Fun fact: Cheetos are one of the major reasons I was chubby as a kid. If you don’t know this from firsthand experience, there is a certain point in Cheeto-eating where you almost reach nirvana, and I got there many times. (I think it has to do with how orange your fingers are.)
Naturally, when I saw that Burger King had enlisted Cheetos to help it make a mac and cheese bite, I had to acknowledge that it was targeted straight at me. I mean, what red-blooded woman genetically predisposed to diabetes does not enjoy both Burger King and macaroni & cheese?
I was given the opportunity to try this delicacy when my podcast co-host Scotty brought them to my house. (You can hear us trying them on air if you want.) I had heard bad things, so my expectations were low. Plus, if we’re being honest, they had sat on my office desk for over an hour before we actually ate them. I did not expect tastiness at that point.
The first thing I noticed as I eyeballed this food phenomenon was that it was definitely shaped like a chicken tender. I would be confident in assuming that Burger King fries those puppies in the same molds they use to make their chicken fingers. This made me even more appetized by this snack. Chicken tenders/nuggets/fingers are one of my favorite foods ever, if not my favorite. Had someone dared to mix Cheetos, chicken tenders and macaroni & cheese into one treat? I respected that level of gluttony.
When I finally took a bite, I was beyond pleasantly surprised. It had a Cheeto “top note” and a warm, creamy mac n’cheese texture that still tasted good after over an hour of just sitting there. I really wanted to eat all of them (a whole package is 310 calories, which actually isn’t CATASTROPHIC for such a balls-to-the-walls unhealthy treat), but I had to stop myself because I’m trying to be healthy now.
The only thing I would change about Mac n’Cheetos is to add some spice. A Flamin’ Hot Cheetos bite with ranch dressing on the side may change America as we know it.
My advice if you want to try this delicacy is keep your expectations low. Sure, it’s a … um, garbage treat. Tell your friends you believe this. Then, take your warm box of Mac n’Cheetos into a private location and savor every bite.