REVIEW: Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches

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It’s the biggest news in Pop-Tarts since Jerry Seinfeld inexplicably got every comedian on Earth to appear in a movie about the great toaster pastry war of the 1960s. Have you seen that movie? To misuse Jerry’s iconic joke set-up, “What’s goin’ on with this?!” (We have to pay him royalties if we use the real line.)

That extremely strange film aside, I’ve got a better question for ya — Have you seen these new Pop-Tarts Ice Cream Sandwiches? Well, let me tell ya what’s goin’ on with this!

Whether you’re a toasted Pop-Tart fan or a “straight out the box” Pop-Tart fan, I’m afraid you’ve been living a lie because Pop-Tarts taste best frozen.

Frozen Pop-Tarts are my jam (pun probably intended), and I think the good folks over at Kellogg finally had the same realization. A frozen Pop-Tart is the best Pop-Tart. Now, picture two frozen Pop-Tarts with some ice cream between them. To quote Cosmo Kramer, “Ohhhh, mama!”

Yeah, despite having a box of P-T’s in my freezer next to some ice cream numerous times, I never once thought to combine the two. It took this drop to make me realize I’ve been missing out for years.

Do they live up to the hype I literally just created in my head?

Yup. These sammiches are really good, but they’re pretty small. If you want the “Big Pop-Tart,” you’re gonna have to go to Monk’s Cafe. They must have been in the pool, because we’ve got a little shrinkage happening. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Seinfeld!

I’ll get my one knock out of the way and say that the size actually acts as a deterrent. These aren’t the most satisfying bites. When I freeze my Tarts, I find that the icing and the filling develop a really pleasant chewy texture. With these adorable mid-sized pastries, there’s not enough of those elements, so the crumby bready part kinda just tastes like a dry Pop-Tart. These Pop-Tarts… are making me thirsty!

That’s a nitpick because, beyond that, I really like these. They’re building off the iconic Strawberry Frosted Pop-Tart and slapping in some light Strawberry ice cream that’s not as cloyingly sweet as you’re probably expecting.

The little block of ice cream is a great mimic of the Strawberry Pop-Tart flavor, even down to the strawberry jelly ribbons that play on the filling. Again, there isn’t much, so, no scoop for you! … but there’s enough. Anything more would have been overkill.

So yeah, mini Pop-Tarts don’t make for the best ice cream sandwich bread, but the flavor is good enough to make up for it. If you have even a little love for Strawberry Pop-Tarts, these should be right up your alley. You won’t be screaming “Serenity Now” after a couple of bites.

Before leaving, I should note that I tried to toast one of these and I would not recommend doing that. It made an absolute mess and ruined my toaster. The cleanup was definitely spongeworthy.

(Might have to pay royalties on that one.)

Purchased Price: $6.87
Size: 16 oz. box/4-pack
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 230 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of total carbohydrates, 19 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of dietary fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Girl Scouts Thin Mints and Coconut Caramel Pop-Tarts

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If you can’t get enough of Girl Scout cookies or perhaps are looking to find new ways to incorporate them into your diet, Kellanova is here to bring a pair of those iconic cookie flavors to your breakfast table. Here for a limited time, much like their cookie counterparts, are Frosted Thin Mints and Frosted Coconut Caramel Pop-Tarts. The Thin Mints variety features a chocolate crust, sweet mint chocolate filling, and a chocolate frosted top. The Coconut Caramel flavor mimics Samoas/Caramel DeLites with a standard crust, toasted coconut and caramel filling, and a caramel frosting with chocolate accents. Let’s find out if we should put ourselves down for twenty boxes of each.

Straight from the package, both flavors are enjoyable (provided you don’t dislike mint or coconut). They both imitate their respective cookies admirably, with Thin Mints doing the best job of this because it’s not a super difficult task to combine mint and chocolate. The Coconut Caramel variety has plenty of coconut flavor in the way that a sweet coconut candy bar would, but it lacks the coconut texture that’s present in the cookies, and the chocolate is also less pronounced in the Pop-Tart version. I found that both flavors could be snacked on untoasted without really sacrificing anything. Some Pop-Tarts need heat to sing, and these don’t have that issue.

Once toasted, the Thin Mints variety gives off a pleasant cocoa brownie-like scent from its crust. I’m always cautious of mint invading my chocolate; it’ll never be my first pick for a sweet treat. That being said, Thin Mints are incredibly popular, and I can’t argue that they strike a near perfect balance of refreshing mint and chocolate. Thankfully, the Pop-Tart succeeds here as well with the filling being just minty enough to know you’re in Thin Mint territory and not making you think you’re tasting toothpaste while eating your breakfast. The Pop-Tarts box always claims you can enjoy them frozen, and this is one of the rare times that actually makes sense because freezing Thin Mints is definitely a thing people do. I gave this a try, and there’s nothing wrong with the frozen tarts, but I don’t think they give the same satisfaction one gets from the cold cookie. For me, these were best at room temperature or toasted.

Coconut Caramel also fares well with a heat treatment. This is a perfectly tasty and (thanks to the coconut) unique Pop-Tart. My only problem with this one is that I really enjoy Samoas cookies, and while the toaster pastry is nice, it just can’t capture the varied textures and tastes that make the cookie so good. If given the choice, I would much rather just eat a handful of the cookies.

I’d award both of these merit badges for their effort in bringing classic cookie flavors to a different format. I wouldn’t be compelled to choose either over my own personal favorite Pop-Tart varieties for regular eating, but they’re a fun tie-in for scout season. Can we do Tagalongs next year?

Purchased Price: $4.79
Size: 8 count box
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 8 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries) Thin Mints – 370 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 410 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 28 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Coconut Caramel – 380 calories, 11 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 350 milligrams of sodium, 67 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 31 grams of total sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Frosted Apple Turnover Pop-Tarts (Walmart Exclusive)

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I never thought I’d say this, but I may have Pop-Tarts nightmares now – specifically from the new Pop-Tarts Frosted Apple Turnover flavor.

There have been various iterations of apple-flavored Pop-Tarts, including the Frosted Crisp Apple Pop-Tarts back in 2019 – which were also a Walmart exclusive.

But, this new exclusive iteration is different because:

  1. It’s an apple turnover – so now there’s a specific pastry called out
  2. Most notably, they’re printed with the Pop-Tarts football mascot.

I got a serious jump scare the moment I opened the foil package. I saw the mascot’s eyes and immediately recoiled with an audible “Eughhhhh!”

The print job of the mascot was… not great. It was off-center and just not as high-fidelity as the graphics on the outside of the box. I shuddered thinking that there were five more designs to discover—seven total. No, thank you.

On the bright side, once I toasted it, the dreaded mascot didn’t become the dripping horror show I was imagining. It stayed intact, though it did form a little bubble right between its eyes. Spooky. It felt like Halloween all over again—-Pop-Tarts edition.

While my eyeballs did not enjoy the visual unhingedness, my tastebuds enjoyed the flavor of these. It was very classic tasting – balanced, not too tart and not overly sweet. There was a distinct and good contrast between the icing and the slightly gooey interior of the apple filling. Would I have liked more apple goo? Apple-solutely. But at $3 a box, I get it—they had to cut costs somewhere, and it was in the goo department.

Honestly, Pop-Tarts could’ve called these Frosted Apple [Insert Any Pastry Name Here]—strudel, hand pie, whatever—and I still would’ve been just as happy.

All in all, if you spot them at your local Walmart, they’re worth a try. But be prepared to be startled… and maybe have a few nightmares.

Purchased Price: $2.62
Size: 13.5 oz/8 count
Purchased at: Walmart (Exclusive)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries – 96g) – 370 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3.5g of polyunsaturated fat, 2g of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 330 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 28 grams of sugar (includes 27 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Frosted Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Pop-Tarts

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Have you ever sipped on a cup of hot cocoa on a cold, snowy evening and thought, “This is nice, but I wish I could have it in the form of a toaster pastry”?

Well, if you have, Pop-Tarts has got you covered!

This limited-edition flavor, Frosted Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Pop-Tarts, has a cocoa pastry and a marshmallow filling. There are also wintry designs printed on the frosting, which is fun.

There are some Pop-Tarts I prefer at room temperature, some I prefer toasted, and some where I don’t care either way. I tried this flavor both untoasted (“Make a toast,” ironically) and toasted (“Cocoa is deer to me”). This variety is much better toasted: The marshmallow filling becomes nice and gooey, like a marshmallow over a fire or marshmallows in a cup of hot cocoa. But marshmallows aren’t known for their exciting flavor.

As for the cocoa part of the pastry, it’s barely there. I get a whiff of fake chocolate when I open the package, like you get in a Tootsie Roll or a Dum-Dum pop, but I don’t really taste it in the Pop-Tart itself. According to the ingredients list, there is less than two percent of cocoa and natural and artificial flavors.

My all-time favorite Pop-Tart flavor is Sugar Cookie, and I have had a hard time finding it in recent years. I hope this new, mediocre winter flavor doesn’t supplant that superior winter flavor.

These are sugary carbs with a gooey filling, so they’re enjoyable to eat. But they’re really just boring. If you want to eat them this winter, I recommend waiting until January. There are so many better ways to spend your calories in December.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: 8-count box
Purchased at: Smith’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries) 360 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 32 grams of sugar including 32 grams of added sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers

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I’m not sure why these new Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers exist.

Pop-Tarts already has a snack-sized product called Pop-Tarts Bites, which has been around since 2019 and still exists. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but maybe it’s Kellogg’s attempt to remove the Pop-Tarts Bites line without much fanfare, similar to how it quietly removed its name from the front of Pop-Tarts boxes.

Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers are available in two varieties: Frosted Strawberry Crunch and Frosted Brownie Crunch. From what I can tell, these Crunchy Poppers are crunchier and smaller than Pop-Tarts Bites. Each box comes with ten pouches, each of which contains 11 pieces that remind me of tiny hot dogs (yes, even the brownie ones), and I like them enough that I wish they came in one large, resealable, and shareable pouch. For now, I’ll just dump whatever I have left into a Ziplock bag and label it “Share Size.” But, spoiler alert, I won’t share them. Nom nom nom.

Let’s start with the texture of these poppable snacks, which are crunchier than a Pop-Tart toasted at almost every browning level, except, of course, the highest, which usually make Pop-Tarts look like they were dipped in Hell. Their crunchiness makes me wish Kellogg’s could figure out how to make regular Pop-Tarts this crunchy right out of its foil packaging. Imagine not having to toast them and burn your mouth with the molten filling anymore. That would be heaven.

As for their flavors, well, they taste like the Pop-Tarts we know and occasionally burn our mouths with. Frosted Strawberry Crunch tastes exactly like the popular Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts, while the Frosted Brownie Crunch reminds me of the Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts. If you buy both varieties, I recommend combining the two in your mouth for some chocolate-dipped strawberry-like goodness. Even though the pieces are small they do have enough filling to pack a flavor punch.

Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers are a fine snack, and because of their texture, I feel they’re better than Pop-Tarts Bites. So, it might be time to say goodbye to Pop-Tarts Bites.

Purchased Price: $8.29 each*
Size: 10 pouches
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: (1 pouch) Strawberry – 110 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar (including 9 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein. Brownie – 110 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 100 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar (including 9 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

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