Kraft Jet-puffed Strawberry Marshmallows: are they berry-licious, as the package claims?
The strawberry marshmallow package caught my eye in the grocery store. Strawberry marshmallows! My first thought was of the flavored Peeps (marshmallow candy treats) that are sold at Easter-time. My family loves the strawberry Peeps, and the orange ones, too; so I thought I’d surprise them and bring home strawberry marshmallows as a treat.
There are “Berry Fun Ideas” on the back of the package, which include “fun” things to do with the marshmallows. The package suggests cutting them into pieces and arranging them into a flower shape. Another suggestion is to coat them in melted chocolate to make a “Strawberry Marshmallow Truffle. Lastly, one could melt a strawberry marshmallow on a favorite cookie, then top with another of the favorite cookie, thus creating a “Strawberry Marshmallow Cookie Sandwich”. This dispels any misconception about there may have been about the versatility of the strawberry marshmallow.
There are also recipes on the back of the package. One is for “Strawberry Crisp Squares”, which is much like Rice Krispie Squares, except for using (of course) strawberry-flavored marshmallows. The other recipe is for “Strawberry Mallow Cheesecake Squares. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Would strawberry marshmallows become my next baking staple?”.
Kraft Jet-Puffed Strawberry Marshmallows are a fat-free food, and have only 100 calories per serving (4 marshmallows). As snacks go, they’re not the most unhealthy snack in the world. But before anyone gets too excited, this might be a good time to mention that there are no actual strawberries in these marshmallows. In other words, no strawberries were harmed in the making or testing of this product.
In our house, marshmallows are a special treat bought only for special occasions or recipes. So I thought it would be a great surprise to bring them home for “no reason”. Naturally, my family dug into them as soon as I took them out of the bag. My husband (who loves Strawberry Peeps) said they were “too sweet”. My son (who loves all things sugar) said they were “weird” and he didn’t care for them. I thought they were OK. Of course they’re sugar-y sweet, they’re marshmallows. To me, they tasted like every other artificially flavored strawberry product, which is to be expected. I will say, however, that they are a very pretty pink color.
I kept them even after they got the “thumbs-down” from my family. (I hate to waste anything.) One night, we had company over for a campfire and I pulled them out again. We tried roasting (or toasting, as some people say) strawberry marshmallows. Again, thumbs-down. Straight out of the package or roasted, I couldn’t pawn these things off on anyone!
On a scale of 1-10, Kraft Jet-Puffed Strawberry Marshmallows get a 2. I wouldn’t buy them again.
