Tonight I’d like to explore something that is fascinating to me – our collective fascination with s’mores. I love them. You love them. Everybody loves them. Anything flavored like s’mores gets us all giddy, like these brand new Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces, for instance.

Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces

But why do we all get so excited? Put aside the fact that homemade s’mores taste delicious… that’s the obvious factor. But if we all love them so much, why don’t we make s’mores more often? Three simple, inexpensive ingredients – chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. Heck, I am a seasoned marshmallow hater – a villain if you recall, and I LOVE toasted marshmallows in my s’mores. Access to an open flame shouldn’t be a problem… most of us have stoves, and you could even resort to a lighter if you’re desperate. We can’t possibly be this lazy… 

Ok, so we can be that lazy. But there must be something else that makes s’mores so special to all of us. I propose it’s the nostalgia of bonding with friends and family when we were younger. Things such as:

• A makeshift fire in the backyard.
• Finding the perfect stick to toast the marshmallow.
• Trying to get the marshmallow perfectly charred and gooey.
• My Dad having to throw me in the pool because I lit myself on fire.

S’mores are a social event. Adding to their legend, nobody even knows who invented the s’more, but the recipe has passed through generations. Any product that can capture the magic of s’mores is, therefore, a special product. Here’s hoping Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces will be one of those products.

These Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces boast: “the sweet flavors of marshmallow & chocolate sprinkled onto perfectly salty sourdough pretzel pieces.” As seasoned pretzels, the chocolate should be easy to pull off with cocoa. But how do you capture marshmallow in a seasoning? What are marshmallows even? Well, they’re just various forms of sugar, basically. Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces use molasses, honey, and dried cane syrup in their attempt to capture the sweetness of a marshmallow, as well as cream, milk, and buttermilk to capture the creaminess of a marshmallow. Snyder’s really went for it here, but does it work on a pretzel?

You’re damn right it does! I tasted a creamy sweetness in Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces before I even tasted the cocoa, but both flavors are amply present. In typical Synder’s fashion, these pretzels are ridiculously crunchy like a graham cracker would be. A flash of sweetness leads before transitioning to a mostly salty snack. That’s what I love about these pretzel pieces – they don’t feel like a gimmick. They still retain the elements of a pretzel with a chocolatey, marshmallow twist. While they don’t taste like graham, per se, the pretzel dough substitutes as a tasty vehicle for the feature flavors. The saltiness makes them highly addictive and and an incredibly dangerous addition to your diet.

Simply put, I love these. My minor criticisms are twofold. First, I feel an extra sprinkling of sugar would take these to the next level. While I like the saltiness for the aforementioned reasons, I think a little more sugar would be a finer balance between the two. Second, there’s a bit of inconsistency. Some pieces seem heavier on the cocoa and you get more of a bitter and burnt flavor when combined with the saltiness. A perfectly seasoned one is exceptional, and these outweigh the unbalanced ones. This really isn’t a big deal because you will be eating them by the handful and not notice – they’re that good. Buy.

Laziness of Each and Every One of Us Rating: 9 out of 10
How Many Houses I’ve Almost Burned Down Making S’mores Rating: 1 out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

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