Pretzel twists are really having a moment, and, personally, I’m giving full credit to Dot’s, the small South Dakota brand that makes seasoned pretzels so delicious that I will happily spend $8 on a bag (GROCERY PRICES HAVEN’T GONE DOWN, GUYS). But Dot’s isn’t the only company making flavor-blasted twists. Rold Gold just released two new seasoned twists: Rold Gold Cool Ranch Pretzels and Flamin’ Hot Honey Mustard Pretzels. Much like Dot’s, they come in a resealable bag. We broke ‘em open to find out whether they deserve a spot in your pretzel pantry.
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Pros: Holy miss moly. If you thought Cool Ranch seasoning was zesty on a corn chip, wait till you taste it on a pretzel. The pretzels themselves are fine. They have a little bit of the buttery flavor that Dot’s popularized and Stellar built on (you know, the Maui onion pretzels from Southwest flights?), but it’s pretty mellow. That buttery flavor goes very nicely with the buttermilk powder in the Cool Ranch seasoning. It creates a really creamy effect that settles on your tongue. You get all of those Cool Ranch herbs right up front and then creaminess on the finish. How nice.
Cons: I’m just gonna say it: Cool Ranch pretzels don’t hit quite as hard as Cool Ranch Doritos. But if you really love pretzels, hey, you may prefer these!
Rating:
8.5/10
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Rold Gold Selects Pretzel Twists Flamin’ Hot Honey Mustard
Pros: The heat is no joke here. Wow. I have this embarrassing problem where spicy foods occasionally make me hiccup—and these made me feel like hiccups were coming on. Still, in terms of flavor, they’re definitely more honey mustard than Flamin’ Hot—they don’t have that citric acid tang.
Cons: I could see these not being enough like other Flamin’ Hot-flavored snacks for some folks. Don’t expect these to taste like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and you won’t be disappointed. They’re definitely their own thing.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Gwynedd Stuart
Vinz Karl
Danny Palumbo
Jordan Myrick
Justine Sterling
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!