Because You Asked – What We Put In Our Canadian Snack Box

How’s it goin’, eh? 😁

After spending last year enjoying my Universal Yums snack box gift subscription (and blogging about it), Donna and I were inspired to dream up a Canadian version.

We started with this list and then added some items of our own. I present to you, dear reader, our Canadian snack box:

From top left: All-Dressed chips, Hickory Sticks, Ketchup chips, Kinder Surprise Egg, Crispy Crunch bar, Kraft peanut butter, Butter tarts. Missing: Macintosh’s toffee (chilling in the fridge).

Donna created a score card for us too (isn’t she talented?!)

Beauty, eh? 😉

But first, we sat down to a lovely Canadian lunch, lovingly prepared by Donna:

Every bit as delicious as it looks!

Now for the contents of our Canadian “Yum Box”:

Firstly, I retrieved the chilled toffee bar from the fridge and gave it the de rigueur “whack” across the counter’s edge to break it into pieces. Way to be bilingual, eh? 😉
Now this is how I serve a MacIntosh’s toffee bar!

Next up was the beloved (by Canadians, anyways) Crispy Crunch. I think the American equivalent is called a Butterfinger bar.

Mmmmm…I had forgotten how good these were.

I was surprised to learn about the Kinder Surprise Egg being banned in the US because the toy within is thought to present a danger to children. Insert snarky comment about assault rifles and school shootings here.

The danger involved makes it all the more appealing 😉.
Inside the egg. Note the few escaped hickory sticks on the board as I forgot to take a picture of them outside of the bag.
Inside the capsule were these adorable spinning tops, that actually did spin very well!

Next up: the infamous Ketchup flavoured chips! I remember this flavour being introduced when I was a schoolgirl. Oh, the excitement of a new flavour of chips!!!!

Now as an adult, I feel kinda “meh” about ketchup chips. Pretty much the last flavour I would pick.
The former It chip, known as ketchup-flavoured.

Mover over Ketchup, there’s a new sheriff in town: All-Dressed chips! Side note: I had thought these were also known as “storm chips” but apparently storm chips are something unique to the east coast*.

I always thought these chips came about as a happy accident when someone at the factory decided to use up all the leftover bits of various seasonings on a batch. But I can’t find anything to support that notion, so I must have just dreamed it up.
They are pretty tasty, but no exploding tastebuds were sacrificed by either Donna or myself. I think I speak for both of us when I say we prefer a perfectly salted, kettle-cooked plain chip.

Working steadily down the list, we come upon the Hickory Stick. I have not tasted a hickory stick since I was a child, and I remember not liking the hickory smoke flavour very much back then.

These are really good! Why have I been depriving myself of their tastiness all these years?!?!

Would it be a Canadian Yum Box without the Butter Tart? We think not!

These grocery store “buttery” tarts can’t hold a candle to a real bakery or homemade butter tart BUT they taste very much like the butter tarts of my childhood (my mom was not into baking) so the nostalgia factor wins these for me.
There is a great Canadian debate on which is best: a runny butter tart or a solid-centred one? Solid ones are definitely easier to eat but there is something about a runny one…I dunno. My all-time favourite butter tart comes from a bakery in my former home town – Dee’s peanut butter butter tart is the perfect combination of salty and sweet (and runny to boot) – butter tart perfection! Argh, I just found out Dee’s is no more 😫…RIP, Queen of Tarts Dee Miller.

Speaking of peanut butter (of which I love all things made of and associated with this product), Donna informed me that Kraft Peanut Butter is uniquely Canadian, so of course it was added to our list!

Dark roasted is my favourite, but Donna’s choice is tasty too. My question is: what did they replace the fat with? I suspect carbs.

Our finished scorecard.

Just 2 Canadian hosers, standing outside in their toques and flannels…😂 (Donna is wearing a toque in the colours of the Newfoundland flag…before they joined Canada).

We hope you enjoyed this Canadian snack box post as much as we did creating it.

Now take off, eh! Good day!

Rock on,

The WB

* actual photo of storm chip run on the east coast 😉

70 thoughts on “Because You Asked – What We Put In Our Canadian Snack Box

  1. What was the favourite? Gosh Kinder eggs – they’ve been around since the 1970s. Always such a favourite for the toys rather than the chocolate. The all dressed crisps sound good. I am sure you used to be able to get tomato ketchup crisps in the UK at one point.

  2. We have Kraft peanut butter in Australia (and have had for as long as I can remember).

    But as I am touristing in Canada this year, I have noted the other items you’ve listed on my food to try list (well, except the hickory sticks, I’m not a fan of smoky). Poutine was the only food on there until now, so it is nice to have a longer list!

  3. This post made me smile so much and I would have laughed out loud if it didn’t hurt so much. This is so classic! Where to start? First off love your selections. I have heard of storm chips – think it became a news item on CBC one time. I love that you included that PB commercial and the Bob and Doug clip! They were so frikking funny!! If I can’t have a kettle salt chip then I can easily consume an entire bag of All Dressed but I would never walk anywhere in a storm to get a Ketchup chip. As to Hickory Sticks and MacIntosh Toffee – loved them both as a kid but like you Deb have not had them in decades. As to peanut butter butter tarts – well now I am going down a rabbit hole to look that up. You might be onto something. So did Nanaimo bars not make the cut because they aren’t like a prepackaged item? If there was a double like button for a post this one would get it!

    1. Ah, Nanaimo bars. I really dislike them so if Donna didn’t bring them up to be added to the list then I certainly wasn’t going to add them either. Yes, not prepackaged…let’s go with that as the…ahem…reason 😉🤣. Thank you very much, Bernie 💕

      1. Also, they might be quite regional, although I’m not sure. But I’ve never seen them in a prepackaged form, and they wouldn’t be near as good. Bernie

        1. I’ve made many a Nanaimo bar when I lived in Ontario (and never dreamed I would actually live in Nanaimo one day). The men in my life loved them…I certainly didn’t make them for me. I have seen Nanaimo bars in every supermarket and bakery in Ontario. They have escaped regional status to become ubiquitous, I think.

          1. We usually only have them at Christmas time, and we often wonder why as we love them. It is time-consuming to make with the 3 layers, though.

  4. I always think it’s odd food companies sell different flavors in different areas. We’re next door neighbors but I’ve never heard or seen ketchup or storm chips.
    But our children are safe from the Kinder egg danger so that’s something.
    🥴

  5. Love your snark! Looks like another fine group of food. The tarts look interesting. We have something similar here but it doesn’t have peanut butter in it. Soft but not runny center. Yum!

    1. Commercially made butter tarts usually only come in a couple of varieties – with raisins or nuts, or without. You have to go to a bakery that specializes in butter tarts for the fancy schmancy ones, such as peanut butter. Thanks, Kate 💕 I really hesitated on including the snark…I actually had a much snarkier comment in mind but decided at the last moment to tone it down a notch.

      1. Nina

        As an American, I think your snark was very restrained. I myself would be much harsher. In fact, at this point I would be Canadian if the country would take me. (And I used to be quite patriotic but not much here to be proud of right now.) Loved the whole food box series! I’m glad that your cross country move turned out so positive – gives me hope that I can find my place, too.
        Nina

        1. Thank you, Nina 💕 I appreciate your comment regarding my snark, especially. I suspected most (if not all) of my US readers would be thinking along the same lines as me regarding assault weapons, but you never know…and this post was not supposed to get rant-y. I hope you find your place, and soon!

  6. I’ve never heard or seen of ketchup or storm chips and our chip aisles in grocery stores are miles long with just about everything you could imagine. I never would have imagined ketchup flavored. Gross! We have Kraft smooth peanut butter down below you but without comparing labels no way to know if it’s the same. I’m surprised that you sell the eggs with the toys inside. We banned toy in Cracker Jack and fast food boxes a long time ago.

    What a fun post!

    1. OK, you’re now the 2nd person to tell me Kraft peanut butter exists outside of Canada. I’ll have to mention this to Donna when she comes back from her break. So far as I know, there are still toys in Happy Meals…I don’t have any small children in my life anymore so I could be very wrong though…thanks, Jean 💕

  7. BEST snack box yet!! … although I have to admit I’ve never had Mackintosh’s Toffee. Nor did I know about the ‘chill-and-smash’ method of serving it 🙂

    As a kid, I was more of a ‘Smarties’ kind of person, although a Crispy Crunch would do in an emergency … still does actually 😉 … although my teeth don’t thank me for that very sticky filling!

    1. I loved Smarties as a kid and now I don’t like the taste of the candy coating anymore. I will have to introduce you to Mackintosh’s when you visit. Although speaking of sticky, you might not enjoy that if you must chew the toffee instead of letting it…uh…marinate in your mouth. Thanks, Joanne 💕

        1. They do sound good. The peanut butter tarts at Dee’s never had any peanut pieces in them so I would probably just omit. Are you going to blog about them when you make them (please!)?

  8. It is amazing that a bunch of PTA moms can initiate a ban on a candy toy, but the whole of Congress can’t ban an asault weapon! We certainly have our priorities. Never heard of a catsup flavored Lays potato chip and don’t think I want to meet one, although I love dipping my french fries in the stuff. The buttery tarts look yummy – it reminds me of a pecan tart, without the pecans. Jif over Kraft, any day of the week. Toffee is a big Yes for me. I use a meat hammer to crush it. One blow and done. Yummy box!

    1. It is amazing to me too, Suzanne. Ditto on the ketchup chips yet loving it for french fries. Some things just don’t translate well. I mean they both involve fried potatoes and a tomato condiment, right?! Yes, butter tarts are similar to pecan tarts. In fact a lot of people prefer butter tarts with nuts added to them. A meat hammer would make an excellent toffee smashing tool. Thanks 💕

  9. m2muse

    No Nanaimo bars?! I don’t know which I’d prefer – Donna’s dinner or your Canadian snack pack. Here’s a sweet treat made of mackintosh toffee:
    Melt 7 bars of mackintosh toffee in 1 cup of cream. Pour into 48 baked (2″) mini tart shells.

    1. Yes! No Nanaimo bars at this house…ironically I used to live in Nanaimo and now live very near to it. I really don’t like them. That recipe sounds decadent and intriguing! Does the cream make the toffee soft enough to eat in tart form? I have never heard of this magical dessert!!! Thank you 💕

  10. Kinder Eggs aren’t banned here…at least in CA or NV. I buy them for the boys often. I think the toys are packaged inside differently from yours but we have them.

    Ketchup chips don’t even sound good to me, but the Ruffles do and so does that toffee. I love toffee.

    You two look great in your beanies!

  11. Best. Snack box. Ever!
    I need those Ruffles chips. Agora (now). (And please, let’s re-insert the snarky guns comment. So spot on!)
    Going to open my can of paprika Pringles now. (Consolation chips) ❤️

    1. Crunchy used to be my go-to but since dark roast (new fave) only comes in smooth, I’ve been buying that. No need to go to all that trouble although I appreciate the thought very much. Just tell me what your fave is, and I’ll see if I can source it here! Thanks, Del 💕

  12. Interesting to read your Canadian version, Deb. Great job on Donna’s scoreboard. I always keep a stash of the Kinder Surprises around here for the grandchildren and the neighbour’s children. Nowhere near the one-year-old. Your snarky crossed-out comment speaks volumes. Had to share this with my better half.

    Yes, on the debate about the butter tarts, and I hear how raisins become part of this debate – aka – raisin d’être – I made this up – had to throw in my high school francais.😊

    Speaking of peanut butter – I have been a huge fan of “Fatso” the past few years (you may be aware of it) – local, yet sold in many parts of Canada – there is a dental link to this – too long a story for here. 💕

    1. Raisin d’être 🤣. Good one! I’ve heard of Fatso and seen it in the stores but never tried it. I’ll have to pick some up. Thank you, Erica 💕 Say hi to your better half for me 😁; looking at the driftwood piece he made me as I type!

  13. Bobi

    I haven’t been reading your blog long so I missed a lot of your really cool snack box posts. Did you do one on the U.S.? I live near the snack food capital and could supply you with an interesting box if you haven’t and I won’t include any firearms. 😉

    1. Nope, did not get a US snack box. I think that is because Universal Yums is based in your country? If you want to find the posts you missed, just type snack or universal Yums or “because you asked” into the Search box on the right hand side of the blog (if viewing from a lap or desktop computer) and that should bring a bunch of posts up. Thanks for the offer, Bobi (especially to not send weapons 😆) but I am done with snack box posts for the time being. Thank you for your kind offer though 💕

  14. Well this was a long time coming! The Canadian box!

    Did you actually eat all those snacks in one day? I was surprised to find some of these products were Canadian as I thought they might be American.

    We have Kinder eggs in Belgium, but not ketchup chips or any of the other goodies. And, did you mean “hope you enjoyed this Canadian snack box post as much as we did eating it” instead of “hope you enjoyed this Canadian snack box post as much as we did creating”? 🙂

    1. Think of a wine tasting, Liesbet…that is how we sample all the snacks. After a tiny bite of each snack (just enough to form an opinion), we package up the rest and it is savoured with and by others later (because sharing is caring!). Imagine eating a serving size of each snack as we work our way through the list…that would be hard on our stomachs…it seemed like quite a long list and we could have added even more Canadian-centric snacks to it, too. We definitely did enjoy the tasting (eating) but yeah, I meant the creation of the box and scorecard 🤣. Thanks 💕

  15. I’ve always wanted to visit Canada, but after reading this post, I’m even more determined. To be honest, food is the best way to get me to go anywhere.
    That toffee looks delicious.
    I, too, prefer plain potato chips/sticks.
    This was a lot of fun to read along with. I only wish we could have taste tested as well!

    1. Wouldn’t that be fun if somehow everyone could have joined in on the taste tests? The toffee is delicious and I only rediscovered it last year when it was strategically placed at the checkouts to tempt me 🤣. Now I always have a bar or two chilling in the fridge for when I crave something sweet. I can make those 200 calories last all day if I break the bar into pieces. Great accompaniment to a cup of tea and a good book, just sayin’ 😉. Thanks, Kari 💕

  16. hilarymb

    Hi Deb – fun post … like you and Donna – plain kettle crisps (not chips, nor sticks?!) please! The toffee sounds interesting, while I like the implied peanut butter from Canada … I’d rather have your lunch though!! Cheers Hilary

  17. I’d enjoy everything in your snack box. I’ve never seen ketchup potato chips, but know all about the butter tarts. We in the U.S. deserve your snarky comment, btw. Hanging my head in shame…

    1. Please don’t hang your head in shame for what your government and lawmakers have done (or not done), Ally. I know most Americans do not support the sale of assault rifles and want tighter gun controls. Somehow the extreme right tail is wagging the dog in your country (and they are being emboldened to do that here too – I am scared of what could happen in Canada.) Thank you 💕

  18. debscarey

    Even before you provided your taste test results, I was all in for the hickory flavour sticks. Totally agree with you on even the idea of ketchup chips, and I too now prefer a good quality salted chip (or even a salt & black pepper combo). Peanut butter is lovely if it’s crunchy, but I cannot have it in the house or I eat it by the teaspoonful from the jar. Himself prefers the smooth option, and fortunately – that – I can easily ignore.

  19. Sheila

    New things to try when we head your way in July! Last summer I really enjoyed the All Dressed Chips and the store bought butter tarts were okay. Looks like we’ll have to try the bakery version. I make snarky comments about the hypocrisy of our government all the time as well as protest. I live in a forced birth state where parents in certain religious groups can let their kids die from medical neglect while other parents who want to keep their kids alive can no longer get the necessary treatment to do so. Sigh. Okay, shouldn’t go there. Looking forward to the crispy crunch and toffee bar!

    1. So sorry to read about what is happening in your state. When will this all end, I wonder…this rolling back of the clock on peoples’ rights? Yeah, I guess you’re right. Shouldn’t go there. Please come enjoy all the snacks in July! Thanks, Sheila 💕

  20. When I first met my husband, he mentioned eating Kraft Dinner’s all the time when he was at Queens. “You mean Kraft Mac & Cheese?” ” No, I mean Kraft Dinner.” I had know idea Kraft was Canadian. The products are very popular in the US too. I agree with the selection of their peanut butter instead of the pasta.

    1. Ahh, Kraft Dinner. Forever immortalized in song by the Barenaked Ladies (“If I had a million dollars”) “If I had a million dollars we wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner; But we would eat Kraft Dinner of course we would, we’d just eat more; And buy really expensive ketchups with it…” 🤣. Thanks, Tracey 💕

Here's where the magic happens. I love comments!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.