When looking for items to snack on, I am usually searching for something that has some spice. Sadly, even though the major brands tempt us with munchies that are supposed to bring the burn, they often come up short. But sometimes they manage to get some kick in there, and three of the spicy snacks that I tried recently have been enjoyable if not too high on the heat level. Below is a quick roundup of each of those.
Hot Mustard Doritos: This is a returning flavor for Doritos and I don’t know how I missed it the first time around. These combine both mustard/horseradish hot with spicy hot and they deliver a very tasty snack. First off, you get a strong mustardy punch that is somewhere between the tangy yellow stuff and the bolder brown mixture. But then you get a bit of that horseradish kick in the background which is occasionally strong enough that you feel it in your nose, like taking a bite of wasabi. Then there is some sweetness that suggests honey mustard and seems to bring everything together. But we are not done yet because there are little pricks of heat with each chip which I assume come from the “spices” in the ingredients list. It’s not a ton of additional heat, but a nice sting at the tip of your tongue that compliments the mustardy flavors.
As for the heat level, that’s kind of hard to nail down. The horseradish heat is not too much, but it builds the more you eat. The spicy heat does not burn your mouth, but it definitely engages your taste buds. I would put these somewhere just beyond the Medium heat range on my scale, and these may be more than the average mortal can tolerate. But if you like mustard/horseradish hot and/or some good spice, you should enjoy them. These are around for a limited run through Summer (along with the ketchup flavor which does not promise heat but sounds interesting) and you can find them at Target and Walmart. These are very addictive and I will have to stock up on them since they will go away soon.
Gold Emblem Extreme Ghost Pepper Chips: I have mentioned this before, but I will say it again, CVS can be a good place to find some spicy snacks. Case in point: the Extreme Ghost Pepper Chips which are under their Gold Emblem brand. These have a nicely-seasoned taste with some sweetness and a bit of a tang along with some richness. But the taste is not what I would associate with ghost peppers. It is much closer to the seasoning you find on jalapeno chips. Not that it is a bad thing, it’s just that the flavor is different from what is expected. The chips themselves are sturdy enough with a good crunch, but not quite the thickness of kettle-cooked. Still, these are some good and crunchy ridged chips.
You get a little bit of heat right away, but it does not build to the expected level. I would put these somewhere between Mild and Medium heat levels on my scale. Taste-wise they are quite enjoyable and the kick of heat is nice, but you might expect more burn from a bag promising “Extreme Ghost Pepper Potato Chips”. I would still definitely buy these again, though, and they are available exclusively at CVS.
Fiery Buffalo Pop Chips: These are a slightly healthier snack since they are “popped” instead of fried and they have less fat than most chips. They have a good crunch to them and they are thicker than regular potato chips, so they hold up well and can be used for dipping. They have a rice cake-like taste and texture at first because they are popped, but after eating a few you don’t really notice that. They have the tang you expect from Buffalo Sauce with just a bit of sweetness in there as well. Cheddar cheese and buttermilk are among the ingredients, but you don’t really detect them. There is a nice, indistinct funkiness to the flavor, though, so maybe they contribute to that.
These have more of a bite than you might expect, and you feel it right away. They get up to at least Medium on my heat scale and that burn lingers for a while. They deliver more heat than you typically get from the major brands, though these won’t send chiliheads screaming from the room. The average mortal might find them to be a challenge, but those who like the burn should scarf them down. And you don’t have to feel too guilty because a single portion comprises a fair number of chips and is quite satisfying. I buy these usually at World Market, but you may be able to find them at your local grocer or at health food market.
Nutrition Info:
Hot Mustard Doritos
Ingredients: Corn, vegetable oil (corn, canola, and/or sunflower oil), maltodextrin (made from corn), salt, monosodium glutamate, citric acid, sugar, sodium diacetate, onion powder, mustard (mustard seed, rosemary extract), natural and artificial flavors, molasses, whey, yeast extract, corn syrup solids, modified corn starch, sour cream (cultured cream, skim milk), artificial color (yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake, red 40 lake, blue 1 lake), sodium caseinate, and spices. contains milk ingredients.
Serving Size: 28g (About 13 Chips)
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 190mg
Gold Emblem Extreme Ghost Pepper Chips
Ingredients: Potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more fo the following: corn cottonseed sunflower), seasoning (maltodexrin spices including ghost chili pepper dextrose sugar onion powder garlic powder yeast extract torula yeast natural flavors citric acid vinegar), salt
Serving Size: 28g (About 13 Chips)
Calories: 140
Fat: 9g (2.5g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 160mg
Fiery Buffalo Pop Chips
Ingredients: Potato, rice flour, sunflower oil, potato starch, maltodextrin, cayenne pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, buttermilk, whey, cane sugar, cheddar cheese (milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), vinegar, spices, natural flavors, onion powder, citric acid†, tomato powder, lactic acid†, paprika extract (color), skim milk.
Serving Size: 1oz (28g)
Calories: 130
Fat: 4.5g (0.5g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 20g
Sodium: 190mg