Just as sure as there will be fads in fashion, from Crocs & bedazzled jeans to high-water pants and bedazzled Crocs, there will be fads in food that was and wane with the years and seasons.

But while most taste trends wear themselves out—pumpkin spice, sriracha, maple bacon, and the ’70s’ aspic-encapsulated everything spring to mind—salted caramel is one of few (hi, avocado) recent buzz-powered foodstuffs that actually stands the taste of time.

Which is why I’m glad Walmart and Kellogg’s decided to not release jellied Aspic Pop-Tarts and instead gave us Chocolatey Salted Caramel, a sodium-supplemented upgrade to plain ol’ Chocolatey Caramel, who now appears in my memory like a fragile Squirtle to this NaC(arame)l Blastoise.

So while I’m encouraged by the premise, there’s only one way to know how good these are. And friends, it doesn’t involve a peppermill. 

An aesthetically comforting, earthen looking tart, the cozy flavor of this pastry authentically reflects its multiple hues of brown.

First I’ll make clear that the chocolate component here is definitely the weaker of the two. The chocolate pastry crust has ghosts of sweetened cocoa powder flavor, and the stratified chocolate icing in the middle replicates Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts’ decadent, rich, and nearly eggy chocolatiness, but both dark brown pops are largely overruled by their lighter companions.

I don’t know exactly where the saltiness is supposed to come in—there’s definitely no umami-filled mouthwatering effect—but the caramel icing and filling is still very deeply caramelized and ribboned with bursts of golden-browned sugar.

I know I compare a lot of caramel flavors to Werther’s, but this one hits the candied caramel nail on the head the hardest—albeit with an extra touch of butterscotch. Imagine melting your grandma’s candy bowl into a soup and injecting it into a chocolate pastry mold.

This is why I’m not welcome at Gram Gram’s any more.

When toasted, this rich caramel is only more deeply cooked, giving the already complexly golden filling a near-molasses level darkness.

Yet this comes at the cost of nearly all of the chocolate flavor, as it fades beneath the faux-salty caramel river’s well-toasted and nearly buttery flavor currents. If plain Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop-Tarts are like one melted candy bowl, then toasted is like swimming in a river of it.

Freezing Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop-Tarts totally flips the switch, pacifying the caramel layers and returning the chocolate to prominence. While this may be good for those looking for mere caramel back-up support, but for those who aren’t looking for a Brownie Blondie Pop-Tart, you’re better off keeping these pastries’ temperature above 32° F.

Sorry to all my polar bear and Antarctic researcher readers.

So overall, Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop-Tarts are a golden mahogany dream come true for caramel fans—in fact, given the meek presence of chocolate and near non-existent influence of salt (for reference, regular Chocolatey Caramel Pop-Tarts somehow contain more sodium), I would say this recipe would make for an even better pure caramel Pop-Tart in the future.

Or perhaps a Caramel Corn Pop-Tart, so Pop-Tarts can inevitably make a Chicago Mix Splitz out of it using a plain, buttered corn Pop-Tart half.

The Bowl: Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop-Tarts

The Breakdown: Not too chocolatey (unless frozen), not terribly salty, but creamily caramelized enough to make the whole rectangle worth it, these exclusive Pop-Tarts are sure to be a cult favorite amongst Caramello Crusaders and Rolo Roadies.

The Bottom Line: 8.5 alternate universe Peanut Buttery Peppered Nougat Pop-Tarts out of 10