Who is the world’s most prolific artist? Paul McCartney? Phish? Viper?

Wrong.

It’s the Dame Diminutive Deborah, better known as Little Debbie. Not counting seasonal specialties like Christmas Tree Brownies, Football Brownies, Easter Egg Brownies and every other merrily malformed hunk of brownie batter, Little Debbie currently produces 47 different snacks. I’d guess the average person could only name a handful—the likes of Zebra Cakes, Star Crunch, Swiss Rolls and Cosmic Brownies—while grease-loving gas station regulars (picture me raising my own slick mitts as identification) could probably tell you about deeper cuts like Donut Sticks, Fudge Rounds, and Pecan Spinwheels.

Despite this sprawling cake-ography, when it came time for Kellogg’s and Little Debbie to drop a cereal, there was likely no doubt about which bite would join the breakfast bowl. None of the snacks I’ve listed even come close to the sugar-sandwiched icon that is the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie. And I’m not just saying that because I grew up making my own double-decker Oatmeal Creme Pies (DIY is better: the official double-D OCPs are just a clever way to cut out half of the moist cookie middlin’).

No, an Oatmeal Creme Pie cereal has been a no-brainer for years. But now that it’s finally happened, can Little Debbie’s milk & spoon debut live up to decades of vacuum-sealed hype? Let’s unwrap Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal from the top.

Excuse me, decidedly not pie-shaped rings? Minus two points.
And they’re made from a blend of corn and oat flour? Minus five more.
Worst of all, no raisins—the secret behind Little Debbie’s OCP recipe—in the ingredients list? Boy, this cereal’s so dead on arrival I oughta dig a plot for it, right between Fido and the tomato plant I spilled Gatorade on.

I kid, I kid. Sort of. Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal may not be 100% accurate to its namesake cake, but it’s still got a lot going for it.

For starters, despite my cornmeal concerns, there are no infamously invasive corn notes here to ruin the otherwise earthy and neutral cereal base. This allows the braised-on flavor to shine without having its luster shucked away. And how might I describe this unique and plush glaze? It’s strange—though OCP Cereal’s constituent taste notes are each familiar on their own, together they make for an innovative amalgam. Picture a cinnamon & molasses oatmeal with a touch of sweet vanilla. Or, using analogous cereal arithmetic, it’s 5 parts Malt-O-Meal Churr-O’s, 3 parts Cinnamon Puffins—which are sweetened with molasses—and 2 parts Hostess Powdered Donettes Cereal.

I wish this last element was a little more pronounced. Despite the box’s boast about each piece’s “creme coating,” it’s more of a sprinkled smack of creaminess than a full-on powdered punch. Nevertheless, the molasses and cinnamon are enough to carry Oatmeal Creme Pie Cereal…

…by which I mean, carry it right into a milky bowl. Milk does a great of filling in the Oatmeal Creme factor the dry Pie’d cereal pieces lack. Likewise, milk gives the crispy pieces a subtle sogginess that better mimics a real Oatmeal Creme Pie’s caramelized sponge cake texture.

Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal isn’t a perfect adaptation. In a perfect world, this cereal would have half its pieces swapped for Donette-like rings plus a handful of raisins. That said, I feel like most people will enjoy OCP Cereal by merit of its novel approach to blackstrap cinnamon sweetness. It’s a fun cereal with a magic all its own—worth keeping a box on hand as an experimental mix-in, but maybe not a regular re-purchase if you like more straightforward flavor profiles.

Most of all, I’m glad Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal is a) getting a lot of hype and b) deserves a fair amount of it. That means Kellogg’s and Little Debbie might release sequel cereals, a la Post and Hostess. There was already a rumored Cosmic Brownies Cereal that either got nixed at the beta stage or will be coming soon. I’m sure everyone reading this has a different idea of what the best Little Debbie Cereal might be—I’d probably say either a simple-to-replicate palate pleaser like Fudge Rounds or a left field option like Pecan Spinwheels.

With Oatmeal Creme Pies out of the way, which Little Debbie cake should get a cereal next? pic.twitter.com/79I5eP0DvR

— Cerealously 🥛🥣 (@cerealouslynet) November 11, 2020

Let ‘er rip, Deborah—spin those nutty wheels like they’re Beyblades!

The Bowl: Kellogg’s & Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal

The Breakdown: Though it lacks a certain fruity wrinkle, OCP Cereal is a sugary cereal with a high-brow blend of unexpected flavors. Don’t expect a scale replica of your favorite snack cake, but expect a bowlful of fun nevertheless.

The Bottom Line: 8 Swiss Roll dissections (you know you do it too) out of 10