Warheads Cinnabon Review: This Wildly Delicious Combination Will Blow Your Mind

When a creation is as mind-blowingly perfect as Cinnabon, messing around with the formula to make it even more intriguing can seem like a fool's errand. It's only one of the finest mall-sold creations ever to grace food court-adjacent kiosks since hot pretzels showed up on the scene. Heck, it even landed the top spot in our ranking of Cinnabon menu items. Even better, a Cinnabon comes with its own signature perfume, a mesmerizing aroma that summons shoppers to the counter like the Pied Piper of pastries.

With such a stellar reputation, what can anyone possibly do to make this treat filled with syrupy sugar-cinnamon and topped with a generous drenching of vanilla glaze even better? How about a sprinkling of Warheads Sour Popping Candy to add exciting new flavor to the enterprise? It's a viral craze waiting to happen and I was lucky enough to give it a try before it takes over social media. This tricky twist on Cinnabon's classic creation is due to appear in public any second now. So, I wasted no time slicing into a sample and taking a taste of what could easily become an explosive sensation — or fizzle out and make a beeline straight into Dudsville.

This is one of those combinations that might occur to the most bored of mall shoppers who have passed by Fuzziwig's Candy Factory before they hit Cinnabon. Adding crackling candy dust to the top of a pastry with a flavor profile that's perhaps more suited to lowkey occasions sounds equally gleeful and ill-advised. It's a weird food combination that's less obvious than dipping fries in a chocolate milkshake — though there's a scientific explanation as to why you love dipping fries into a Wendy's Frosty — but more broadly appealing than adding pickles to ice cream.

Here, the Warheads Sour Popping Candy comes in three bodacious flavors: Watermelon, Green Apple, and Blue Raspberry. Though this trio all tends toward the fruit-forward end of the candy spectrum, they're all engineered to tingle on your tongue as they hit moisture. You may have difficulty visualizing sprinkling these fizzy fireworks atop a mellow cinnamon-and-vanilla bake, as this sounds like a flavor blend that could be easily damaged with the application of candy. Yet, as I found, keeping an open mind is crucial at palate-expanding moments like these.

Classic Cinnabon rolls are priced between $5.49 and $6.49 (depending on location). So what's the price of such a unique and retro-tastic upgrade to this classic treat? It's actually not that much more, with the addition of Warheads Sour Popping Candy only bumping up the price to $6.69 — again, that cost may vary depending on your particular Cinnabon location.

With one flavor per roll, I estimated that you'll have to shell out a little over $20.00 to try them all. This is where having friends with sweet teeth comes in handy. Rounding up a pair of pals to hit the bakery will give each of you a chance to purchase a different flavor and share your roles. This strategy allows you to sample the whole selection without overdoing it on sugar, too. It's a great way to run your own taste test and vote for the best flavor of the bunch, at least once your taste buds regain their composure.

As with so many great things in life (Roller coaster rides! Weekends! Fully-charged phone batteries!), Cinnabons featuring Warheads Sour Popping Candy won't last long. There's no definite end date stamped on the promotion, other than the ever-quizzical "while supplies last." This phrase always makes it sound like there's no hope of producing more of the special item. In this case at least, there's no doubt that Cinnabon and Warheads will go on producing their respective products for fans to enjoy, though they'll return to doing it in separate arenas.

Beyond knowing they will appear on Cinnabon menus on August 19th, it's also unclear whether or not all Cinnabon locations will be carrying this vibrant variant. Our trustworthy sources revealed only that this exclusive item will be onsite at select bakeries, which means you may be on a treasure hunt if you wish to find one. Because life in the 21st century is easier than ever, try a quick online search to see if the locations near you is one of the lucky few to have them in stock.

Cinnabon has expanded its original recipe to include sprinkles for holidays and special occasions, as well as donut-like toppings such as Oreos and pecan with caramel drizzle (the last is charmingly named the TurtleBon). But there hasn't been anything like this on the chain bakery market in recent memory. This is a collab between two wildly popular brands that occupy entirely separate spheres of the snacking world.

While big swings from popular brands are often rewarded with a deluge of attention (especially online, where unexpected blends become beloved trends in no time flat), Cinnabon could be assuming great liability by sharing its market with such an unusual partner. Should the promotion go south, Warheads will undoubtedly emerge unscathed and resume its fiercely weird candy creating life. But Cinnabon locations could be the sites of some foul sense memories. Patrons could pass by with a whisper of "Remember when they topped those things with Warheads Sour Popping Candy?" as they avoid eye contact with the cashier. Such is the risk inherent in introducing new snacks to an unready world, but it might just pay off.

Let's just say Warheads-topped Cinnabon should be enjoyed for its sweet virtues rather than its nutritional value. A Classic Cinnabon consists of 880 calories and 37 grams of fat, 16 grams of which are saturated. For a recommended 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, the total suggested level is only 22 fat grams. This means a Cinnabon takes up almost your entire allotment in one sweet dish. You'll also be getting 55 milligrams of cholesterol, which is about 18% of your day's worth; 1150 milligrams of sodium, about half of the advisable quantity; and a whopping 61 grams of sugar, which is about 60% of your daily intake. The lesson here: snack cautiously on this gooey colossus.

Depending on how much you eat in one sitting, you can make this tricky treat last while divvying up the calories, sugar, and fat into more digestible portions. Considering bringing friends so you can enjoy your portion without having to add too many extra steps to your daily regimen. A few laps around the mall with your Cinnabuddies will make a dent. Plus, sharing is caring, so everybody wins.

Skepticism ruled the day with this intriguingly odd taste test on the calendar. Because I was fortunate enough to try Cinnabon topped with Warheads Sour Popping Candy a few weeks prior to the official launch, I was given a DIY kit with Warhead packets and a Classic Cinnabon for each flavor. This allowed me to control the candy topping coverage, which means my results may differ from those in the bakeries. That said, I gave the buns a generous dusting that ensured the flavor came through as powerfully as possible.

The effect is unusually tasty, especially with the Blue Rasbperry Warheads. Rather than canceling out the cinnamon, the candy joins the party, coaxing the filling and glaze into thrilling tangy territory. Watermelon had the same effect, though the flavor is more artificial and didn't work quite as well as Blue Raspberry. Meanwhile, Green Apple was a natural fit that incorporated into the roll's other flavors with ease. The only thing missing was the popping effect, which was likely canceled out by the semi-liquid glaze before I had a chance to bite into it. All told, my initial impression of "Wha?" turned into an elated "Whoa!" by the end of the test. I invite curious snackers to give these tricky tongue ticklers a try before the clock runs out.

My DIY kit for creating Cinnabon with Warhead Sour Popping Candy arrived as four candy packets and a three-box delivery of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. I reheated the buns per the instructions on the box, then sprinkled the candy over top to recreate the in-bakery experience. As I was in control of the topping quantity, I was able to add enough to make sure the flavor came through. This is a feature that may not be possible during the actual promotion. The candy dissolved a bit upon contact with the glaze but remained intact enough to leave a bit of crunch.

Rather than snarfing down all three rolls, I opted to snip out a slice of each of the Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, and Green Apple flavors. I tasted each one separately and drank water between bites to make sure the tastes didn't blend together. I also swiped extra sprinkles from the plate onto the samples, which gave the interior a bit of the flavor as well. This may be possible for customers depending on how generously a Cinnabon employee shakes candy over the rolls.