Welcome to Snack Drop, a (new!) column where we give you the lowdown on all of the best new-to-market snacks that have landed on our desks each month.
This month: bark for dark chocolate lovers, the popped sorghum we’re eating by the handful, and peppermint-flavored protein bars, oat bites, and almonds to help you get in the festive spirit.
Thrive Market Organic Dark Chocolate Bark, Almond, Cashew & Cranberry
I love chocolate of all kinds, but the really dark stuff is my favorite—I’m talking anywhere from 70% to 85%, which is exactly why I fell for Thrive Market’s Dark Chocolate Bark. Made with 80% cacao and studded with almonds, cashews, cranberries, and crispy puffed quinoa, it makes for an excellent snack when I need a bite of something just sweet enough after lunch. It also doesn’t hurt that the cacao is ethically sourced and sweetened with regeneratively grown cane sugar, which makes reaching for another piece feel even better. —Alaina Chou, commerce writer
Aloha Peppermint White Chocolate Protein Bars
My obsession with Aloha’s plant-based protein bars started when I tested them for our best protein bars story, and I’ve been hoarding a stash in my desk drawer ever since. The texture is satisfyingly chewy, and the bars come in enough flavors that there’s sure to be one for everyone. My current go-to is the limited edition peppermint white chocolate flavor, which is just as festive as you’d imagine and only available this time of year. The white chocolate coating makes it feel like I’m eating a 3 Musketeers, but each bar is packed with 14 grams of protein.—A.C.
Tates Gingersnap Cookies
You know how there are certain foods your mom made growing up that, no matter who else tries to make them—whether it’s a Michelin-star restaurant or your best friend—will never live up to the original? That’s what I expected when I opened this limited edition bag of Tate’s Gingersnap Cookies. And boy, was I wrong. These cookies pack a punch. They have Tate’s signature crisp, snappy crunch, plus a deep, warm flavor and subtle spicy heat from real ginger that you just can’t fake. I even brought a bag home for my mom to try, and she agreed they were nearly identical to the homemade version. If that’s not proof that you could bring this store-bought cookie to a cookie swap and no one would know it came out of a bag, I don’t know what is.—Olivia Tarantino, senior commerce editor
Nufs Single Serving Hot Honey Packs
Nufs have held steady as one of our all-time favorite healthy snacks for a while now and for good reason. The crackers, which are free of gluten, dairy, and seed oils, are just the right amount of crispy and pack actual punchy flavor into the tiny snacking squares. As much as I’ve never had a problem running through a box in a sitting or two, I am delighted that the brand just released single-serving snack packs in its hot honey flavor, perfect for throwing into a travel bag or grabbing out of your desk drawer when a spicy-sweet craving strikes. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Skinny Dipped Dark Chocolate Peppermint Almonds
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I love that these crunchy roasted almonds from SkinnyDipped are coated in a thin layer of rich dark chocolate and creamy white chocolate instead of a thick sugary shell. I’ve been fully crushing on the seasonal peppermint flavor all December. Lightly dusted in confectioners’ sugar, they deliver an immediate hit of cool, tingly peppermint that feels festive without being overpowering. The best way I can describe them is as a healthier, crunchier York Peppermint Pattie (my all-time favorite candy), made with real ingredients and zero “natural flavors.” —O.T.
Bobo’s Peppermint Brownie Oat Bites
Bobo’s Oat Bites are one of my go-tos for an afternoon pre-workout snack. They’re just the right size (two to three bites to be precise), gluten-free, and made with 100% whole grain oats. I usually grab the chocolate chip or peanut butter chocolate chip flavors, but right now I’m going full seasonal with the limited edition peppermint brownie bites. They’re properly minty from peppermint extract (you can smell it as soon as you open the package) and have a nice, subtle chocolaty flavor. And nothing says seasonal more than the girl on the packaging wearing a festive green-and-red scarf and hat with candy canes in tow. —K.K.
Cob
Asking me to choose a favorite snack is like asking me to choose a favorite child, but popcorn is certainly a contender. If you, like me, sift through bags of the stuff to find the crispiest kernels, you should try Cob. This new-to-market, Novak Djokovic–backed snack is made of popped sorghum rather than corn, so the kernels are teeny tiny but incredibly crispy. If you’re new to the brand, I’d recommend picking up a sample pack so you can try each of the four flavors, which include Olive Oil and Pink Salt, Mediterranean Herb, Cacio e Pepe, and Seriously Cheesy. —A.C.
Figa Foods Bars
As someone who regularly indulges in half a chocolate bar a night, I was skeptical to try Figa Foods, a new brand making a chocolate alternative with cupuaçu, the Brazilian superfood cousin of cacao. But I must admit that the three-ingredient Figa bars, which are sweetened with dates, are delightfully fruity in flavor and boast a fudgy texture that I can’t get enough of. Figa launched with three varieties—pure, salty, and fruity—and I most often reach for the fruity. It’s topped with tangy dried cupuaçu fruit, which tastes like a happy tropical marriage between banana and pineapple. —K.K.