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.

REVIEW: Yoplait Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Trix Smoothies

Yoplait Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Trix Smoothies

What are Yoplait Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Trix Smoothies?

More cereal-themed crossovers! This time, yogurt drinks! Actually, no, technically this time “cultured dairy beverage”! YUM!

With all these branded crossovers, 2020 has me wondering, are cereal brands and candy brands the consumer goods version of The Avengers? Is this the year we get so fully inundated by crossovers that the only remaining option is an Endgame-style product that contains them all? Did I just make such a weakly constructed comic reference that caused half of you to angry? POSSIBLY!??

How are they?

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Yoplait Trix Smoothies

The Trix smoothie is remarkably close in flavor to its cereal counterpart. I suppose we have the magic of modern flavor technology to thank for that. Although it LOOKS like a glass full of Pepto Bismol (maybe there’s a fun April Fools trick buried in there somewhere), the smoothie has a pleasant strawberry lemon fruity flavor and an enjoyable Trixmilk after taste.

The tangy cultured yogurt works really well with the fruit flavors, in my opinion. The texture is smooth, creamy, and very drinkable. My only qualm is that its so sweet you’d think you were gulping down Trix-flavored frosting.

Yoplait Cinnamon Toast Crunch Smoothie

The Cinnamon Toast Crunch beverage smells exactly like opening a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal and has delightful little visible specs of cinnamon. I’m also a sucker for the psycho/adorable cinnamon toast square cartoon characters the brand has adopted recently.

The flavor isn’t as strong in cinnamon as I would have expected, and because of that, I don’t think it matches the cereal flavor as well as the Trix version does. This one is sort of like a yogurt horchata. There’s a stronger, blander, vanilla yogurt taste.

Is there anything else you need to know?

SHOOGAARR!!!

Both smoothies are surprisingly tasty. However, each drink has nearly double the sugar as a serving of their cereal counterpart. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to sugar guilt anybody. I just think I’d rather have a double serving of either cereal than drink one of these smoothies again. Maybe if you like, can’t chew things and still want to taste your favorite cereals? Yeah, that works.

Conclusion:

These drinks were, for the most part, accurate in flavor, but incredibly sweet. They’re certain to give you a sugar rush, which might be what you’re looking for to propel you into 2020 and the inevitable cereal flavor mashups we have left ahead of us to taste.

Purchased Price: $4.99 each
Size: 4 – 7 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: Mariano’s (owned by Kroger)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Trix), 4 out of 10 (Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
Nutrition Facts: (1 smoothie) Trix – 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. Cinnamon Toast Crunch – 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros Cereal

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros

What is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros?

With unique but dubious flavor choices such as Sour Patch Kids being zapped with a cereal transmogrifier, toast for breakfast is passé.

Luckily, chef Wendell minored in business at Cereal U. and nixed the Avocado Toast Crunch suggestion for revitalizing Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Instead, he’s leaning into his core competency and retooling some of his cinnamon soot spewing factories to produce new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros.

How is it?

Original Cinnamon Toast Crunch is on my Mount Sugarrushmore of breakfast cereals. So it is no small accolade to say Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros is a slightly different but still fantastic addition. While the smaller squares of Cinnamon Toast Crunch delightfully smother my type 2 sugar receptors, Churros’ sweetness is dialed back despite the sugar content being nearly identical.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros 3

A combination of larger cereal pieces, the omission of fructose, and a heavier cinnamon hand produce a slightly more balanced flavor. Dry, the altered shape packs as much if not even more crunch than Wendell’s piratical competitor.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros 4

More importantly, while Cinnamon Toast Crunch becomes soggy at the sound of a refrigerator door opening, Churros retains its crunch longer in milk. This larger window before soggification creates pillowy bites that call to mind the times I’ve dipped an apple cider donut into a glass of cider. Minus the apple of course. While I’ve never dunked a churro into milk, I expect the result would be similar.

Is there anything else you need to know?

I used unsweetened almond milk in my bowl. I do not expect your choice of milk mate will impact the flavor much.

Conclusion:

If I had to choose between the two, I still slightly prefer Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but do not let that dissuade you from trying them for your yourself. Feeling the pressure to take his milquetoast toast shapes to the next level, Chef Wendell has cooked up something churrific.

Purchased Price: $3.64
Size: 19.7 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 130 calories, 3 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 2 gram of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamania Toaster Strudel

Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Strudel

What is the Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Strudel?

Combining the aromatic spices of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with the crisp flakiness of Pillsbury’s iconic Toaster Strudel, these heat ‘n eat treats take a cold cereal classic and turn it into a warming breakfast.

How is it?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Pastries Pic  5 jpg

If there’s one thing about Toaster Strudels that’s always bothered me, it’s the icing that comes with them. While delicious, I don’t think that Pillsbury ever puts enough packets of it in the box. Each one is teeny-tiny, and you can only use a single packet per pastry unless you plan on eating some of them naked and unadorned.

Setting the icing situation aside, the Toaster Strudel itself was the true star of the show. Post-toasting, each pastry was pleasingly browned and filled my kitchen with the delicious smell of cinnamon sugar, alluding to their sweet, spiced filling. Although the top of each pasty was crisp and flaky, I thought that they were a little dry and chewy on the bottom, and they would have greatly benefited from some more butter or shortening in the dough.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Pastries Pic  7 JPG

Luckily, the much anticipated liquid spice goo more than made up for the pastry’s faults. The filling isn’t too strong, but it makes this Toaster Strudel taste genuinely reminiscent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, ensuring that kids and adults alike will enjoy eating these for breakfast.

Is there anything else I need to know?

When you bite down onto one of these when they’re fresh from the toaster, the filling is about the temperature of lava, and it will burn your mouth if you’re not careful. Plus, the filling in mine had all run down to one end, leaving me with a few bites of plain dough.

Conclusion:

The Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Strudel is a solid addition to the line. Sweet, aromatic, and true to the cereal, these are a solid breakfast choice for a chilly fall morning.

Purchased Price: $3.87
Size: 23.4 oz. box/12 pastries
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pastry with icing) 180 calories, 60 calories from fat, 7 grams of total fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 9 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Burger King Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake

Burger King Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake

Having retired from gracing the cover of cereal boxes, Chef Wendell has teamed up with the brilliant minds behind the cereal-flavored shake line at Burger King to bring us the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake.

Wendell’s cinnamon sugar stained hands are all over the latest offering, combining what Burger King describes as cinnamon cereal-flavored syrup and cinnamon toast crunch pieces with vanilla soft serve.

Outwardly, it dons the unassuming guise of a ho-hum vanilla shake, but just as with many superhero origin stories, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. The first sip will blast even the most underdeveloped taste buds into sugary oblivion, but a warm cinnamon aftershock is definitely in play as well. This thing screams Cinnamon Toast Crunch and that beloved flavor is uniform and omnipresent.

Burger King Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake 2

As much as I praise the shake for capturing the essence of its namesake, there are some missteps. Unsurprisingly, the cereal pieces do not fare as well as one would like. There was some crunchiness to be found, but overall, they were more soggy than not. This being the first semi-watery shake I’ve received from BK may have hastened the demise of my poor cereal bits.

For breakfast cereal junkies, and especially CTC lovers, this is a dream come true. But, while excellent in flavor, this cereal turned dairy delight hits hard and lingers, possibly even to a cloying extent for those sans adamantium pancreases forged by the cereal fueled Saturday morning cartoon bingeing of their youth.

Burger King Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake 3

Because of those shortcomings, I cannot objectively give this a higher score. Personally though, this is everything I wanted it to be; a decadent portal to the halcyon days of color changing Ninja Turtle bowls filled with sugary goodness.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Large) 780 calories, 19 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 570 milligrams of sodium, 137 grams of carbohydrates, 113 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein.