We Tried Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles. It's An Unbeatable Snack Breakfast Mashup
Since children often seem to enjoy playing with their food as much as eating it, some companies have designed snack items with tiny, busy hands in mind. Bugles chips certainly belong in that category, seeing as the cone-shaped food's website makes it clear that you're meant to play with the snacks before eating them. Of course, anyone with fond memories of placing Bugles on their fingertips like witch nails — a la Chris Turk (Donald Faison) on "Scrubs" — knows what the General Mills-owned brand is talking about.
Frankly, a childhood spent cackling like one of the Sanderson Sisters while waving Bugle-nailed fingers in faux-evil glory is one well spent. In fact, we'd say Bugles are as crucial to the enjoyment of one's youth as tooth-rottingly sweet cereal brands like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Given the popularity of those two food items, perhaps it's fitting that General Mills introduced Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles in January 2023, bringing forth what could be a delightful amalgamation of sweet and salty flavors.
Now, beyond the likelihood of these two treats tasting amazing together, we can't provide any real insight behind the creation of this synergistic concoction. But we can shine a light on whether this theoretically strong pair makes for a delectable real-life combo. To make that determination, in short, we tried Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles. Does this seemingly perfect match deliver when it comes to your taste buds? Read on and find out what we thought about this intriguing new product.
What's in Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles?
As far as we can tell, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles are, quite literally, classic Bugles that have been tossed and coated in the famous cinnamon-sugar mixture that makes the cereal brand so memorable. "Degermed yellow corn meal" is the first ingredient listed for both regular and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles, after all, so it makes sense that the new version starts with a similar generic Bugle base.
Of course, the new variety also features the cereal brand's widely beloved coating, otherwise known as "Cinnadust" (as it states on the package). Now, while some of you may be under the impression that Cinnadust is a simple (if precise) combination of sugar and cinnamon, as illustrated by the label's ingredients, the reality appears somewhat more complex. While sugar and fructose are listed among the main ingredients, cinnamon is less prominent. In fact, the label surprisingly notes that the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles contain "less than 2%" of the spice.
We're not exactly experts on the manufacturing process (and subsequent secrets) behind the Cinnadust recipe, though. And since the coating tastes the same as it does inside a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, we can't get upset over the lack of specifics when it comes to ingredient ratios. Frankly, whatever is in this new line of Bugles, it's hard to raise too much of a fuss upon sampling one.
How much do Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles cost?
As most people know, the precise cost of an item tends to fluctuate depending on where someone buys it. So, we can't say for certain just how much a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles will set you back upon purchase. Of course, while we can't provide a guaranteed price for this new snack food, there are some clues as to the likely cost if you find a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles. The suggested retail price for a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles is $2.99. Frankly, we have little reason to doubt this projected price point, particularly considering a family-size bag of regular Bugles cost $3.96 at Walmart as of February 2023.
While we're not completely certain how much a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles will cost you in Anytown, USA, if it's available near you, it seems fair to assume this new version of the horn-shaped snack will cost somewhere between three and five dollars per bag.
How long are Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles available and where?
Did you know Bugles have been made in non-plain flavors since 1984 when General Mills introduced a nacho cheese-flavored variety? You may have already gotten that — at least if you're a scholar of snack food history, that is. Still, even an expert on Bugles-specific history may not know just how long Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles will be available.
After all, there wasn't any mention of a limited-time run for this variety when it was announced in January 2023. And since several other standard flavors of Bugles were available as of February 2023, it appears Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles may be destined for a longer life on shelves than anticipated.
As for where one can purchase Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles, its website provides a helpful search link to help consumers find the snack. Initially, it appears that this variety will be sold exclusively in convenience stores across the U.S. So if you'd like to sample this cereal-snack combo, consider a trip to 7-Eleven.
What is the nutrition info for Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles?
The nutrition for a snack food — particularly a mass-produced item like Bugles — can be fairly hit or miss, health-wise. Some snacks sneak a Trojan Horse's worth of sugar, salt, and fat into your digestive system, after all. So, it's useful to check an item's nutritional information before assuming any of its good (or bad) dietary aspects.
In that sense, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles are far less nutritionally detrimental than we expected. In fact, given the prominence of the sweet Cinnadust coating, we were surprised to see the snack contains a mere five grams of sugar per serving (and only 15 grams per bag). Then again, compared to some other sugar-forward brands on the market, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is hardly a sickly sweet cereal, so perhaps it wasn't as unexpected as we imagined.
One serving of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles also contains seven grams of fat and no dietary fiber, though it offers two grams of protein alongside a relatively reasonable 150 calories per serving. Maybe Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles aren't the key to a healthy diet — but it isn't going to destroy your health if you enjoy it in moderation, either.
How does it compare to other Bugles products?
How do the new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles compare to the other Bugles products on the market as of February 2023? Well, we'd have to say the new variety stacks up quite well against the classic Bugles version — both flavor-wise and nutritionally speaking. After all, unless we were completely misguided in our assessment, the only real difference we could find between regular Bugles and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch version is the addition of the famed Cinnadust.
Actually, we did notice one other discrepancy between this new line of Bugles and its other products: the sodium and sugar levels. It comes as no surprise to learn that the Cinnamon Toast Crunch version contains a few more grams of sugar per serving than regular Bugles, which makes perfect sense given the flavor profile. But the fact that the regular variety (or, say, the Hidden Valley Ranch flavor) contains more sodium per serving than the new version indicates a tad less salt may have been used. If so, that provides a better balance between salty and sweet tastes in a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles.
Verdict: This food mashup is a glorious sweet-and-salty treat
If you've ever gleefully dug your hand into a box of cereal and devoured fistfuls of dry product sans milk, then you can imagine how exceptional Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles taste. Frankly, any snack that evokes memories of those times we were too lazy to grab a bowl, spoon, and milk to satiate a cereal craving is going to be a winner in our book.
More than that, though, the snack reminded us of something akin to Cinnamon Toast Crunch Corn Chex. This wasn't entirely shocking, given the similarities between Corn Chex and Bugles, of course — and the fact that General Mills owns all three food brands. Somehow, though, we'd never considered whether Cinnadust seasoning would translate well to Corn Chex. But the beautiful union of cinnamon, sugar, and crunchy corn into a single snack seems monumentally obvious in hindsight.
Since we try to avoid preconceived notions, we weren't entirely sure what to expect from Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles before we sampled them. But the combination of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Bugles was like pennies from heaven. So if you're unsure what to expect from this new line of Bugles, heed our simple advice and grab a bag as soon as you can. You won't regret it.