Review: McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal

In light of the recent scandal surrounding McDonald’s and the state of Vermont, I decided to get out and try the newest breakfast dish in question: Fruit & Maple Oatmeal.

Of course, I brought along my own real maple syrup to see if Vermont’s case had any standing. I totally understand why McDonald’s would not want to include real maple syrup in every single oatmeal dish they put out. It’s expensive. I was going to get the stuff that actually came from Vermont, but it was $15 and came in what looked like a box of Band-Aids. The $7 (still ridiculous) “real maple syrup” from Cumberland, Wisconsin would have to do.

Save for the bright red chunks of apple on top, the oatmeal was pale and extremely innocent-looking. Though my first bite was pasty and largely flavorless, the spoonfuls obtained a faint undercurrent of pancake syrup flavoring down near the center. I was thankful for the variety the raisins and cranberries provided- the pockets of sweetness were commendably scattered throughout the 9.2 oz. cup.

All in all, it hardly lived up to the (somewhat drastic) “explosion of flavor” claim on the side of the bag. Like every other oatmeal experience I’ve ever had, McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal was both comforting and slightly disappointing.

I suppose this is where I need to salute the state of Vermont, because halfway through the cup I added the real maple syrup to the mix, and that’s when the party really got started.

It wasn’t spectacular, but it was good. Sweet, satisfying, deep and flavorful – everything oatmeal aspires to be. The oats were mushy and pasty, but that’s the nature of the beast. Real maple syrup, as much as I hate to lift my hat to Vermont foodie police, really did complete the oatmeal palette picture.

UPDATE: And now all you frightened consumers can rest easy, because McDonald’s is no longer running around, giving inaccurate names to products willy nilly. According to Internetbits, they came to see the err of their ways and are now providing real maple syrup at every Vermont location.

Crazy.