I have a soft spot for Puffins.
No, I’m not talking about the nevertheless adorable bird—I have a photo of a festive one hanging in my bathroom, to sum it up—this is about the Barbara’s Bakery cereal line.
The line of wholesomely crunchy pillows gets little praise, but I find its unique molasses sweetener usage comforting. Plus it knows how to do peanut butter flavor so authentically Mr. Peanut would definitely use a Puffin as a throw piece on his legume-shaped futon.
That’s why I’m excited for a chance to get comfortable, fruity, and…ripped? I know These Protein Berry Burst Puffins have been out for a while, but as they are exclusive to Whole Foods, it took me a while to get my hands on them.
So without further ado, let’s swoop in for a scoop.
Immediately we see one Icarian mistake: these are corn-based Puffins—a comparatively hollow and mealy core flavor next to denser, oat and corn blended Puffins flavors like Original; it takes a strong, typically peanut buttery flavor to overcome corn’s influence.
More refreshing, though maybe not in the way you’re imagining, is the actual flavor of the dimly tinted Puffins squares—whose colors look like a blend of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal and the color palate of that one blanket you keep in the back of your car in case you need it, but you don’t really know where it came from to begin with.
Everyone has that blanket, right?
Despite the photorealistic promises of this cereal’s box, Berry Burst Puffins taste way more like raspberries than blueberries—a classic mistake of underestimating the sheer sensory dominance of even a little raspberry flavoring. Unfortunately, the raspberry flavoring in these Puffins isn’t the greatest: tart and nearly menthol-tinged, it reminded me of an Icebreakers Sour, or a similar backseat blanket breath freshener companion.
But as has been the trend with recent reviews, when these Puffins go for a 2% fat swim, their sharply prevailing flavor is diluted, while the previously ghostly tinges of jellied blueberry preserves become equalized, resulting in a fruit mix that’s puckering but still slightly marred by the non sequitur taste of savory golden corn. Imagine a wild berry ice cream made with skim milk and starchy fruit-flavored protein powder that’s served on a cornmeal waffle cone.
That’s Berry Burst Puffins, and while it may not stack up with just about any other Puffins flavor, B.B. Puffins still taste like leaders in a tough category; healthy and fruity grain cereals are almost universally bad, so from that perspective, these Puffins’ milky smoothie vibes are a sweet spot in a dry field.
My recommendation, Barbara? Split this one 50:50 with Peanut Butter and hatch some PB&Juffins.
The Bowl: Puffins Protein Berry Burst Cereal
The Breakdown: Corny and unreliably sweet–tart, these Puffins require an aquatic habitat for mixed berry-flavored mixed enjoyability.
The Bottom Line: 6 invitations to Mr. Peanuts beach retreat out of 10