Review: The New Pop-Tarts Super Stuffed Prove That You Can, In Fact, Have Too Much Of A Good Thing

Hold onto your butts, everybody, because Pop-Tarts is releasing the one item it said its fans have requested the most — pastries containing 50% more filling. Yep, there are three new types of Pop-Tarts now bulging with the good stuff in the middle. Good timing, too, considering we just ranked 13 flavors of Pop-Tarts earlier this year. They'll come in three flavors: Molten Lava Cake, Cinnamon Caramel, and Strawberry Blast. The brand sent me all three versions to preview before they debut in April. While the Molten Lava Cake and Strawberry Blast flavors will be available on store shelves nationwide, the Cinnamon Caramel one is exclusive to Walmart.

I haven't had a Pop-Tart in years, so I thought it'd be interesting to visit a bulked-up version of the childhood treat I remember. I do recall thinking that the filling always seemed a little skimpy. By the time I scarfed down a Pop-Tart, I always felt like I wanted more of it. With that memory in mind, I wanted to see in person what 50% extra filling would look like; and more importantly, if that extra spread was better off being a mere fantasy.

Before I dive into today's filling (pun intended), let's talk about the methodology I used to examine these new Pop-Tarts Super Stuffed products. I first tried the pastries on their own without heating them up to see how they tasted since they're both ready to eat and also a product you can warm up in the toaster or even in the air fryer. Then I tried a second batch, this time toasted, to see if there were any significant changes to my opinion.

I evaluated my decision based off flavor, texture, and balance, as the most compelling aspect of these Pop-Tarts are the amount of filling contained within. There's always my personal preferences to consider, specifically whether my general love of chocolate would win out past other flavors like cinnamon, caramel, and fruit. As usual, I went in with an open mind and did my best to frame the product in the perspective of its broader category.

After splitting one in half, I have to say they certainly live up to their promise, because man are these things packed. They are so filled, in fact, that the thin pastry shell took a fair beating during transit. Some of the Pop-Tarts I opened were already broken, though I'm guessing the ones being shipped to retail stores will likely be handled a little more gently. One thing to note is that because these Pop-Tarts are big, they are individually wrapped, with one pastry assigned to each serving (a box contains five pastries). 

That being said, after my first center bite of each, I came to one conclusion: These things are enormously sweet. Like, way too sweet. At least, for me. If I were to compare the ratio of these to another snack product, I'd liken them to Oreo Mega Stuf cookies, which are Oreos that have three times the creme filling as normal ones do. I'm not saying the Super Stuffed Pop-Tarts are bad, but they are really aiming for the kinds of people who crave the corner slice of a frosted cake — anyone who enjoys all that extra dense sugar is going to have a field day with these things. 

My favorite out of the three, straight from the package, was the Strawberry Blast as it was the only one with any acid to punch through all that sugar. My second favorite was the Cinnamon Caramel, with the Molten Lava Cake coming in dead last. My normally precious chocolate flavor felt muddied and muted by the starch from the pastry.

I'll admit it. I'm one of those people who rarely ever toasted his Pop-Tarts while eating them, mostly out of laziness. That being said, I'm furious with myself because toasting them made a huge difference. I'd say my enjoyment of all three flavors doubled equally once I did so. Toasting greatly opened up their flavors, and since the filling became gooier, everything was much more amplified. The biggest difference was with the Molten Lava Cake Pop-Tarts, as they did end up tasting more like their namesake dish (which Olympic star Alysa Liu ate before winning gold).

That being said, I still much preferred the strawberry flavor, again due to the acidity in the fruity, jam-like filling. Even still, no amount of heat or manipulation could take away the onslaught of sugar. After a few bites of each, I found myself struggling to enjoy them. I'm sure I'd have had a better experience if I had some milk or coffee on hand, but I don't drink milk often and I'd already reached my coffee quota for the day. Honestly, knowing my sugar tolerance, it's just simply too much, though my childhood self would probably disagree. 

I guarantee there's a Goldilocks spot somewhere. I still think regular Pop-Tarts are too skinny, so maybe if they had 25% more filling they'd be perfect. For those of you fantasizing about a brick of sugar, April will be your chance to snag these new Pop-Tarts; just don't forget that the Cinnamon Caramel ones, which are an awful lot like the cult favorite Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavor, are only at Walmart.