Moving to the US made me realize just how many top-tier Canadian snacks Americans are missing out on. From Coffee Crisp and Hickory Sticks to ketchup chips and Nanaimo bars, there are many Canadian snacks I still crave — and still can't easily find — now that I live in the States.
This is bringing me way back to my elementry schools days, when snack envy was at its peak.
There are the kids with the bag of carrot sticks, sustaining them until lunch (and, spoiler alert, there is an untoasted whole-wheat turkey sandwich). No spread. No sides. No hope.
Then there's the kids with the pre-packaged snacks. The ones that come from the grocery store and are made by brands like Nestle or Betty Crocker. Obviously, there is a hierarchy. Dunkaroos were top-tier. Welch's (AKA the "healthy" Gusher's) were at the bottom.
All this to say — because I was deprived of snacks, I OBVIOUSLY became addicted to them. I'd ball out at Safeway and drop my $10 bi-weekly allowance on a can of Betty Crocker icing. Didn't need permission. All I needed was a spoon.
Now, as an adult woman with more than $10 in her bank account (at least $20), I'm still left dreaming about snacks.
As a Canadian living in the U.S., some of the best and brightest snacks out there are seemingly impossible to get. So here I am, left to dream about my Canadian roots.
Hickory Sticks
I think Hickory Sticks are to Canada what Takis are to America. By which I mean: they can always be found in a high school vending machine. In fact, that's where they belong.
When I was a kid, we only had two vending machines in the school gym, which — and I'm not kidding — was at least 15 city blocks away. My high school was on a massive hill and shared the land with, like, an unaffiliated community center? I can't even explain it, and I don't want to.
All I know is there were two vending machines, and the best thing in there was Hickory Sticks. I think they banned chocolate bars from the premises and tried to replace all the good snacks with pre-packaged apple slices because of some government health initiative.
But I guess The Sticks passed the vibe check. 10/10. Plus, by the time I got there and back, I'd burned all the calories I'd consumed — and successfully had missed 4th block. And by successfully, I mean that got a detention.
Aero
You know those pre-packaged assorted candies we'd get to pick from at birthday parties or trick or treating? Well, everyone always has a favourite, and mine was Aero.
There was something truly luxurious about aerated chocolate. I would eat it in the dumbest way possible, too. I'd try to let it melt in my mouth, as I thought they'd do it in the commercials, but then, as seconds of processed chocolate hit my taste buds, I lost all willpower and destroyed it in 0.5 seconds. So disappointed after.
Ruffles All Dressed
I found this one out the hard way.
I was on my way to the movies and stopped at the grocery store to stock up on my snacks, because I'm cheap. For whatever reason — maybe because I was watching a revival screening of Shrek 2 (the best Shrek) I had a sudden craving for Ruffles All Dressed.
In 2025, Lay's tried to get in on the all-dressed action and had a rollout in the USA, but Lay's didn't hit or crunch the same. They're a bit thin and lifeless. The ridge chips are the ones.
Smarties
This one's for the people, because high key, I actually do think M&M's are better than Smarties. The shell with Smarties is too thick for my preference, but you know what I do miss?
The Smartie McFlurry.
So it counts.
Caramilk
Childhood is wild because I swear I used to think these things tasted like liquid gold.
The last time I was home, I saw one on an end cap and thought, f**k it, I'll have one. And I opened that sh*t up like I was in Willy Wonka and there was a golden ticket hiding in there.
Duty Free Maple Candies
You can get maple products in the US, including maple candy, but they are simply not the same. I am what some may call a maple-mule when I cross the border.
I have spent hundreds of dollars on maple treats for my loved ones (and myself). The maple fudge shaped like little maple leaves is always the biggest hit.
Nanaimo Bars
I'll never forget going to church as a kid and getting so unreasonably excited. My parents thought I couldn't wait to get into Leviticus — but it was all a ruse. Really, I couldn't wait to have three Save-on-Foods Nanaimo bars at the church potluck post-game.
To be real, I'd actually forgotten about these until I went to a wedding in Nanaimo and stumbled into a bakery that had a bunch of bars! I didn't know that Nanaimo bars were from Nanaimo BTW. But they are.
I have yet to see a bar in USA. This is a big L for America.
KRAFT Peanut Butter
So this was a real boy-to-man moment for me. When I learned that KRAFT Smooth wasn't recognized as the universal #1 go-to peanut butter brand.
I learned this the long and hard way. When I moved here, I kept thinking the grocery store was the problem, not the country. So, I kept keeping an eye out based on where I was going. Until one day, I just googled and realized – nope.
Glosette
Glosettes are great in the way that they're kind of gross but also hit right. They feel like the thing your Dad would get at the movie theatre. Mature. Purple — the colour of royalty.
It was raisins — so it was fruit. Which was basically a salad.
Coffee Crisp
Whenever I went for a Coffee Crisp as a kid, I was actually not a kid. But an adult businesswoman in a kid's body. I didn't have to go to soccer practice — I had to pick up my kids from soccer practice. The stocks were going to crash. Time was money.
Dishonourable Mention: Cheezies
I know these ones were so beloved, but for whatever reason I loathe these. This is maybe very American of me, but I prefer Cheetos. They have a lighter, more effortless dusting to them.
A famous philosopher once said, "some people don't understand that sitting in your own house, alone, in peace, eating snacks and minding your business is priceless".
And that philosopher was Tom Hardy.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Canadian foods.
