When it comes to breakfast cereals and nutritional content, often you’re practically helping yourself to a big bowl of candy in the morning. General Mills absolutely loves the idea of candy for breakfast because, in the same way Post takes advantage of combining desserts or treats with breakfast, General Mills has made a habit of giving us candy-themed cereal. 

The ever-popular Reese’s Puffs, based on Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, is a fan favorite, and General Mills realizes this because since then they’ve released multiple candy-themed cereals including Jolly Rancher Cereal and this year’s new addition, Hershey’s Kiss Cereal. Imitating the classic Hershey’s teardrop Kiss candy, Hershey’s Kisses Cereal oozes mass appeal. 

Like other cereals replicating famous products, the box is designed to look like what it’s based on. The Hershey’s Kisses logo can be found across the front, with the typical kisses color-scheme, and there are even pictures of the candy around the box. The cereal pieces appear in milk chocolate color and shaped like the famous teardrop candy. 

Just as Reese’s Puffs are made with actual Reese’s Peanut Butter, Hershey’s Kisses Cereal is made with Hershey’s Cocoa. It’s made with whole grain corn, lists sugar as the second ingredient, and contains 140 calories and 12 grams of sugar per cup.  

An obvious comparison with Hershey’s Kisses is to another popular General Mills cereal: Cocoa Puffs. On the surface, these two seem as though they’d be similar since they are both chocolate-flavored corn puffs. This proves to be true, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing because Cocoa Puffs are fantastic. 

Both cereals are made with similar ingredients and have nearly identical nutritional information (Cocoa Puffs is 10 calories more), but where they differ is that kisses are made with actual Hershey’s Cocoa. Other than that, the scents are pretty much the same and the flavors are nearly indistinguishable, other than a slightly lighter flavor in the kisses. 

The pieces look exactly as they appear on the box, although some can get a little funky shaped, resulting in a bowl of cereal that looks a bit like a chocolatey pile of dog food. Dry taste and texture are good but improve when milk is added. Every bite is super tasty and satisfying, and I was immensely impressed with how well this cereal retains its crunch. By the end of the bowl, the cereal is still perfectly crunchy, and you’re left with a lightly chocolatey milk. 

This cereal is super delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I also really enjoy Cocoa Puffs and Hershey’s Kisses are practically the same cereal, so it’s tough to say if mine is a fair judgement. The cereal is exactly as described and makes for a thoroughly enjoyable breakfast. Perfect crunch, nice chocolatey flavor, and the texture lasts for an impressive length of time. I love it, but again, I may be slightly biased. An 88%, B+ rating is well-deserved for General Mills’s Hershey’s Kiss cereal, and I highly recommend it if you’re a chocolate fan.