Kraft Releases Cinnamon Roll Mac & Cheese; Nation Requests Context

CHICAGO, Ill.—Kraft Mac & Cheese has introduced two limited-time flavors, Chili Crisp and Cinnamon Roll, Nosh reported, with Chili Crisp at Meijer and Walmart and Cinnamon Roll available exclusively at Walmart. By Sunday evening, a fictional household in Naperville, Ill., had prepared the Cinnamon Roll variety, set it on the table and requested context.

"I am not against it," said Doug Feeney, 52, a fictional regional insurance adjuster, holding a fork at a respectful distance. "I would just like to know which meal it is."

Celeste Abernathy prepared a box by the instructions on the back panel, which she read aloud, in order, to the Judge. The Judge recorded the finished bowl at 283.5 grams. (I weighed it: 283.5 grams, of which an unknown share is breakfast.) She then tasted it twice, once as dinner and once as dessert, and logged the results in separate columns.

said Doug Feeney, 52, a fictional regional insurance adjuster, holding a fork at a respectful distance.

A fictional flavor strategist, Marisol Uhde of Adjacent Palate Partners, said the launch reflects a wider appetite for limited editions that start conversations. "The consumer wants to be surprised by a staple," Uhde said. "Our research shows the surprise lasts about four seconds. After that, the consumer is simply eating it."

The launches arrive in a busy week for seasonal products. In the same roundup, Nosh reported that kids cereal brand Backflip is rolling out a limited-edition Frosted Dreams variety with a yeti on the box, and that Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream has a new line of holiday treats.

In Naperville, the Feeneys convened a household meeting. Their daughter, 14, argued it was dessert because of the cinnamon. Their son, 11, argued it was dinner because it came in the blue box. Feeney's mother-in-law, visiting from Rockford, ate a full serving without comment and asked whether there was coffee. A compromise was reached at 8:40 p.m.: the dish would be classified as brunch and served only on days that do not otherwise have a brunch.

A fictional survey by the Center for Meal Classification found that 44% of respondents considered the product dessert, 31% dinner, 17% "a dare" and 8% "none of my business."

Abernathy filed her columns. Dinner, 3 out of 5. Dessert, 3 out of 5. Together, she wrote, they make a 6 out of 10, which is not how scoring works and is nonetheless accurate. The Pretzel, in her bag awaiting its December weigh-in, was not offered any.

Celeste Abernathy covers packaged goods and weighs everything first. Judge, her kitchen scale, assisted. More from Celeste Abernathy ›

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