Eleanor’s Apple Crumble Snack from Graze

Photo from Graze.
Click on the pic to go there.

What’s In It:

raisins, cinnamon and honey almonds and apple

This snack was in my January Graze Box.

Tea Suggestion:

When I’m eating a “crumble” … I can think of no tea I’d rather have in front of me than a black tea … perhaps a warmly spiced chai?  So I chose to brew this Bourbon Chai from Vintage TeaWorks.  It’s honeyed sweetness melded wonderfully with the sweet flavors of this mix, and the spices accentuated the warm cinnamon notes of the almond.  This tea turned this snack into a dessert!

What I Think:

This is pretty good, but perhaps I’m a little spoiled on some of the previous fruit snacks that I’ve had from Graze previously, because I found myself wanting the flavor infused raisins that I’ve tried before.

The almonds are definitely my favorite part of this snack.  They are “candied” with honey and cinnamon, and that candied coating is absolutely scrumptious!

The apples and raisins are sweet.  The raisins are nice and plump golden raisins.   The apples are dried and chewy, and have a delicious, juicy taste to them.

My favorite way to enjoy this snack is to grab either a raisin or a piece of apple and eat it with an almond so that I get fruity goodness along with that delicious candied almond.  I wish there were more almonds to this!

My Final Thoughts:  

I enjoyed this snack (especially with the chai that I brewed to go with),  but I found myself wanting something a little more.  The candied almonds were delightful, but, everything else – while tasty – missed some of that excitement that I have experienced with the other snacks from Graze.  I didn’t “trash” this product, but, I didn’t like or love it either, I’ll keep it at a “try” status.

Honey Flavored Marshmallows from Wondermade

Photo From Wondermade.
Click on the Pic to go there.

About Wondermade:

Every box of Wondermade marshmallows is handcrafted and taste great right out of the box. You can also drop a few in a cup of hot chocolate, melt them on top of baking brownies, or toast them on a skewer or in a s’mores.

I received these Marshmallows as part of the Christmas Set available from Wondermade.

What I Think:

After my first bite, I couldn’t really taste much honey-like flavor.  It wasn’t until the aftertaste that the honey really came through.  After that, the honey was very prominent – so I guess it would be fair to describe the flavor as one that develops.  One is not enough of this particular marshmallow (seldom is one marshmallow enough when you’re talking about homemade marshmallows!)

Tasty.  I found these to be particularly nice in hot chocolate, and I mixed them with the Bourbon marshmallows (one honey and one bourbon) in the hot chocolate to give a honeyed bourbon taste that was really quite tasty.

My Final Thoughts:

Of the four boxes of marshmallows in the Christmas set, this was my least favorite and it’s the main reason that I bought the set because I had never tried a “honey” marshmallow.  That said … it’s still a really tasty marshmallow and I’m not at all disappointed that I bought the set of four flavors.  I love everything about Wondermade Marshmallows – I love the size, I love the packaging, and most importantly – I LOVE the marshmallow itself.  So yummy!

Bananas Foster Snack from Graze

Ingredients:

fudge pieces, honey almond slivers, pumpkin seeds and banana coins

I received this Bananas Foster Snack in my December Graze Box.

Tea Suggestion:

For this yummy, sweet and salty snack, I decided to go with something that was both sweet and a little bit savory:  this Genmai Hojicha from Sara’s Tea Caddie.  The warm, toasty notes of the tea accentuated the nutty notes of the almond slivers and pumpkin seeds.  A really nice tea time!

What I Think:

This snack surprised me with the very first bite.  And with that first bite, I immediately clicked on the “like” box on my Graze products page.

I sort of mindlessly grabbed a few pieces out of the tray and popped them into my mouth … and the banana – is soft!  It’s a dried banana … but it isn’t a banana chip like I thought it would be.  It’s not hard, dense and crunchy like a typical banana chip.  This is soft and chewy and delightfully banana-y!

I love the sweet and salty quality of this snack, and the varying textures: the honey almond slivers and the pumpkin seeds add a little bit of crunch.  The fudge bits and the honey from the almonds add some sweetness.  The nuts add a salty taste.  The banana adds a great banana flavor and chew to the mix.  It was chewy, crunchy, salty, savory and sweet all in one bite!

My Final Thoughts:

The more I munched on this snack, the more I enjoyed it, and by the time I finished the snack, the “like” was upgraded to “love”!  I love the different textures and the way the flavors all work together in this snack.  Yum!

Hot Cross Yum Snack Mix from Graze

Snack Mix Ingredients:

sponge pieces, cinnamon and honey almonds and orange infused raisins

I received a tray of this snack mix in my November Graze Box.

Tea Suggestion:

For this “cake” like snack from Graze, I decided to go with a cup of hot black tea.  I chose this Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Black Tea from Eco-Cha.  The sponge “cookies’ and the almonds accentuated the sweet vanilla-like tones of the tea, and I found that the cinnamon notes of the tea came out a bit more when I enjoyed the two together.

What I Think:

The name of this snack is Hot Cross Yum and they certainly got the YUM part right.  I’m loving every bite of this snack!

The “sponge pieces” are like tiny, soft cookies.  Or perhaps a piece of slightly dry cake.  It’s sweet and yummy and reminds me a bit of a Nilla Wafer but without the crunch of the Nilla Wafer.

The raisins are amazing, and are quite possibly my favorite component of this snack, and that isn’t something I’d usually say about a raisin!  But the orange infusion adds a really interesting dimension of flavor to the otherwise boring raisin.  These taste bright and sweet and orange-y and delicious!

And the almonds add a nice crunch to this, as well as a delicious cinnamon-y note.  Of the three components, there were far fewer of the almonds than of the raisins or the sponge, and I think I would have appreciated a better balance of ingredients, but, since I really liked the raisins I didn’t really mind that there were more raisins than the other two ingredients.

My Final Thoughts:  

I “liked” this snack.  It’s definitely yummy.  I love the sponge pieces and the raisins are amazing.  A really tasty combination of flavors, made even better with a cup of black tea.

Honey Roasted Chick Pz from Nutty Bean Co.

Product Information:

Amazing!  Who would have thought that honey roasted chickpeas can taste so good and be so addicting.  You will not be able to stop eating these super crunchy sweet and salty yet guilt free treats.  You’re getting 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein per ounce.

I received a package of these Chick Pz in my February Goodies Box.

Tea Suggestion:

When trying these chickpea snacks, I wanted something clean and refreshing to sip, so I chose Blissful Buds Green Tea from Mellow Monk.  The sweet and savory taste of the tea made a nice accompaniment to these crunchy snacks.

What I Think:

I admit that I was kind of excited to try these … not because I particularly like chick peas or anything… but because I thought they would be different and really interesting.  Unfortunately, they didn’t live up to my expectations.

They’re alright, I guess … they kind of taste like a bland version of honey roasted peanuts.  The crunchy coating is tasty, sweet, and is similar to a candy coating that you might find on honey roasted peanuts.  The chick peas have a nice crunch to them … which is further enhanced by the crunchy coating.  But these lack depth.  It’s like the flavor kind of stops once you get beyond the sweet, crispy coat of salty, honey and toasty taste.  The chick peas … well, they taste like chick peas.  Slightly meaty, kind of mealy, and a little boring.

My Final Thoughts:

Overall, they aren’t bad.  They’re just … not all that exciting.  I can see the appeal of this product, especially if one is sensitive to peanut consumption.  Since I’m not, I personally would prefer to eat honey roasted peanuts than the chickpea alternative.  OK … but not great.

Honey Cinnamon Almonds from Nunes Farms

Product Description:

California-grown almonds are roasted to crunchy perfection, and then seasoned with  a blend of sweet honey, spicy cinnamon, and floral vanilla.

I received these nuts in my December Love with Food box, and they can be purchased on the Love with Food website.

Tea Suggestion:

These almonds make a delightful tea-time snack!  I enjoyed these nuts with a cup of Kyobancha from Tealet!  I thought this was a perfect pairing – the natural nutty tones of the Kyobancha and it’s delicious roasty-toasty flavor complemented the almonds so nicely … allowing the natural goodness of the nut to shine through the sweetness of the honey, the warmth of the cinnamon and the touch of salt.

What I Think:

Yum!

The best part about these is the cinnamon, it gives the sweet, candied nut just enough extra interest to keep it … well, interesting.  After a while, candied nuts – while delicious – end up tasting all the same, and it seems like this time of year almost every one of my tasting boxes has at least one type of candied or flavored nut in them.  I don’t mind this, of course, I enjoy these offerings, and they make a somewhat healthier option versus all the sweet candies and cookies that are also sent in the tasting boxes.

However, it’s nice when I open a pouch of candied almonds like this and find something just a little different about them … and with these, Nunes Farms added a touch of cinnamon (maybe a little bit more than just a touch!) to give them some warmth and spice without making them spicy.  These aren’t an ordinary “spicy-sweet” kind of candied nut, or even just a sweet candied nut.  They are really quite extraordinary!

My Final Thoughts:

Well, first of all, the pouch was too small, because the almonds disappeared too quickly!  (ha!) but, I loved the portion that I received.  These are crunchy, a little salty, sweet from the honey (but not sticky!) and have just a little exciting twist with the cinnamon note.  Really yummy!

My December Petit Amuse Sample Box has Arrived!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I love how quick the Petit Amuse box arrives every month.  Just yesterday, I started to “realize” that it’s December and my mind began to wonder to what my sampler boxes might deliver this month, and already my box from Petit Amuse is here!  (and, I might sheepishly add that I’ve not even reviewed all the products that I received in last month’s box!)

You can subscribe to the Petit Amuse Sampler Box here.

Interested in subscribing? Click on the pic to go to the Petit Amuse website and subscribe!

This month’s box has only three products, but every one of them elicited some excitement from me.  The first is a jar of crystalized honey from Champlain Valley Apiaries.  I do love honey, and while I tend to prefer raw honey, and not researching this particular honey beyond what is provided to me on this month’s product card, I don’t see that it is raw … then again, I do not see that it isn’t.  I will have to research more about it before I sample it to learn more about it.

The second item was exciting because I’ve actually had this particular product in a previous Foodzie box … and it was incredibly awesome.  I still think about this Pistachio and Almond Nougat from Va De Bon Coeur (and my apologies, as I did not know it was spelled like that!  I thought it was all one word when I wrote the review last year.)  This Nougat rocks and is one of the most memorable treats I’ve ever had in a tasting box … and I’m very happy to have it again!

Finally, the third item is CHOCOLATE!  And not just any chocolate, but chocolate truffles!  Everyday Truffles from Coco Zen to be precise.  There are few sweets that make me happier than chocolate and I am already loving this chocolate, if for no other reason than the name and the packaging (a cute little tin!  I love tins!)

So needless to say, I’m really excited about each of these products.  Please watch my blog for in-depth reviews of each … except for the nougat which I won’t be reviewing since I already have!

Happy Jack Granola from Nate’s Naturals

Product Description:

This limited seasonal release sells out at every Connecticut farm market Nate’s Naturals attends. After making granola for over 20 years, they decided to start selling the delicious creations in 2008. An electrical engineer by trade, Nate knows that even the smallest details matter.

Made with organic rolled oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, honey and a touch of molasses. They then add real pumpkin puree, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie spices. These natural & local ingredients are then baked slowly to toasted perfection.

I received a pouch of this Happy Jack Granola in my October Knoshbox.

Tea Suggestion:

While snacking on this granola right out of the bag, I chose something refreshing to sip along with my snack.  I chose this green tea: Kenya Rift Valley Green Tea from Grey’s Teas because I hoped that the fruit notes of the tea would accent the granola in a beautiful way … brighten the flavors and help coax the pumpkin notes to express themselves.  I was right – the sweet pumpkin notes seemed to really pop! – and I was very pleasantly rewarded.

What I Think:

For the purposes of this review, I tried this granola a few of different ways.  First, I tried it right out of the pouch by the handful.  YUM!  Then, I tried it sprinkled atop some plain, unflavored yogurt, and finally, I tried it as a cereal:  in a bowl with milk.

Generally speaking, I like granola, so I was pretty sure I’d enjoy this offering from Nate’s Naturals.  I didn’t really get a good look at the product or read any information about it until I opened the pouch to try it … so I was surprised to learn that this is a pumpkin granola.  I can’t recall ever trying a pumpkin granola before!

I think I prefer this as a yogurt topping than as a cereal, mostly because I wasn’t really fond of how the pumpkin seeds tasted in the milk.  It was OK as a cereal, but it really was amazing as a yogurt topper.  The tangy notes of the yogurt provided a delicious contrast to the sweetness of the granola, and I loved the different textures:  smooth, creamy yogurt, chewy raisins, crunchy granola … I had purchased this tub of yogurt originally to make smoothies, but I might end up using it all for with this granola before I get a chance to blend a smoothie!

Then again, it is really tasty as a snack, right out of the bag.  It is crunchy but not too hard, and I love the toasty taste.  It is sweet and lightly spiced, and every once in a while, I bite into a cranberry and I get a lovely tart note that sort of brightens it all up.

But what makes this granola truly special is the pumpkin.  Not just pumpkin seeds or pumpkin pie spice, this is made also with pumpkin puree, and you can taste a little bit of pumpkin goodness in every single bite!  It isn’t an overwhelming taste, but it does give a really nice, unique flavor to this granola.

My Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this granola.  It makes an awesome yogurt topper, and it’s quite tasty right out of the bag.  I see that Knoshbox is currently sold out of this granola, which is too bad, because this is delicious … something I’d definitely consider repurchasing!

Toasted Orchard Granola Bars from Nate’s Naturals

Picture from Knoshbox. Click on the pic to go there.

Product Description:

These bars are wheat-free, all-natural and made with local apples from Bishops Orchard in Guilford, Connecticut. The flavors and aromas of the bars will bring back memories of apple picking in the orchard and drinking warm cinnamon apple cider on a cool autumn night.

They’re made with: organic rolled oats, Connecticut wildflower honey, organic oat bran, organic sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, golden raisins, cranberries, canola oil, natural vanilla, organic lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, malt syrup, cardamom, sea salt and ginger.

I received this bar in my October Knoshbox, and they can be purchased on the Knoshbox website for a limited time.

Tea Suggestion:

This granola bar has a lot of flavor on its own, so I didn’t want to choose something that might have a competitive flavor profile.  I chose this High Country black tea blend from Trail Lodge Tea, and it was an ideal choice.  The richness of the tea complimented the sweet, toasty flavors of the granola bar, and the earthy tones of the bar highlighted the tea’s earthier qualities.

What I Think:

When it come to granola bars, I typically prefer the softer variety over the crunchy.  This granola bar seems to fall somewhere in between the two … it’s not as hard as the commercially produced granola bars that you’ll readily find in the grocery stores, it isn’t pressed the way those bars seem to be.  You know what I’m talking about right?  It seems like the ingredients for those granola bars are compacted into a solid, brick-like form that is almost as hard as a brick.   That’s not the case with these bars, You can see all the ingredients, and they don’t appear to be quite as SMOOSHED together as the brick granola bars, but these DO have a certain toothy crunch to them that makes them similar to the crunchy granola bars.

But, what makes them crunchy are the chunks of nuts (I can taste the almonds and especially the pecans!  YUM!) and the toasted oats and sunflower seeds.  The texture is brought on naturally, not by over-processing.

My Final Thoughts:

I love that I can identify each ingredient that is listed in the above list.  I can taste the honey, and the cranberries and each of the spices too!  It’s really a warm and delicious tasting bar – definitely very “Harvest-y” … a perfect granola bar for this time of year (and for the Autumn Harvest themed Knoshbox!)  While I do generally prefer my granola bars to be slightly softer, I like that the crunchiness of this bar comes from the toasted textures of the ingredients.

Overall, this is an enjoyable, hunger-satiating granola bar … and one that I enjoyed enough that I might purchase it again.

Cinnamon Clove Bar from Simple Squares

Photo from Knoshbox. Click on the pic to go there!

Product Description:

We teamed up with Kim at Simple Squares to bring you her amazing new cinnamon clove whole food bars. They have no wheat, gluten, dairy, soy or refined sugar. They’re kosher, and make an excellent treat to snack on any time of the day.

We paired them with aged Gewurtztraminer (pronounced “Guh-vertz-tra-mean-er”), a unique white varietal which has aromatic notes of allspice, cinnamon and baked fruit. It’s concentrated color is one of the darkest you’ll see in a white wine, and when aged its cinnamon and honey flavors are amazing.

This product was part of my September Knoshbox tasting box; however, it is no longer available on Knoshbox (sold out!).  It can be purchased from Simple Squares on Amazon.

Tea Suggestion:

As this was the last product that I had left from the September Knoshbox (the Wine Pairing themed box), I decided to continue with the wine pairing theme and I selected a white wine-inspired tea to enjoy with this Cinnamon Clove bar.  I chose this White Tea Riesling from Vintage TeaWorks, and it was a stunning collaboration of flavors!  The fruity flavors of the tea really melded in a beautiful way with the spiced notes of the Simple Squares bar.

What I Think:

This isn’t the first Simple Squares product I’ve tried, I’ve been fortunate to try the Coconut Simple Squares Bar as well as the Rosemary Simple Squares Bar, so I was confident I would most likely enjoy this Cinnamon Clove Bar.

And I do!

Just like the Coconut and the Rosemary Simple Squares, these are simple bars, composed of just a few ingredients:

Organic Cashews, Organic Almonds, Organic Honey, Unsweetened Coconut, Organic Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt, Organic Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves.

I like that this is nutty, sweet, and warm with spice.  It has a nice crunch and a pleasant chewy consistency, and it doesn’t feel sticky as I hold it in my hands … I don’t feel like I need to run off and immediately wash my hands after finishing the bar, it doesn’t leave that sticky feeling on my fingers the way some “soft” granola bars can.

The cinnamon and clove tastes pleasantly spiced without out tasting overly spicy.  It makes a great pairing with tea, because there are some complex flavor notes that accentuate the complexity of the tea.  I’m eating this with the aforementioned tea, but, I think this would also taste great with a Darjeeling or a Dark Oolong.

My Final Thoughts:

I’ve enjoyed all the Simple Squares Bars that I’ve sampled, and this one is no exception.  In fact, this one might be my favorite yet.  I love the zesty spices that taste warm without tasting too spicy.  This is delicious and very satisfying.