Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Quaker’s Newer Chocolate Rice Cakes Average

Rick Bonino Food Editor

In the spring of 1996, when Quaker first came out with its chocolate rice cakes, they received an average, three-star rating from The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel.

Now that there’s a “new, improved” version, allegedly made with “glorious little chips of real milk chocolate” (although we saw precious little evidence of them), we gave it another try. The result: three stars again.

Either the rice cakes aren’t getting much better, or our panelists are becoming more critical.

Quaker Chocolate Crunch Mini Rice Cakes

Price: $1.69 for 4 ounces (about 40 mini cakes).

Nutrition: 60 calories (17 percent fat calories); 25 milligrams sodium in 5 mini cakes.

Taste: ***

Value: ***

Comments: “Looks like muddy Styrofoam, tastes like stale puffed rice dusted with chocolate. Couldn’t find any chocolate chips. The first bite tasted better than the last.” - Jeannie Coffey

“I’d like more chocolate, less rice! (Best rice cake flavor I’ve tasted, though.)” - Helen Span

, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated from one to five stars for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.

Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated from one to five stars for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.