Growing up, we never had any “fun” cereal around the house (much to my extreme chagrin and utter disappointment).

We had things like Raisin Bran and Mini Wheats and on very rare occasion, Apple Jacks – which don’t get me wrong, are all fine and dandy and things that I enjoy very much in my adult life, but as a kid they contributed to my consistent and overwhelming struggles with FCFOMO (aka, Fun Cereal FOMO).

The closest thing we had to Cocoa Puffs was when my brother drizzled Hershey’s syrup on top of a bowl of Kix, which was basically heaven and a tactic that I fully intend to employ with my own children someday, but also no substitute for dehydrated blue marshmallows in the shapes of hearts and moons.

Because I’m still recovering psychologically from this obvious and crushing deprivation, today I’ve pretty much made it my life’s mission to try ALL the sugary cereals (which is a very smart move now that I’m 30 and my formerly okay-ish metabolism is quickly evaporating into thin air). But not being one to let petty nutritional obstacles bring me down, I persevere! Especially when the universe offers up pure magic, such as this sparkly new Cap’n Crunch variety:

This cereal combines two things that I love dearly 1) sugar and 2) sugar that tastes like artificially flavored maple syrup (shout out Log Cabin! #rideordie). When Hubs saw this on Snackstalker or some other delightful Instagram account, I immediately placed an online order for two giant family-sized boxes. When the package finally arrived, this blue and yellow baby did NOT disappoint – it tasted like the Fun Cereal version of blueberry pancakes!

(Please note the carefully crafted verbiage “Fun Cereal version” – please don’t go into this thinking you’re getting Wild Maine Blueberry essence, people. Manage your expectations).

Though quite good when eaten by the handfuls, this flavor really sang when mellowed out with a little 2% milk. In a true moment of divine ice cream intervention, the clouds parted and I found my next inspiration. I just knew in my soul that this cereal was meant to become a milkshake!

Don’t worry – I know I’m not being super original over here; the idea of “Cereal Milk” isn’t really a new thing, at all. But even so, I’ve been rather disappointed with some of the more commercial executions I’ve tasted recently. Case in point? Burger King’s “Fruit Loop” shake (and yes, I realize that by addressing this grievance I’m openly admitting that I am indeed a Burger King customer from time to time. But I mean, do YOU make good life decisions when you’re on a road trip and your Service Plaza options are limited to BK, Auntie Anne’s, and Hardees? Didn’t think so).

The key to anything “cereal milk” flavored – whether it be ice cream, milkshakes, baked goods, etc. – is to actually use the cereal milk in your creation (duh, right?). What I mean is that you must infuse (fancy culinary word alert!) milk with your cereal of choice – basically, you’re just leaving a bowl of cereal in the fridge for one to two hours so the pieces get nice and soggy and the liquid has that delicious, sweet flavor.

It seems simple enough, yet so many cereal milk-labeled items miss this key step, and what you end up with is just vanilla ice cream with cereal pieces. But never fear, dear reader – NOT like this milkshake. This milkshake is chock full of diabetes-inducing sweetness, pretty yellow and blue swirls, and most importantly – actually tastes like the cereal itself.

I finished this one with a dusting of sea salt, which helps cut through the rich sweetness and creates more of a savory shake (because we should always try to bring a little pretention to the table, no matter what – even when we’re using kid cereal).

I hope you love this super simple yet unquestionably delicious way to get your Fun Cereal fix for the day. Feel free to swap in your favorite Fun Cereal (…except maybe Mini Wheats – not sure how that one will turn out).

Happy scooping 🙂