I love salty snacks.  But most of them are not too healthy, especially if they're fried.  So when I discovered the Baked Naturals line of snack foods from Pepperidge Farms, I was happy to try a few of them.  This review is for the Snack Sticks in the Artisan Cheese flavor. 

What's a "snack stick"?  Well, it's similar to a pretzel stick, but a bit thicker.  Each stick is just under 2.5" long and about a 1/4" thick.  Light brown, they're lighter in color than a standard pretzel stick.  Except for the dark spots. 

Why are there some dark spots on them? 

These snacks are baked.  And, in my experience, they're over-baked.  Meaning, someone left them in the oven just a couple minutes too long.  Thus they tend to have some dark spots that resemble char-grilled lines found on meats that have been cooked on a grill.   I don't know whether these lines are added to the snacks purposely, to make them appear more home-baked than they are.  Or if they're accidents.   But I notice that the sticks pictured on the front of the box are missing their dark spots.  And, they're very inconsistent.  Some of the sticks have a lot of dark spots, and others barely have any.  Until I hear otherwise, I'm sticking with my theory that these are accidents, caused by leaving them in the oven too long.

In this particular variety, the sticks are flavored with a blend of cheeses.  Asiago, blue, sharp cheddar, and Romano.  They also add salt, and other, unspecified "spices".  All in all, the flavor is very cheesy and slightly salty.  Similar to a Cheez-It cracker.  Except that I actually like Cheez-It's better.  Why?  Because, once again, I go back to the employee that left the oven on for too long.  There is a definite "burnt" flavor in these sticks.  Neither my husband nor I care for this product, feeling that they're too dry, and too over-cooked.  There are much better tasting snacks out there.

As far as nutrition goes, they're not the worst snack out there.  But they're not exactly a "health" food, either.  11 sticks make up a serving, which isn't bad, given the size of these sticks.  That serving contains 130 calories, 4g of fat, 1g of fiber, and 400mg of sodium.  A bit higher is fat and sodium than I would prefer, but it's better than standard potato chips.

Of course, the nutrition isn't the worst problem with this snack.  Its worst problem is its taste.  And, simply put, I don't like them.  They sell for around $3.50 in my grocery store, but I won't be buying them again.

See www.bakednaturals.com for more info.


Pepperidge Farms Baked Naturals Pretzel Thins - Savory Cheddar

Recommended: No