A bevy of buns, baked bites and cookies hit store shelves last month alongside indulgent coffees and creamers, cereals in nostalgic flavors and savory snacks that recall classic comfort food.
A few better-for-you options, including protein-packed drinks and mixes, also launched, but they were by far the minority.
Breakfast and dessert merge in a range of new launches designed to be enjoyed at the start or end of the day – or any time in between.
Driscoll’s teamed with Chef Chloe Coscarelli to create a limited-edition, vegan Raspberry Nutella Cinnamon Roll that swirls raspberry jam and cinnamon brown sugar in a Nutella-glazed bun that is topped with fresh Driscoll’s raspberries.
Not to be out done, Synear Foods USA launched custard-filled panada buns at select Costco stores to mark the Lunar New Year. The dough is made with a traditional Chinese fermentation method and filled with creamy custard for a fast snack that can be ready in as fast as two minutes if microwaved and 12 minutes if steamed.
A new limited edition from flavor-forward pretzel brand Flipz liberates donuts from breakfast for an on-the-go snack to eat at any time. Flipz Blueberry Donut Flavored Covered Pretzels pair the “delicious flavors of fried dough and sweet, juicy blueberries” with “perfectly baked salty, crunchy pretzels,” according to the company.
Long-time cookie creator Chips Ahoy! deviates from its crispy norm and expands into the sweet baked goods category with the launch of Baked Bites Blondie variety, which are soft and chewy squares serve in snack packs for on-the-go lives and sharing. Mondelēz says the Blondies are just the beginning and it plans to launch more flavors. To promote the launch, the company hosted a competition for fans to win a stay in limited-edition Baked Bites hotel rooms in New York City featuring pillows and comforters that look like soft Baked Bites and Chips Ahoy! slippers and robes.
For consumers who prefer crunchy cookies, there are plenty of new options.
Keebler’s new Fudge Stripes Double Fudge cookies are the brand’s first permanent flavor to the Fudge Stripes portfolio and combine a crunchy chocolate base with a coating of fudge for “just the right balance of texture and flavor in every bite,” according to the company.
Pepperidge Farm’s Milano cookies move in the opposite direction – long known for its dark chocolate fillings, the brand launched its first White Chocolate Cookies. The classic sandwich cookies are filled with fruit flavors, including strawberry, lemon and coconut. The launch meets demand for the 58% of white chocolate lovers who prefer white chocolate over milk and dark varieties, according to the company.
For DIY consumers, Absolutely! Gluten Free launched a trio of Frozen Cookie Dough flavors, including Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate and Sugar Cookie. By moving to the freezer, the company says the dough, which is made with “clean and wholesome ingredients,” has a longer shelf life than the refrigerated options.
Not to be out done, Oreo launched a total of six new products in January, including a limited edition Game Day cookie with football-themed embossments; Oreo Loaded, which fill the classic chocolate cookies with “Mega Stuf level crème” and bits of real Oreo cookies pieces; Oreo Irish Crème Thins, which fill original thin cookies with an Irish Crème flavored filling that features notes of chocolate and vanilla; and Oreo Minis Peanut Butter, which are bite-sized chocolate cookies paired with peanut butter crème filling.
Beyond classic cookies, Oreo also brought back Golden Oreo Cakesters as a permanent addition to the lineup and Oreo Frozen Treats Bites and Mini Bars, which the brand says are poppable bites found in the frozen dessert aisle.
While ready-to-eat cereal often walks the line between breakfast and dessert, several new launches pack in protein for a better-for-you option, while still sticking to nostalgic flavors so as not to alienate consumers in need of comfort during a turbulent period of change.
Nature’s Path and Magic Spoon launched protein-packed granolas in the last month.
Nature’s Path’s new premium granola line, Love Crunch Granola, is organic and made with “taste and functionality top of mind,” according to the company. The line’s Organic Dark Chocolate & Almond Butter Protein Granola and Organic Peanut Butter Protein Granola offer comforting, classic flavors packed with 10 grams of protein per serving and 21 grams of organic whole grains. Pea protein helps boost the macro-nutrient content in the cereals.
Magic Spoon’s Protein Granola packs in even more protein per serving at 12-14 grams. It is also grain free, made from nuts and seeds to meet different dietary preferences, according to the company. As with Magic Spoon’s original line-up, the Protein Granola is dramatically lower in sugar than many ready-to-eat cereals with just 2 grams per serving. Flavors include Honey Almond, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Almond and Mixed Berry.
Go Raw goes in a different direction with its new Snacking Granola, made with bigger clusters for improved poppablity. The company also says its “light, crispy ingredients like sprouted seeds and puffed whole grains, give it a craveable crunch. The line includes five decadent flavors: Sweet & Salty, Dark Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cranberry Almond and Cherry Berry Chocolate Chunk.
Upcycled cereal brand Seven Sundays says it has bottled the nostalgia of watching Saturday morning cartoons while eating cereals with the launch of its Little Crispies. It adds that the gluten-free cereal offers pop powered by sorghum, which uses less water than rice or corn making the choice a healthy one for consumers and the planet. The new cereal comes in Honey Almond Little Crispies, Cocoa Crunch and Cinnamon Toast Little Crispies.
Long-time cereal staple Honey Bunches of Oats debuted a new flavor – chocolate, which it created in partnership with Cronut creator Dominique Ansel. Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate includes cocoa dusted flakes and chocolate chips in crunchy clusters.
A slew of coffees and creamers also launched in January, with many featuring non-dairy options and decadent flavors, such as caramel and sugar cookie.
Oatly and Nespresso launched Oatly Barista Edition Coffee Capsules for Nespresso’s Vertuo system for a limited time. The pods blend the “rich and biscuity notes” of Arabic coffee beans with the “subtle sweetness of oats” from the Oatly plant-based milk.
Dairy-free cheese brand Violife also expands its portfolio to offer a plant-based option for coffee drinkers. Violife Supreme Coffee Creamers blend a lentil protein formula for a smooth texture that the company says will not separate or curdle in hot coffee and which is dairy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. Flavors include Tempting Vanilla, Seductive Caramel and Boldly Original.
Plant-based brand Planet Oat also offers a dairy-free creamer with the launch of its Brown Sugar Cookie Oatmilk Creamer, which the company says perfectly blends creamy oats with caramelized notes of brown sugar.
For consumers who prefer a ready-to-drink option, La Colombe launched a limited edition Draft Latte Strawberry Mocha, which its says has 50% less sugar than average ready-to-drink flavored coffees and a good source of fiber. The beverage blends strawberry flavoring with real cocoa.
Whether for coffee, as a cereal topper, a simple sip or something else, Whole Moon debuted a line of whole protein, plant-based beverages that it says deliver a complete protein source with all nine essential amino acids from legumes, nuts and grains. It also has naturally occurring fiber and essential nutrients, according to the company. The beverage is available in oat, almond and pistachio.
New product launches in January underscore the balance consumers are trying to strike as they aspire to healthier diets in the New Year but still want indulgence and comfort during a time of political and economic upheaval in the US.
