During a recent trip to the grocery store, I happened to find some Dunkaroos and ended up buying them again to see how they held up to my very fond memories.
After giving them a try, I was surprised to find they were as delicious as I remember them being when I was nine years old, so I decided to pick up some other snacks from my childhood and see if they also held up.
I went to Loblaws and Dollarama and opted for Rice Krispies, Jos Louis, Passion Flakie, Ritz Bits Mini Sandwiches, Fruit Roll Up, Mini Chips Ahoy!, and Teddy Grahams and picked up another pack of Dunkaroos.
I'll be rating each treat out of 5 in terms of how much I enjoyed them as an adult, and unfortunately, a few of the classics should have stayed firmly in the '90s.
Rice Krispies
Rise Krispies.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
I was really excited to try out the Rice Krispies treats as I have super nostalgic memories of these, particularly the kind with the chocolate chips on top.
Unfortunately, while this had a really nice texture in terms of crunchiness that turns into softness, the flavour of this is overwhelmingly plastic.
It also had a very artificial odour and I couldn't bring myself to have a second bite, so this snack gets the lowest rating from me!
Rating: 1/5
Price: $4.49 for a package of 8
Ritz Bits Mini Sandwiches
Ritz Bits Mini Sandwiches.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
Once again, I remember the Ritz Bits Mini Sandwiches being one of the most exciting snacks to find in my lunchbox but it was also a letdown.
There's almost no cheese flavour to be found and the cracker has less crunch than Ritz crackers typically have, so it sort of just turns to flavourless mush after a few seconds.
Overall, I think a kid would be satisfied with this, but as an adult, I wouldn't buy these again or serve them to my friends' little ones.
Rating: 1/5
Price: $3.99 for a package of 6
Jos Louis
Jos Louis.
Jos Louis was the ultimate after-school snack for me and thankfully, this one sort of held up to the test of time.
It has a really pleasant bite in that the outside chocolate shell is a bit snappy while the inside is very soft. There's surprisingly little flavour in it, but not in a bad way; there's little to no chocolate flavour, which I wasn't expecting — it's mainly sweet in sort of a red velvet way.
Overall, a fun little treat, and although I enjoyed experiencing it again as an adult, I'm not sure I'd buy it again as it's nice but sort of meh.
Rating: 3/5
Price: $1.50 for 1
Passion Flakie
Passion Flakie.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
Biting into this apple-raspberry flavoured Passion Flakie was a delight, but as the name suggests, it's flakey AF and there were crumbs all over my table.
The filling is very sweet and fruit forward and the cream is also quite sweet, so while I did enjoy this, I feel like as an adult I need about 25% less sugar in it in order to survive the day without hitting a slump after the high wears off.
If this was a one-bite pastry rather than a full-sized treat, I could see myself having this in my house.
Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $1.50 for 1
Teddy Grahams
Teddy Graham crackers.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
I forgot how stinking cute these little Teddy Graham crackers are, their little smiley faces and belly buttons absolutely tickled me.
These crackers are not nearly as sweet as any of the other treats and tasted more like a nice digestive cookie (think Arrowroot) with a touch of honey flavour.
They also had a nice crunch, and as an adult, this feels like a solid life choice to repurchase over some of the other options on this list.
Rating: 3.8/5
Price: $4.49
Mini Chips Ahoy! Rainbow
Mini Chips Ahoy! Rainbow.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
I totally forgot Mini Chips Ahoy! Rainbow cookies existed until perusing the snack aisle at Loblaws.
These little cookies are both sweet and crunchy, which is a combo you don't get often since crunchy is usually paired with salty items like chips, and there's also some texture from the rainbow chip.
The crunch paired with the flavour is so good and I could see myself demolishing an entire bag of these depending on the time of the month.
Rating: 4/5
Price: $4.29
Fruit Roll-Ups
Fruit Roll Ups.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
While I do remember enjoying these as a kid, as an adult, the concept of dehydrated and dyed fruit skin is so strange but somehow so good.
When I opened it, the smell of it immediately took me back to my playground days and the flavour has a very pleasant sweet-to-sour balance that many similar treats lack.
The texture is truly bizarre (or should I say unique?) and I'm super into it.
Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $4.49 for a package of 10
Dunkaroos
Dunkaroos.
Sarah Rohoman | Narcity, Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
And in first place, I'm giving it to Dunkaroos, the treat that started me on this journey in the first place.
Not only is it delicious (the frosting tastes like yummy chocolate cake icing), I really like the fact that's interactive and fun as I think it makes for more mindful eating, because saving most of the frosting for your last cookie (or eating it all at the beginning) is a choice you get to make, and a tasty one!
Rating: 5/5
Price: $5.99 for a package of 6
And there you have it! Dunkaroos were by far my favourite of the snacks I tasted from my childhood with Fruit Roll Ups coming in second place and Mini Chips Ahoy! Rainbow coming in third.
Nostalgia — it's delicious!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
Ryan Reynolds holding a Coffee Crisp with the words "Whoever handed out the Coffee Crisp on Halloween, this Canadian thanks you."