeeeeeeee).

If you read the print on the box’s front, you’ll know that EVERYTHING is enlarged to show detail and the cereal is naturally flavored chocolate sweetened wheat and rice cereal with a hint of cinnamon. This shouldn’t be confused with Chocolate Toast Crunch, which is naturally flavored chocolate sweetened wheat and rice squares with a hint of cinnamon.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Churros Cereal Closeup

With a description that includes the words “a hint of cinnamon,” you might think this is chocolate-forward. But it’s more of a 40-60 split between the chocolate and cinnamon. With most spoonfuls, I taste the warm spice more than the cocoa. While I wish there was a stronger chocolate punch, this is an excellent and tasty follow-up to the original Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros Cereal.

However, there’s something about the churros shape that makes them less satisfying than Chocolate Toast Crunch’s square pieces, which I also thought with the regular cinnamon version. Maybe it’s surface area? Or perhaps it’s the way the nooks and crannies capture milk? I dunno.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Churros Cereal Spoon

While I prefer the original square-shaped Chocolate Toast Crunch a smidge, the churro shape helps maintain a crunchiness level in milk that the squares can only dream of. Speaking of milk, if you happen to leave the cereal in it for a decent amount of time, the aftermilk is ex-cinna-llent.

I know what some of you are thinking, “So this is pretty much Chocolate Toast Crunch, but in tiny churro form?” Pretty much. I know. Kind of a letdown, but I’m not disappointed filling a bowl with it because it’s a solid cereal.

However, if you want to make it somewhat interesting, you could pretend to live in an alternate General Mills universe where square Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Chocolate Toast Crunch don’t exist, but Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Churros do. Also, in this alternate General Mills universe, the oat pieces are the Lucky Charms and Trix is a brand of rabbit food.

Purchased Price: More than anyone should pay on eBay
Size: 19.7 oz box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup w/o milk) 170 calories, 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, 230 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms Soft Baked Bars

Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms Soft Baked Bars Boxes

What are Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms Soft Baked Bars?

They feature the flavors of General Mills’ most popular cereals, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms (sorry, Raisin Nut Bran), but in soft baked bar form. The CTC one features a cinnamon swirl, while the Lucky Charms one is a marshmallow chip blondie.

How are they?

How I feel about the Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars can be explained by looking at the anthropomorphic cereal piece on the box. No, not the one sticking out its tongue, which would make it seem like I think they’re gross. I’m talking about the one with a smile on its face. Although, my face is less euphoric.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Soft Baked Bars Closeup

The cinnamon swirl is more like cinnamon sections planted generously throughout the bar. They have a mild, sweet flavor and a streusel-like crunch. Oh, and if you were wondering, the icing doesn’t taste like milk. But even though there’s a pleasant flavor and a bit of a crunch, the bars don’t remind me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Don’t get me wrong, they have a nice flavor, but they also taste like other pastries that use the warm spice.

As for the Lucky Charms version, its flavor tastes like the cereal’s marshmallows because there are actual Lucky Charms marbits baked into them.

Lucky Charms Soft Baked Bars Closeup

Unfortunately, because they’re baked, the shaped marbits’ have melted into color blobs, and their usual crunchy texture has turned into something much softer. I mean, they’re not soggy as if they were sitting in milk for half an hour, but they’re soft enough that they end up being the same texture as the cake that surrounds them. Thankfully, there’s no oat cereal flavor.

According to the ingredients, the bars also contain confectionary chips, but they’re soft and unrecognizable like the marshmallows.

Anything else you need to know?

I can’t get the image of Fiber One bars out of my head when I look at these because they have the same shape and icing pattern as Fiber One Brownies and Soft-Baked Bars. Of course, the similarities make sense since they’re also made by General Mills.

If you’re wondering, these don’t contain much fiber. But maybe there’s a Big G Cereals and Fiber One mashup in our fiber futures.

Conclusion:

Both Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms Soft Baked Bars are pleasant treats that I’d eat again. But I wish the CTC variety reminded me of the cereal as much as the Lucky Charms one did. And I wish the Lucky Charms bars had a bit of crunch like the CTC bars did.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the products. Thanks, General Mills! Doing so did not influence my thoughts about them.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 4.92 oz box/6 bars
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Cinnamon Toast Crunch), 7 out of 10 (Lucky Charms)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) Cinnamon Toast Crunch – 90 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein. Lucky Charms – 100 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Bottle

What is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend?

I can’t be the only cereal lover to receive a face full of debris as I tip nearly empty bags of Cinnamon Toast Crunch into my maw, attempting to extract the pure, concentrated essence of deliciousness found at the bottom of every bag. To save us from ourselves, there’s now Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend.

How is it?

Call me cynical, but I was half expecting this seasoning blend to consist solely of sugar and cinnamon. A look at the ingredient statement assures me that there’s more going on here than what a 7-year-old can throw together while running late for school.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Closeup

I pour a generous mound on a plate, lick my finger, and dig in. I’m surprised by the quick, sharp spice flavor given how mild the cinnamon is in the namesake cereal. This doesn’t taste much like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but offers a greater depth and variety of flavors.

The sweetness follows, but there’s also vanilla, caramel, and salt. Yes, salt. It’s the third ingredient on the ingredient statement, so salted caramel fans will find a lot to like. It’s salty enough that I imagine there are some savory applications. Cinnamon Toast Crunch sweet potato, anyone? Popcorn? Maybe even dipping some breakfast sausage? There are lots of possibilities for this seasoning blend.

Anything else you need to know?

Readers may be shocked to hear that I’ve never had a Complete Breakfast™ before today. I’ve had a Full English Breakfast, stacks of pancakes bigger than the platter they were served on, and Moons Over My Hammies aplenty. Yet, a Complete Breakfast™ is something that only existed in the cereal commercials that interrupted the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles every Saturday morning when I was a kid.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Complete Breakfast

Even back then, I knew that cereal was the fastest, lowest effort breakfast option, so the idea of serving it with sides of buttered toast, fruit, juice, and another glass of milk always seems ridiculous. Yet, the Complete Breakfast™ has remained an aspirational ideal for decades now, so I knew I had to take this opportunity to assemble one and try Cinnadust on various items.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Cereal

I know I’m not alone in shoveling sugar on top of already sugar-loaded cereal, so it doesn’t seem outrageous to sprinkle Cinnadust on my bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to create Super Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Since it doesn’t exactly replicate the namesake cereal’s powdery coating, it adds some interesting flavors. But the cereal is too sweet for much nuance to come through.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Toast

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Fruits

On the other hand, it is a fantastic topping for buttered toast, apples, and bananas. Cinnadust toast is like cinnamon sugar toast, but better, with the salted caramel flavor accentuating the golden brown bread. Likewise, the less sweet fruit allows the spicy cinnamon notes to come through, and the light saltiness offers a flavor boost.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Milk

The only failure here was adding Cinnadust to milk. This isn’t a drink mix, so it is not surprising it didn’t work, but I was hoping for some instant cereal milk. Instead, it only made slightly sweet milk with floating cinnamon clumps.

Conclusion:

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend doesn’t precisely replicate the flavor of the cereal. But it still tastes great and complements a wide variety of sweet treats.

Purchased Price: $5.48
Size: 13.75 OZ (282g)
Purchased at: Sam’s Club
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar including 4 grams added sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream

At the beginning of the year, Nestlé’s Coffee-mate released a Cinnamon Toast Crunch coffee creamer, and I was heartbroken by its underwhelming execution.

When I saw Nestlé’s Dreyer’s was introducing a Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream, I knew I had to set my expectations appropriately before trying it. I kept reminding myself that there was a distinct possibility it was going to be another dud.

When I finally found it in the store, my realistic expectations were overcome by giddy excitement. There’s something about that colorful font in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch logo that makes my heart tingle with nostalgia. I was powerless.

Thankfully, Nestlé did not fail me this time.

The carton states that the ice cream is “cinnamon light ice cream with a cinnamon graham swirl and cereal pieces.” The “light ice cream” portion of the description reminded me to tone down my expectations, but everything else had me salivating.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream 2

Peeling the lid off the carton, I could immediately smell cinnamon. There were generous flecks of the spice throughout the ice cream and hints of the “cinnamon graham swirl” eagerly greeting me. One corner of a lone cereal piece peeked out of the top.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream 4

Each splendid bite was absolutely full of cinnamon. It was superbly sweet, but not so much that the warm spice was subdued. It instantly reminded me of the cereal I’ve been eating for as long as I can remember. Every single spoonful screamed, “Cinnamon Toast Crunch.” The swirl infused an extra shot of the sublime spice and some pleasant grit. It was the surprising star of the show. If presented with a bucket of the swirl, I would eat it by itself until I became sick.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream 3

The cereal pieces, although sparse, added a nice crunch to the occasional spoonful. A few more would have been wonderful, but the swirl made up for their small numbers.

The ice cream itself is what one would expect from a light offering by Dreyer’s. It’s a tad thin and airy, but the abundance of flavor makes me not even care. Had this been made with a more premium, full-fat ice cream, it would have been close to a perfect 10 for me.

This ice cream perfectly captures the essence of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Nestlé, I forgive you.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 1.5 Quarts
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 170 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Nestle Coffee-mate Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamer

Nestle Coffee mate Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamer

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is, hands down, my favorite cereal. Enjoying a bowl of it can immediately transport me back to more carefree days. When I saw Nestle’s Coffee-mate had launched a new Cinnamon Toast Crunch coffee creamer, I could barely contain my excitement.

In the past, I’ve taken leftover milk from a bowl of CTC and poured it into my coffee. While it’s decent, it leaves a lot to be desired. I prefer cream in my coffee, so that little amalgam is a bit too thin for my taste.

I fantasized about how great it would taste in my cup of joe. I was hoping for a creamer that perfectly captured the essence of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. At the very least, I thought it would maybe taste like horchata (try it if you haven’t), which would be fantastic.

Nestle Coffee mate Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamer Itself

I poured some of the creamer into a glass to try it straight-up first. There were no visible specs of cinnamon in it. “This is troubling,” I thought to myself. It smelled faintly of French toast. French toast typically has cinnamon, so I figured this was a good sign.

Alone, it tastes like a standard sweetened coffee creamer, but with a minuscule hint of cinnamon. There was no verifiable CTC flavor. It definitely didn’t have a horchata flavor either.

Nestle Coffee mate Cinnamon Toast Crunch Creamer Coffee

In coffee, it had the same effect. It made it creamier and sweeter, as is to be expected. But I could barely taste the cinnamon. If I had not known what I was drinking, there’s no way I could have guessed this was supposed to taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I don’t think I could have even surmised that it was cinnamon flavored. I have had generic, store-brand cinnamon coffee creamers that taste more like my beloved cereal than this.

I feel like this would have been such an easy flavor to nail. I can’t figure out how they missed the mark so dramatically.

I’ll have to stick with pouring leftover cereal milk in my coffee for now. If I’m feeling particularly desperate, I suppose I could eat the cereal with half and half, so that the remnants make a real Cinnamon Toast Crunch creamer. I know that’s excessive, but it’s a better option than this liquid disappointment.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 32 fl. oz. bottle
Purchased at: Fry’s
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tbsp) 35 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.