Hey Twisties,
It’s that time of the month… I mean, not that time of the month, but the time of the month when we have a box of wonderful and exciting snacks to try. Tonight, I’m expecting to see the stats soar again because American friends, we’re coming back to YOU! Are you excited? We are, you make up an overwhelming amount of this blog’s readership, so thank you! I was so excited when I opened the box and saw the American flag because I knew that you’d love on this post, too. My second most-read post is this one, so while you’re here, be sure to head on over and check that one out. You can also get the scoop on all of the other American snacks that we have tasted here.
Alright, shall we get stuck in?
Fanta Pineapple
Fanta is not new to us in the UK, but pineapple? This could be a good thing! I’m a little upset that it contains 0% juice – I love pineapple juice!
Winner or Binner? I’m disappointed, I really am. This has so much potential to be punchier, citrusier, pineapplier and it’s just… not. I don’t drink carbonated drinks much anyway, but when I do, I like them to be refreshing. This is very sweet, almost syrupy, and only very slightly pineapple. There’s so much potential here but it’s just not meeting my hopes and aspirations. Thanks America, but I’ll stick with orange Fanta. A Binner.
Ruffles Sour Cream & Cheese
We’ve had a few Ruffles crisps (or potato chips, for our American friends) now, and so far they’ve been fairly good. I say fairly, because I suppose like all crisps, some flavours are better than others. We’ve had these before, but hey, maybe they’ve changed?
Winner or Binner? You know, I’m pleasantly surprised. I expected these to have a predominant sour cream flavour and not much else, but actually, they’re pretty cheesy. There’s something about the flavour that feels suitably American – indulgent, calorific and good, and absolutely a perfect snack for watching a few games of baseball. I’m on board! It’s a Winner.
Cheeto’s Flamin’ Hot
We have spicy Wotsits, but how do Cheetos compare? I know that these two are rivals, but which ones will we prefer? I haven’t had Wotsits ever since my horse-riding days – more than 20 years ago!
Winner or Binner? What the… These aren’t like Wotsits, when did Niknaks get invited to the party?! Still, that colour… wow! I was almost scared to try these, but to be honest, they look hotter than they are. If you like an immediate, spicy kick, these aren’t for you. They’re a gradual warmer, more like cayenne pepper than the quick kick of a birdseye chili. Still, even if the heat takes a while to warm up, once they do, they’re pretty spicy. A Winner.
Cheez-Its White Cheddar
This is very interesting, because in the UK, white and orange cheddar isn’t a thing. It’s true! In the UK, we have mild, mature and extra mature cheddar, and the colour remains the same. Matt likes extra mature because of it’s punchy, zingy flavour, whereas I prefer the milder, creamier flavours of normal cheddar cheese. Still, America, here’s to you!
Winner or Binner? I love that these have little flecks of cheese on them, and they are definitely cheesier (Cheezier?) than last time. I don’t know that they can knock Mini Cheddars off the top spot, but it’s close. A Winner.
Combos Pizzeria
Did someone mention pizza? Oh America, you shouldn’t have! I’m a pretzels fanatic, so combine the two and I’m really listening. I’ve never seen stuffed pretzels before (not knowingly, anyway). but there’s a first time for everything!
Winner or Binner? I really, really wanted to like these, and I think I could, but there was just one teeny, tiny problem: The crystals of salt on the pretzel took over, and the flavour of pizza was lost. The pretzel is good and the filling is wonderful and smooth, but the pizza flavour is mild and sadly, salt becomes the predominant flavour instead. A great idea, but unfortunately, it didn’t pay off. A Binner.
Pop Tart – Hot Fudge Brownie
Oh my goodness, I haven’t seen Pop Tarts since… I think I was about 12 years old. We get them in the UK (though only in Choctastic and Strawberry Sensation, as far as I know), but I was never allowed them. They’re high in sugar and low in nutritional value – not exactly a breakfast my mother approved of!
Winner or Binner? When we toasted these, the flat filled with a really sweet, hot chocolate smell. I was worried because they smelled really sweet, but actually, the sweet aroma is oddly deceptive. They’re still pretty sweet regardless, but far from as sweet as they smell. The chocolate pastry is good, and the filling compliments it well. The icing feels like a bit of a sweetness overkill (still, and that was my criticism the first time). I wouldn’t have them often, but as an occasional treat, they’re pretty good. A Winner.
Nutter Butter
Ahh yes… the peanut biscuit I’ve heard all about, but have never been able to try. Well, today is the day! I have to be honest, I’m not much of a peanut butter fan so I’m quite hesitant about these. Maybe they’ll work for me, or maybe they won’t.
Winner or Binner? I have to be honest, I’m sold! I didn’t think I could like anything with peanut butter but America, you’ve done it! I love the golden sweet, crunchy biscuit and the slightly salty peanut butter filling, the two contrast one another very well. The peanut shape is also cute, novel, and great for entertaining or at parties. I could make Nutter Butter a habit, very easily – too easily! A Winner.
Butterfinger
Keeping with the peanut butter theme, I’ve heard of these before on Family Guy but never been able to give them a try. I’m expecting chocolate covered peanut butter or something here, The booklet says crispy peanut butter, but crispy, how? That’s a bit non-descript. In a haste to get this tasting done because of a family visit, I managed not to photograph this bar or the 3 Muskateers without their wrappers on, and for that, I apologise.
Winner or Binner? I’m not hating this, not by a long shot. It’s very similar to the Zagnut, but with a milk chocolate coating and no coconut. I like that crunchy caramel, peanut butter thing going on – it’s crunchy, it’s fun and I’m sure, would provide you with plenty of energy on the go. I think I prefer the Zagnut, but I’d still get these again for sure. Another Winner.
M & M’s Caramel
We already get salted caramel M & M’s in the UK, but caramel? I’m curious. Matt swears that these are good and I’ll love them, and I do love salted caramel M & M’s. I love M & M’s on the whole and the crispy ones are my go-to cinema snack, so these should be good.
Winner or Binner? You know, I think I prefer the salted caramel. All of the M & M’s in the UK are crunchy (crispy, peanut, salted caramel and original) so to have something with a soft centre really threw me – it’s like a chocolate-flavoured Skittle! Matt loves them, but they’re not for me, personally.
3 Musketeers
Fun fact that I only very recently learned, Milky Way in the USA has caramel, the bars in the UK do not. These bars are rumoured to be similar to our Milky Way, but with a chocolatey nougat. What will the verdict be? It’s Time to find out.
Winner or Binner? These are worth knowing about, because if you don’t know that they exist, you’re really missing out. For me, the chocolatey nougat really finished it off and, I think, also took out some of the sweetness. We actually preferred these to Milky Way, full stop. It’s a Winner!
Swedish Fish
I have heard of Swedish Fish so many times before! Though technically Swedish (of course!) rather than American, these sweets are made for Americans and have a lingonberry flavour, which is new to me. I used to have a cookery book that recommended using these fish to decorate cupcakes, so I’m really curious to see how they are and how they taste. I like the portion size too, 88 grams. That’s not too much of anything, which is nice.
WInner or Binner? I love these, they’re soft and the flavour is not at all unpleasant if you’ve never tried lingonberries before. They’re a little bit chewy, but not crazily so. They’re a bit big for decorating a cupcake in my personal opinion, though maybe with some versatility you could make it work. If I could have one tiny criticism, I do wish we got the assorted ones instead. It would be nice to be able to try out the other flavours, too. Another Winner.
Tootsie Roll Pop
Tootsie Rolls are an interesting one. I’ve tried them before, and sort of had a love-hate relationship with them. I love that caramel chew, I just wish they were slightly chocolatier somehow. In a fruit lollipop though? That’s new!
Winner or Binner? We were sent cherry flvour, and I have to admit, that cherry flavour is good! It’s a dark cherry, and it feels almost naughty. For my UK friends, the flavour is very similar to Barratts Cherry Drops, but of course with a Tootsie Roll centre. The centre itself is overtaken by the lollipop, but to be honest, I wasn’t missing it. A Winner, even if only for the predominant cherry flavour.
What surprised us most was… above all else, I think finally getting to try out some American snacks that we’d heard about, but never been able to try. Swedish Fish, Nutter Butter, Butterfinger… I finally feel like I know a little bit more of America, the America that I’d only heard of before!
Alright Twisties, that’s it from us for now. Which of these snacks would you like to try? Have you ever visited the United States of America? What are your favourite memories? Let us know in the comments!
Until next time,
Stay safe & have fun,
Helen & Matt xx
The Cheeto’s Flamin’ Nuts looked good – I agree, a slow spice is usually more enjoyable than a fast and instant one. I’ve never seen a pop tart or tried one in real life but the way you described them really made me want to give them a go! XD, The Three Musketeers are refferenced a lot in Stranger Things, seeing you talk about them hear was the first time I saw them mentioned outside of the show. ARE THOSE THE SWEDISH FISH FROM CANDY CRUSH??! I never knew that they were actually a real thing! 😂
I like spice, but yes, I like a warming spice too, not an intense kick. I can’t understand why some people need to have kind of bravery contests to see who can manage the most heat, I like food that tastes great and then you just get that little bit of spice that you weren’t expecting. Masala chai as well. that’s another love for me, it’s the kind of spice that makes you go “hmmm” in the winter haha. I can remember the earache anytime we asked for Pop Tarts, heck I just about got away with convincing my Mum that I would burn off the energy if she let me have choco pillows on camp 😀 and she measured them out, not us. I’ve never seen Stranger Things so I will have to take your word for it on that one, they are definitely very good though, and I would imagine that those are the same Swedish Fish! They’re really good, borderline addictive even haha. I try not to have favourites, but you know. Granted, I STILL have a stick of that I’ve been refusing to break open 😀
I’ve tried a lot of these- mostly before I went vegan so not very recently- and I’ve enjoyed all of them. Ruffles are one of my favourite chip brands but my absolute favourites are Ms. Vickies and Old Dutch. I don’t know if they get them in the US or if it’s a Canadian brands but they’re amazing! I would totally recommend trying them if you do a Canadian snacks post.
Ooh I know we’ve tried Old Dutch before and I think we liked them, too. I’m not sure where our Canadian snack tasting post has gone though :/ I swear WordPress disappears things on a whim sometimes!
Old Dutch are delicious- I eat them way more than I should!
Yup WP can be very glitchy 😣
I try not to eat crisps, or anything unhealthy… buut I have a sweet tooth so you know, that happens 😀
I’ve downgraded my plan today. Plugins caused me far more problems than they are worth!
Hello! An American here…
I don’t do chocolate, so a bunch of these are off my list, but I LOVE Nutter Butters and Swedish Fish! Love, love, love. Oh, and white cheddar anything. This is fun!
How can you not do chocolate?! I’m doing chocolate as we speak, but only a small amount because I try and be a good girl! Haha
I was really worried that I wouldn’t like Nutter Butters, but I need to source some more. I think chocolate and peanut butter doesn’t work for me, but peanut butter and biscuit does. Matt loves all things Reese’s, and I’m not a fan. We get peanut cookies in the UK too which have a similar flavour to Nutter Butters, but whole peanuts on the top, rather than z peanut butter centre. They are moreish, too! 🙂
Oh, and don’t tempt me on Swedish Fish. I have a Prime account and it would be too easy for me to slip 😉
I’m allergic to chocolate, but I also don’t like it.
I’ll try not to tempt you!
Oh no! That’s something I’ve never heard of before. That being said, I have a genetic allergy to strawberries. It gives/gave Dad and I a numb tongue 🙂
Oh dear! It was on my allergy test as a kid and it makes a lot of sense because I never liked it even as a child, and I still don’t!
That’s a new one for me for sure, but then, I think I also happen to be the first person that a lot of people have met who is severely phobic of flowers haha
That is true. I’ve never heard of that before!
Haha. I told a police officer once (he was visiting regarding an uptick of crime in our area and we got chatting). He was so apologetic because he burst out laughing about it. I have brambles overgrowing the end of the garden at the moment but I can’t bring myself to cut them because they’re in bloom. It’s crazy how these things can affect us sometimes.
It is crazy how those things are sometimes!
lololol am always amazed at how awfully we eat here in US. have yet to find out whether even Swedish people eat swedish fish… would you be so kind as to guest blog post for my site? If you’re so inclined, here’s a link to general guidelines: https://wp.me/p6OZAy-1eQ
Haha I… may or may not have noticed a few things 😀 I always amaze at the numbers of synthetics colours and flavours in US products that would probably be screamed at here in the UK. I can remember all of the hype over synthetic colours and ADHD when I was young. That’s not to say that they don’t have effects of course, but I do remember the UK reaction to them. I don’t think anything is necessarily bad as long as, of course, it si in moderation and as part of a balanced diet.
Yes of course, I’d be more than delighted to. My core topic is of course kink & disabilities but I realise that might not be for everyone. IS there anything in particular that you would like me to cover?
so happy! anything that tickles your fancy would be terrific, Helen <3
Leave it with me, I’ll have a think 😊
Just discovered your blog and as an American I have tasted all of the above but the Fanta pineapple! Their orange soda is outstanding but pineapple?
3 musketeers were my favorite chocolate bar until I learned about dark chocolate.
My family gets a monthly snack crate too. I like your blogging of the things you eat to taste. Aren’t they fun?