Let it Snow!

In the spirit of Christmas, winter, and all things wonderful, I simply could not resist trying these limited edition Sugar Cookie pop-tarts!

Now before we get on to the general review of this festive pop-tart, let me just take a moment to share something incredibly ridiculous that I have recently noticed about the marketing strategies of Kellogg's in regards to pop-tarts.

Ready?

Check this out!

Are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Are they seriously trying to market this as a health food?  I love pop-tarts as much as the next guy, but c'mon, people!  These things are 400 calories.  PER. PASTRY.


Anyone who is thinking that this might be considered a health food, is kidding themselves.  But my question is, do they think that mom's are really buying this line?  Do they think that a mother walking leisurely through the grocery store is going to see this this box and say, "Hmm. It says here that this is a great source of Calcium and of 4 B vitamins.  I had better get this for my kids!"


Call me crazy, but I seriously struggle to see that happening.

Moving on.

The sugar cookie pop-tarts, have a special extra feature: printed holiday pictures!

Actually, I don't care about the holiday pictures at all, but I'm sure I would've when I was a little girl, so it's worth mentioning.

As the actual quality of flavor of these, it hits a home run.  If you want sugar cookies, you got 'em!  Not the overly rich, store-bought sugar cookies, but the homemade ones. I don't know if I would eat them regularly, because I just don't love sugar cookies that much, but they were really good.

I like them cold.  I liked them toasted.  I liked them with milk.  I even liked them without milk.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, you have it!

Bon apetit!

Do you want s'more?

Aaaaaaaaaand we're back!  I know it's been ages since the last post.  C'est la vie, you know?

Anyway, I've recently jumped into my childhood and sampled the S'mores pop-tarts.  What a throw back!

Growing up, this was far and away my favorite flavor (probably because it was such a rare treat).  Any trip to the grocery store with Mom was inevitably peppered with something along the lines of, "Ooh, Mom, Mom, Mom! Pleeease can we get these??"  Wisely, she rarely caved, but when she did we were ecstatic.

All of that nostalgia aside, S'mores pop-tarts have lost some of their glimmer over the years.  I still enjoy them from time to time, but their not quite tops in my book.  Here's why:

The Crust: Unlike most pop-tarts, S'mores are made with a "graham cracker" crust.  This is one of the reasons that they don't really taste all that good cold.  The crust is far too dry.  It's better toasted, but after a few second of toasty softness, the crust gets quite hard.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this phenomenon.

The Filling: The chocolate and marshmallow filling of S'more is actually pretty good (hot or cold).  No complaints here.

The Icing: I'm not gonna lie, this icing reminds me a great deal of the powder used to make instant hot cocoa.  In my book, that is not a plus.  It just tastes very...manufactured and not much like real chocolate to me.

Overall, S'mores are still a pretty solid choice for your pop-tart needs (assuming you can get past the crust issue).  Certainly worth giving it a try!

Bon apetit!

Wildlicious® Wild! Fruit Fusion

First off, I know this is a little late in the game to comment upon this, but have you ever noticed how redundant the label "Wildlicious ® Wild!" is?  Why is it both wildlicious and wild?    Anyway, moving on...




About a month ago, Clare and I had the brilliant idea to review our next pop-tart together - in a dialogue format.  Alas!  Our brilliant plan was foiled by the month of May.  Ah May!  The month in which all of the year come to a climax on nearly every level: graduations, weddings, ordinations, recitals, and final exams abound.  It's a pretty crazy time.
As a result, our bold project had come to a sudden and silent halt.  ¡Qué triste!



Never fear, we're back and ready to go.  That being said, all record and most memory of our dialogue has been lost for now and most likely all ages to come.

C'est la vie.  Mine anyway.

This may turn out to be a sub-par review of the Wildlicious® Wild! Fruit Fusion, because I don't remember too many of the details of the experience.  What I do remember is that was one delicious  pop-tart.  Seriously.  For once I must agree with my little sister and say that it was definitely a pop-tart worth trying.  Especially toasted.

So, go try it.

Cinnamon Roll - The Continuing Story

First off, thanks to Kelly for that inspiring post about the Confetti Cupcake Pop-tart.   I am eagerly anticipating the day that I get to try it!

In other news...

Seriously, Clare?  How can you be so wrong about something and still be my sister?  I will never understand your complete lack of taste when it comes to the more subtle flavors of the cinnamon roll pop-tart.

Cinnamon Roll has so many of the things that I love about BSC in lighter, slightly less sweet ways. I am not saying that Cinnamon Roll in anyway surpasses BSC.  I am, however, saying that Cinnamon Roll offers a lighter fare for those days when you just want a slightly less sweet treat to break up the sugar overload that it this project.

I love pop-tarts, I always have, but in the sea of the sugary sweet, I greatly appreciated the Cinnamon Roll pop-tart.  It still had plenty of sugar, but they took the icing down a notch and both toasted and un-toasted it was quite nice.

So, ignoring the haters *cough* Clare *cough*, I encourage you all to try the Cinnamon Roll pop-tart as soon as your heart desires.

1 - Confetti Cupcake | Kelly

I decided that my first review would be on whatever flavor of Pop-Tarts caught my eye upon first glance of the Pop-Tart section in the breakfast aisle.

And BOOM!

Confetti Cupcake it is!!

Am I really surprised? No. I have an infamous sweet tooth, and it showed it's true colors for this experiment.

It was about 8 o'clock at night when I purchased these, but did that stop me from ripping open the box the second I got into my apartment?! HECK NO, BROTHA (or SISTA!)

Here's a glimpse of what the Pop-Tart looks like if you don't trust the image on the box.... TRUST NO ONE... except this picture because I took it myself..

NO, the answer is that I could NOT wait to take the picture before biting into this bad boy. I HAVE ZERO SELF CONTROL, PEOPLE.

Anyway, it looks quite cupcake-y so points for that, Pop-Tart Peeps.

I toasted one and ate the other regular. The regular Pop-Tart was okay... I can't explain why it wasn't awesome. The flavor was good but the texture seemed too thick or cookie-like. I'm honestly not sure what I was expecting. But it wasn't bad at all... I would eat this everyday if I could. Straight up. Cold. Regular. Raw. Because I'm hardcore, and that's what hardcore people do.

And as for the toasted one...

[Hey there, little fella...]

IT WAS SO GOOD!

Seriously.... I LOVED IT!

You should all take into account, however, that my sweet tooth knows no bounds. I have never encountered something that was too sweet for me. NEVER.

That being said, the toasted version of this baby tastes very similar to what a typical cupcake might taste like with a hint of batter.

So the big question was does this Cupcake Confetti Pop-Tart take the gold? Well, IT'S THE ONLY DANG FLAVOR I HAVE TRIED IN THE CHALLENGE!

Ha! SOOOOOOOOOO..... the rankings go.... *drum roll*

1. Cupcake Confetti

*AND THE CROWD GOES WILD*

Flavor #4: Cinnamon Roll

Now that I am venturing out deeper into the pop-tart world, this is endeavor becoming much more exciting! Cinnamon Roll is the second pop-tart that I have never tried before. Very excited, I put both in the toaster this time (yup, I'm a rebel) and anxiously await the popping of this new pop-tart.
I get my milk and take my first bite. Time seems to freeze in this moment and I...

Yuck. I seriously do not like this pop-tart at all.

First of all, I was a little wary of trying a cinnamon roll pop-tart when I already love brown sugar cinnamon so much, but this pop-tart didn't even come close. And it tasted nothing like a cinnamon roll! If it did, I would've liked it.

And here's why...
There's like no icing on this pop-tart. I mean, there's even less on it than this stupid inaccurate picture.

Had the top been covered in icing (like most pop-tarts) I may have liked it more, but the inside still tasted weird to me and the entire pop-tart was dry and not very sweet at all.
So..
Crust? yeah no
Icing? WHAT ICING???
Filling? *thumbs down*
Milk? Sure, if you don't want it to taste like paper.
Toasted? Its a pop-tart for heaven's sake
Cold?...oops
Overall score: 3

I can't wait to see what Therese has to say because she liked this pop-tart. (and that's Therese with a "thhha", by the way)
Good luck (seriously good luck, this pop-tart was gross) and may the odds be ever in your flavor.

Flavor #3: Wildlicious Wild Strawberry

I had high hopes for this pop-tart since Therese said it was one of the best. So the next morning I popped one in the toaster and left the other one cool, hoping to enjoy the sweet sensation of another great pop-tart.

Whoa now...unlike Therese, I did not like the pop-tart cold at all. It was chewy and the icing tasted hard and funky. However, it did turn my milk pink which was kinda cool.
As far as toasted goes...YUMMY! This wild strawberry pop-tart has the strawberry zing I wanted to taste so much in the original strawberry. Needless to say, I think this pop-tart is a better choice over regular strawberry. Its really good.

And here's why...
Once toasted, everything kind of just melts together. The jelly tends to get really hot so I had to let mind cool for a bit, but the outside gets crispier and the inside gets softer. I don't even know if the pop-tart company realized they were doing this, but its amazing. Pop-tarts just generally taste better toasted.

Soo...
Crust? still kinda powdery, but good nonetheless
Icing? Make sure its toasted, but SO GOOD. (your milk will turn pink and its fabulous)
Filling? 100% better than original strawberry
Milk? Great for dunking!
Toasted? There ain't no other way, child
Cold? BLEH
Overall score: 7

Can't wait to hear what you guys think!
Good luck and may the odds be ever in your flavor.

Announcing Wildlicious® Wild! Strawberry

Hold the phone!  How is it that I have never tried this flavor before?  Wildlicious® Wild! Strawberry has recently rocked my pop-tart-eating world.  It's very much like Strawberry, but even better.

Un-toasted, it was delicious!

Toasted, it was even better!

Plus...it turns your milk pink!!!

I won't reveal where this one ranks in my pop-tart rankings until the very end, but it's definitely a contender.

The only real drawback to the Wildlicious® Wild! Strawberry pop-tart is that it's almost too sweet at the end.

Anyway, if you haven't tried it.  Do.

Pop-Tart Priming | Kelly

Hi, guys :)

I'm Kelly. A friend of Therese and Clare The Pop-Tart Queen and a fellow Pop-Tart enthusiast.

I'm excited to take this journey with you while discovering and highlighting the true, commendable art of the Pop-Tart.

While the fact that this is a sugary and quick form of breakfast is already enough for me, I am überly (not a word but YOLO) pumped to finally figure out once and for all which flavor is my #1 Top Favorite of All Time in the History of Pop-Tarts. That's an actual thing. Look it up. (Actually, don't..)

I am excited to go classic with Strawberry.

I am excited to go campside with S'mores.

I am excited to go wild with Wild Berry.

I am excited to party it up with Confetti Cake.

I am excited to do it all.

And how lucky am I that I get to try them all with you!?

There is one question I feel like I should answer for all of you who are on the fence about Pop-Tarts:

Are Pop-Tarts really breakfast?

Nay. They are the only breakfast.

See you guys soon. ;) Kelly

My Take on Strawberry

Well, folks, I know you've all been dying to know what I think about the strawberry pop-tart.

I've always been a fan of strawberry.  Like BSC, it's a classic.  I must admit that my opinion of strawberry has been pretty firmly fixed for some time.  That said, I'll give it a proper review.

First off, I am inclined to agree with Clare, strawberry is not at its best toasted.  I don't think it's because of the jelly - there are many jelly-filled pop-tarts that I enjoy toasted - but I'm not of the opinion that it works out well with strawberry.

However, strawberry makes a splendid snack un-toasted.  I like to eat strawberry with or without milk.  Strawberry pop-tarts have gotten me through many an all-nighter and many a rushed morning.  Plus, I always feel a bit sentimental about strawberries because strawberry is my older sister's favorite flavor in many snacks.

I still prefer BSC, but if it can't be toasted, my next choice is often Strawberry.

What do you think?

Flavor #2: Strawberry

Just a heads up: I know that some of you are thinking "strawberry is the best", but that's highly debatable seeing as how we've already established that brown cinnamon sugar is pretty popular too. So, I think its a universal agreement that their both pretty fierce competitors. K? Cool?

Anyway...
My mom bought strawberry so that's why its next. (And now that I think about it, its good thing I'm doing this before I go to college because I can't pay for all these pop-tarts myself). I put one in the toaster and left the other one cold just for experimental purposes. I was pretty surprised to find that strawberry actually tastes pretty good cold. In fact, I think I liked it better! Something about the jelly being warm just didn't do it for me. The icing's good and I love strawberry flavored anything, but for some reason this pop-tart didn't really hit the spot.

And here's why: the crust is kinda powdery and the jelly gets waaay hot. But after letting it cool for a bit and taking a quick bath in milk, it was still pretty damn good. I don't really know how I feel about any jelly-filled thing being toasted/warm but it worked out ok. Still not as good as cinnamon (in my professional pop-tart opinion).

However, strawberry tastes really good cold...perhaps better than cinnamon does without the toaster. So if you need a pop-tart on the go, strawberry's a good choice. You'll still want milk though because milk's the bomb and pop-tarts just need milk.

So...
Crust? meh
Icing? Super yum!
Filling? Gooey, but still good
Milk? Where would pop-tarts be without it?
Toasted? its alright
Cold? Magically delicious!
Overall score: 6

Can't wait to hear Therese's controversial response.
(I'm totally kidding. You write whatever you want sis!)
Good luck and may the odds be ever in your flavor.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon - My Review

Sorry for the delay in this review, no such pop-tart saving courtesy was extended to me, so I had to wait for the next box of pop-tarts to appear.  Luckily for me, it was brown sugar cinnamon (BSC).

BSC has long since been one of my all time favorite pop-tart flavors.  It's a simple classic, like vanilla ice cream.  It does, however, have a few drawbacks.

For example, I have always found BSC pop-tarts too dry to eat un-toasted, even with milk.  Un-toasted, it doesn't really absorb milk well and with no milk it's super dry.  Not a huge plus in my book.

The other draw back for me is that BSC pop-tarts, even toasted, really need milk.  It just completes the package.


So, in conclusion, with milk and toasted, BSC are a veritable dream of culinary joy.  Without them...meh.

Flavor #1: Brown Sugar Cinnamon

Brown Sugar Cinnamon is probably the most popular of all pop-tarts, so I felt it was appropriate to start with this one (and because it was already in my house). I mean, I've never met a person who doesn't like them, but I am sure there people like that out here. We should pray for them.

Anway, when I walked downstairs this morning, there was one pack of cinnamon left in the box which I was told was left for me, as my little sister stated, "for your stupid blog". How rude! Anyway, I opened the pack and made sure that the pop-tart had not been broken, because that's just annoying, dropped it in the toaster and waited. (You can eat them without using a toaster, but that kind of takes the "pop" out of the "tart", if you know what I mean.)

After about three minutes, the pop-tarts were ready and they smelled awesome! I laid them gingerly on a paper towel, and said a blessing (cuz that's what I do), then got back up because I forgot to pour myself a glass of milk, then sat back down and started to pray again, but then remembered I already did, and then, finally, I ate.

Now, everyone eats their pop-tarts differently and I have no intention of trying every single way to make my judgement on the flavor. That's just ridicules. So, my way is simply to break a part of the pop-tart and let it soak in the milk for a couple of seconds (I believe this is called "dunking"). When the pop-tart is just soggy enough, I consume it and its perfection.

And here's why: brown sugar cinnamon has really good crust. I mean, the icings great, but the icing with the crust is just so good. Sometimes I wish they just had a plain pop-tart with brown sugar cinnamon's crust (which they probably do). It always taste better soggy since it doesn't have jelly in the middle and is more on the dry side. On top of that, dunking it makes it cool on the outside and warm on the inside. Yum. So if you don't dunk for some lame I-Don't-Want-To-Eat-Messy-'Cus-I-Eat-Like-A-Bird reason then you should try it anyway. Yolo, people.

So, here's what I have to say about Flavor #1:
Toasted? Yes
Milk? Hell yeah!
Icing? Scrumptious!
Crust? LOVE
Filling? Yummy, but dry if you don't have milk
Overall score? 8

Can't wait to hear what flavor the rest of you write about (which is currently just Therese).
Good luck and may the odds be ever in your flavor.

Pop-Tart Patrol: The Dream

Pop-Tarts: Imagine the world without them. They are the friendliest food. Even on your downest of days, they are extremely perky whether it be by their colorful frosting or when they pop out of the toaster and fill your kitchen with a sweet savory smell. They can be eaten at any time of day for any meal (although doctors and other stingy healthy people might disagree). Or for a late night snack. Or something to grab on the go. OR even for a simple dessert. They can be eaten cold and hard or, after a brief trip in the toaster, warm and gooey. They are perfect for dunking and one of milk's greatest companions (second to oreo's). They are perhaps one of the greatest inventions of man kind.

Anyway, I hope you have read that all in dramatic narrator voice (preferably Morgan Freeman's).

The pop-tart patrol idea was inspired by a dream. A dream I had whilst sleeping on my sofa. I dreamt that my mother had bought every flavor of Pop-tarts and I couldn't figure out which one I wanted for breakfast.

And then it occurred to me that I haven't tried all the flavors and even though I say brown sugar cinnamon is my favorite, how can you know until you've tried them all?

One thing led to another and it suddenly became my new life goal to try every flavor of pop-tart and decide, at the end of my endeavor, which is my favorite. This will be a difficult journey. Only the strong will survive (although I do not advise anyone with diabetes, cancer, slow metabolism and/or poison ivy to participate in this adventure). If you do not suffer from these conditions, or you just don't care, join us.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your flavor.

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