Tag: Lucky Charms

Skittles encourages you to “Taste the Rainbow.” But when I look at Berry Swirl Lucky Charms Cereal, I can’t help but think I’m about to taste the rainbow that leads to a pool of 64 melted Crayola crayons on top of a Bob Ross paint palette. I could give you a rundown of all the colors I see, but staring at it hurts my eyes. Also, I’m pretty sure if I look at it long enough, a 3D image will pop out.

Those of you who have ridden the rainbow of Lucky Charms varieties probably have Fruity Lucky Charms at the front of your mind, which was the usual marshmallows with red-colored, fruity-flavored cereal pieces. Berry Swirl Lucky Charms takes the color and fruity taste up a notch with different colored fruity cereal and berry-flavored marshmallows. Of course, the obligatory green clovers, pink hearts, yellow stars, blue moons, purple horseshoes, red balloons, rainbows, and unicorns are also in the mix.

Much like other fruity cereals, all the corn pieces taste the same regardless of color and have a nondescript fruitiness. While there’s a decent number of blueberry and raspberry-flavored marshmallows, the amount is dwarfed by the bright cereal pieces and standard marbits, making the new berry marshmallows indistinguishable from the rest of the cereal. Eating them on their own is the only way to taste their respective flavors. It’s disappointing that all the marbits weren’t the berry ones because I think that might’ve made this a marbit more interesting than it is. But Lucky Charms gotta Lucky Charms and have the usual sugary stalwarts.

Berry Swirl Lucky Charms will satisfy fruity cereal fans, and it’s a good part of a complete breakfast. However, because the berry marshmallows don’t add anything, it’s not better or more intriguing than any other fruity cereal with marbits. But it’s definitely the most colorful.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from General Mills. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.9 oz box
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup – cereal only) 140 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

Remember last year’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms Mix Cereal? It’s understandable if you don’t because I also forgot about it and was only reminded about it when I searched for a similar product I knew existed a competing cereal company offered. But this new Lucky Charms S’mores Cereal is like the sequel to that, but with less popular cereals and a less verbose name. It’s basically Chocolate Lucky Charms mixed with what appears to be Golden Grahams.

What’s with the “what appears to be”?

After trying the square-shaped pieces on their own, I’m not sure they’re actually Golden Grahams. But it’s got to be, right? Golden Grahams is under the Big G tent. Why develop a slightly different cereal when there’s already an option? Ugh. This is getting me worked up. I’ve put too much effort and thought into this. If only I had some old-timey graham crackers that Sylvester Graham made to bring down my excitement.

I’m suspicious about the ridged-cereal pieces because, while they do have a mild flavor that reminds me of Golden Grahams, there’s also a taste that I would describe as lightly charred. Look, as someone who likes their marshmallows slightly burnt because it adds a unique flavor and TOTALLY not because I like fire a little too much, that char can be part of the s’mores experience. But it’s odd to be tasting it with a cereal. Granted, I notice that unusual flavor when eating those squares separately. But when mixed with the other pieces, it’s not noticeable at all.

What’s slightly more noticeable in the cereal as a whole, but not to a level that I’d like, is the graham. With most spoonfuls, it doesn’t stand out among the chocolatey pieces and sugary marshmallows, and because of that, it’s hard for me to say that this is s’mores-like. That’s especially the case when the chocolatey flavor leaks into the milk. It pretty much tastes like Chocolate Lucky Charms, which is still magically delicious, but this doesn’t have a magical s’mores flavor.

Lucky Charms S’mores Cereal is a decent part of a complete breakfast, but it’s also a slight disappointment. But, to make it compelling and a product I won’t forget, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms Mix Cereal, I’ve been thinking that I’m in an alternate universe where Golden Grahams is the beloved square-shaped cereal that has its own Grahamdust and Chocolate Lucky Charms is the original.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from General Mills. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11 oz box
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup – cereal only) 140 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

What is Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters Cereal?

Rice Krispies Treats Cereal’s reformulation is one of the most controversial topics in cold breakfast history.

Introduced in 1993 and taken away for seemingly no reason in 2018, the cereal delivered an extra crunchy version of a Rice Krispies Treat that could hold up in milk and still provide a super sweet spoonful of satisfaction.

Kellogg’s brought the cereal back in 2019 and replaced the chunks of treats with sweetened puffed rice and marshmallows. The new version wasn’t awful, but a far cry from its former self, which is why I was ecstatic when I saw the latest release from General Mills: Lucky Charms Marshmallow Clusters. Did Lucky swoop in and save Snap, Crackle, and Pop from themselves? I sure hope so!

How is it?

Well, it isn’t Rice Krispies Treats Cereal. I try to go into every new product with an open mind, but the comparison was inevitable and set me up for a bit of a disappointment. But it’s not all bad.

The sweetened corn and rice clusters remind me of a crunchier version of Kix, and despite their pleasantly mild vanilla taste, they aren’t nearly sweet enough to remind me of a marshmallow treat.

The mild flavor gets even milder, almost extinct when added to milk. I also find their size kind of bizarre. They aren’t quite big enough to dominate a spoon like Frosted Mini-Wheats, but they’re far from Cap’n Crunch territory too, making the proper spoon balance tricky. There’s a reason most rectangular cereal pieces aren’t this big and flat.

Anything else you need to know?

The Lucky Charms marshmallows are excellent. Vibrantly colored and full of crunchy-yet-soft freeze-dried splendor, their pronounced sweetness brings a very welcome balance to the unfortunately bland clusters. Although Lucky Charms isn’t one of my favorite cereals, I prefer its normal Cheerios-adjacent glazed oat pieces to these new hypothetically sweeter and more fun clusters.

Conclusion:

Whether or not I had inflated expectations, this cereal would have been a letdown. Between its odd shape and texture and too mild flavor, this just makes me miss the 90s classic even more.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.2 oz. box
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup/37 grams) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.

The cereal aisle provides us with MANY choices. But the ONLY one I want to try with Limited Edition Lucky Charms Just Magical Marshmallows is Kellogg’s Raisin Bran.

Whyyyy?

Maybe I want to taint the wholesomeness of a healthy cereal pillar with marshmallows. Maybe because most of the cereals I’ve wanted to try with marbits already have them, like Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, and Cocoa Puffs. Or perhaps I want to add some vibrant colors to one of the most depressing cereals to look at.

Yes, I could’ve tried this years ago because dehydrated marshmallows have been available on Amazon for years. But I’m not going to trust no-name, boring-shaped marbits. I also could’ve transplanted the mallows from Lucky Charms into another cereal, but then I’m stuck with the sweetened oat pieces. Blech!

So I’m glad we now can purchase Lucky Charms cereal marshmallows sans-cereal in pouches for $3.99. Although, I’m not glad they’re only available at select retailers for a limited time.

The marshmallows are what you’d get in regular and special edition Lucky Charms – red balloons, blue moons, green clovers, purple horseshoes, pink hearts, yellow stars, rainbows, and unicorns. They’re sweet, and, not surprisingly, have the same flavor as what’s in the cereal. Because they have a satisfying crunch and taste like I’m eating pure sugar, I’ve been enjoying the handfuls I’ve been shoving into my mouth. Although that could be the sugar talking.

So how are Lucky Charms marshmallows with Kellogg’s Raisin Bran?

The combo tastes naughty like I’m adding tater tots to a salad to be the croutons. They add crunchiness when the flakes’ somewhat crispy texture reliably flakes out within 30 seconds of sitting in milk. But, more importantly, the amped sugariness blocks out most of the bran flavor, which is what I hoped. It’s wonderful.

Because my snacking and cereal mashup-ing didn’t put much of a dent into the six ounces of magical goodness each pouch contains, I decided to create some General Mills synergy by smooshing some into Pillsbury’s Safe to Eat Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and baking them. Unfortunately, the batch I made didn’t taste or feel as if there was synergy. All the marbits added was a bit of color, no crunch or amped up sugariness.

I didn’t let my imagination run wild with these Limited Edition Lucky Charms Just Magical Marshmallows, but it’s a product with many possibilities. It also easily adds some color to any drab-looking food, like Kellogg’s Raisin Bran.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the product. Thanks, General Mills! Doing so did not influence my review. Also, sorry, General Mills, for mentioning a competitor’s product and not adding these to your Total Raisin Bran.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6 oz pouch
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 120 calories 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.