It’s hard to beat a peanut butter sandwich. Or peanut butter on toast. Or even a quick swipe of the stuff on a celery stick or apple slice. But peanut butter is way too messy to make the party food list — unless it’s neatly tucked inside a pretzel.
Pretzels and peanut butter are an ingenious pairing, a tasty snack that pairs with everything from coffee to beer. Fun factlet: Peanut butter pretzels haven’t been around forever. They arrived in the 1980s, thanks to advances in extruding technology. But unlike many extruded snacks, peanut butter-filled pretzels are a fairly healthy pick. At 5 grams per serving, they’re high in protein, low in added fat and sugar, and great for long commutes, study sessions and — did we mention they pair well with beer?
The best peanut butter pretzels have a generous dollop of fresh, moist, richly flavored peanut butter inside a thin layer of toasty pretzel. The worst offer thick dough stuffed with a filling that’s dry, stale, overly sweet or simply flavorless. The most important thing to look for when buying peanut butter-filled pretzels is the expiration date. Peanuts turn rancid fast. The closer they are to that sell-by date, the less fresh they are.
Here’s the scoop on the best peanut butter pretzel bites and the dry disappointments. Nutrition details refer to a 30-gram serving, which is typically 8 to 12 bites.
Kirkland HK Anderson Valencia Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets
Fresh, full-flavored Valencia peanut butter tucked into an extra-thin, toasty pretzel makes a perfect bite. Sweetening the peanut butter with molasses is genius. 140 calories, 7 g fat, 230 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $8.59 for 55 ounces at Costco. (4 stars)
Good Health Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels
Lots of bold, extra-nutty flavored paste inside a delicately toasted wrapper earn these bites top stars. They taste less sweet than their 2 g of sugar would imply, because half the sugar comes from the peanuts themselves. 150 calories, 7 g fat, 230 mg sodium, 2 g sugar. $2.99 for 5 ounces at Whole Foods. (4 stars)
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels
Crispy pretzels and a generous dash of peanut butter combine for a tasty snack. Pull back on the salt and these bargain-priced bites would score higher. 140 calories, 7 g fat, 300 mg sodium, 2 g sugar. $1.99 for 16 ounces. (3½ stars)
Snack ArtistPeanut Butter Filled Pretzels
The peanut butter is bland, but these salty bites have a winning balance of filling to pretzel. 150 calories, 7 g fat, 330 mg sodium, 2 g sugar. $3.99 for 18 ounces at Safeway. (3 stars)
365 Peanut Butter Pretzel Nuggets
The tiny sliver of sweet peanut butter inside a thick, salty pretzel shell make these lower in fat, but also a lot less tempting. 130 calories, 4.5 g fat, 320 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $2.49 for 10 ounces at Whole Foods. (2 stars)
Snyder’s of Hanover Peanut Butter Filled Pieces
Dry, overly sweet peanut butter inside a thick, dull-flavored pretzel makes for an edible, but inferior snack.150 calories, 7 g fat, 330 mg sodium, 2 g sugar. $3.69 for 10 ounces at Raley’s. (2 stars)
Sprouts Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels
The fresh, flavor-packed peanut butter in these pretzels from the Sprouts bulk bin is a win, but the tough, thick and under-toasted pretzel is unappealing. 140 calories, 7 g fat, 330 mg sodium, 1 g sugar. $5.99 per pound. (1½ stars)
Market Pantry Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels
Bland peanut butter and tasteless pretzel dough make these a great choice for those on a diet: They are entirely binge-proof. 140 calories, 7 g fat, 330 mg sodium, 2 g sugar. $7.46 for 44 ounces at Target. (1 star)
First Street Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets
Have a water bottle nearby: These nearly flavor-free bites filled with powdery peanut butter require serious hydration. 150 calories, 7 g fat, 330 mg sodium, 2 g sugar. $3.69 for 16 ounces at Smart & Final. (½ a star)
Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.
