If you grow up in the 1990s like me, you probably found Dunkaroos in your lunchbox pretty often. In one of the dumbest moves in U.S. history, Dunkaroos were discontinued in the United States at some unidentifiable point in the 2000s. Fortunately, Dunkaroos are still sold in Canada, a fact I confirmed by ordering Dunkaroos from Canada. Dunkaroos are still the bomb, but I’ve been searching for an easier-to-acquire replacement for years. Lunchables is attempting to recreate that magic with their Cookie Dunks, Dirt Cake, and S’mores Dippers combinations. Would these fill the void in my fat kid heart?
First up: Lunchables Cookie Dunks. This is the closest thing to original Dunkaroos, so we have to start here. Lunchables Cookie Dunks are Mini Chips Ahoy! Chocolate Chip Cookies with marshmallow creme and sprinkles. While these were a whole bunch of fun to dunk down the line, there are serious problems here. The mini Chips Ahoy! cookies don’t have enough chocolate chips, and taste under-sweetened as a result. No joke, the marshmallow creme has the same consistency as AND behaves exactly like Elmer’s glue. It’s a sticky mess, but it does have some subtle but obvious marshmallow flavor. It’s so thick and binding that it effectively holds the sprinkles, which somehow manage to have the most flavor of the three components. That’s not a good sign. Fun factor is through the roof, but this was a letdown.
Ability to Use Marshmallow Creme for Arts & Crafts Rating: 9.5 out of 10
I’m Covered in Marshmallow Creme Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 10
Next Up: Lunchables Dirt Cake. These feature gummy worms, chocolate frosting (which is actually just the marshmallow creme flavored with chocolate), and Oreo cookies crumbs. The return of the dreaded marshmallow creme had me worried, but my goodness. The chocolate version of it tastes incredible. It’s the same unappetizing texture as before, but I can look right past that because the chocolate is plenty rich and plenty sweet. It’s almost like a fudge or brownie batter flavor. The gummy worms are very fruity – no complaints here. The Oreo crumbs actually taste like Oreos, unlike the mini Chips Ahoy! in the Cookie Dunks. I devoured these. The only issue here was practicality. The gummy worms are small, making it awkward to dip in the chocolate marshmallow creme without getting your fingers covered in Chocolate Elmer’s glue. There isn’t enough surface area on the gummy worms, nor are they plentiful enough to use up the buttload of Oreo crumbs provided. I have at least 80% of the Oreo crumbs leftover. Sad face. I wish I had more of the other two components because these were great.
Restored My Faith in the Marshmallow Creme Rating: 7 out of 10
Oreo Crumbs FOR DAYS Rating: 10 out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Last but not least: Lunchables S’mores Dippers. These contain honey graham sticks, that damn marshmallow creme, and milk chocolate chips. I tried the honey graham sticks alone first. They get the job done as a graham cracker but could have used a little more honey sweetness. I dipped it into the laborious marshmallow creme, then the chocolate chips. With the heavy chips, I’m getting a better sense for why the creme needs to be as thick as it is. Eaten together, the chocolate chips dominate the flavor and I’m not mad about it. The chocolate chips are quality. The chips add enough sweetness to enhance the marshmallow creme. Remember how I noted that the Chips Ahoy! in the Cookie Dunks needed more chocolate chips to work? This confirms it. Altogether, the graham comes through enough that I am reminded of actual S’mores. This was a solid combination.
Made Me Want to Apologize to the Marshmallow Creme Rating: 6.5 out of 10
A S’mores Product That Actually Tastes Like S’mores For Once Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 10
You can have a lot of fun with these Lunchables snack combinations, but just to keep things in check:
Original Dunkaroos Rating: 10 out of 10 (BRING THEM BACK)
