The Very Best Honey Mustard-Flavored Things at the Grocery Store
There was a phase in my life (okay, several phases) when I craved Snyder’s Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Bits daily, and with a vengeance. I find it incredibly tempting to eat a single bag in one sitting, but it’s also that kind of really bold-flavored snack that can punish you for indulging too much, putting you off the flavor for months.
I recently wondered: Are there any other honey-mustard snacks out there that can compete with my beloved-yet-problematic Snyder’s? Is there something that would be similarly sweet-hot-tangy-savory-crunchy good, yet not so good that I’d eat way too much and then never want to see them again for an extended period of time?
I haunted the chip aisles at all the grocery stores in my area, and even the funky snack aisle at World Market, looking for possible contenders. It turns out, honey-mustard is one of those flavors that seems to wax and wane. At one point Lay’s and Ruffles had honey-mustard flavors, as did Wheat Thins, Nut Thins, and even Goldfish crackers. I couldn’t find any of those, but I did find a few other chips and pretzels. None were as good as the gold standard, which I extol the virtues of below for the uninitiated, but one other made the cut.
The Winner: Snyder’s of Hanover Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces, $3.50 for 12 ounces
This is the end-all be-all of honey-mustard snacks. Snyder’s perfectly balances the sweetness of the honey with savoriness from the onion, and the tart, vinegary tang from the mustard. All of your tastebuds get a little something from these crunchy, irregularly shaped bits, which makes it really hard to stop eating them. As soon as your sweet craving thinks it’s satisfied, your salt craving says “Just a little more. I like that tang.” Then your sweet craving says “Yeah, maybe I’ll have another too,” and it’s this vicious circle that goes on and on until the bag is empty. It doesn’t help that these bits of baked pretzel are also crunchy in the most perfect way, offering a super-satisfying cronch before shattering into crispy little pieces. They’re like croutons, but even better.
The Runner-Up: Kettle Chips Honey Dijon, $3 for 8.5 ounces
These potato chips are the closest in sweet mustard flavor to Snyder’s than any other snacks I tried. They’re just a bit more honey-forward with a pronounced mustardy finish. But because they’re fairly thick-cut fried chips, they’re a bit heavier. And because they don’t have the tang of Snyder’s, the addiction factor isn’t quite as strong. When I need a honey-mustard snack that I know I won’t eat the whole bag of, I’ll reach for these.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite honey mustard-flavored snack? Share it in the comments below!