I might be among the minority who never quite get excited about pumpkin-spice or autumn-flavored treats in general. I do, however, maintain a touch of seasonal propriety, I swear.
So while I won’t claim that my expectations for tasting Aldi Clancy’s Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cinnamon pretzels were sky-high, I did feel a little buzz. Yet my pumpkin-spice and autumnal sensibilities are also quite tuned, so as I share my impressions below, keep in mind I generally enjoy these flavors, but I can admit when the execution veers off, be it slightly or considerably.
Clancy’s Pumpkin Spice Pretzels
Pros: The color actually has a pleasing appeal—akin to a ripe, perfectly tender apricot. The texture of the confectionary yogurt coating is genuinely impressive: sturdy enough to coat a pretzel as you’d want, yet soft enough to melt on the tongue and become silky rather quickly.
Cons: You know the feeling when a baker uses too much clove or nutmeg and you immediately notice it? It seems someone at the Clancy’s factory pushed the pumpkin-spice blend a tad too far, producing an autumn bakery spice sensation that leans more toward clove and/or nutmeg (slightly peppery, a touch medicinal). Most pumpkin-spice blends are cinnamon-forward, and while Clancy’s opted for a stronger spice profile, it ends up tasting like a more muscular pumpkin spice than we’d prefer. And then there’s the salt.
First of all, salt belongs on great pretzels. And (true story), I have a near-obsessive love for salt. I’ll keep nibbling something that’s too salty for quite a while if there isn’t another grown-up around. But even with the sweet yogurt coating, the salt on these little pretzels genuinely bites. Maybe the salt crystals are a bit large? They don’t taste oversalted as a rule. It’s just that when the salt comes through, it feels… unfriendly.
They’ll work at a casual gathering, and they’ll present nicely on a spread. Yet they aren’t likely to vanish from the snack table. The official serving size is 6 pretzels (140 cals, 6 grams of fat), but the bag’s own guidance suggests three pretzels, and I’d tend to concur.
Clancy’s Apple Cinnamon Pretzels
Pros: It may sound like a stretch, but in today’s market you’ve got to celebrate a grocery item that’s reasonably priced. Both varieties ring in at $2.99. And, similar to the Pumpkin Spice, the confectionary/yogurt coating boasts an unusually silky, inviting texture, that melt-into-the-mouth creaminess you’d expect from quality white chocolate. But then you hit the…
Cons: Clancy’s has struggled a bit with balancing the flavor profiles for both flavors. Instead of a clearly spiced presence, there’s an apple note that sits front and center, and it’s tart, intensifying the yogurt tang (yet not always in a favorable way). That apple flavor comes across as artificial, more reminiscent of Apple Jacks. Whatever apple profile they aimed for would probably shine in a lollipop. And again, thanks to that surprising salt note, the artificial apple taste feels even more mismatched.
You have no idea how much I want to recommend these—both varieties of pretzels: they’re affordable, they’re autumnal flavors, and they conjure up Halloween in my mind. Yet both flavor profiles feel unbalanced. Still, there’s a glimmer of possibility. After all, taste is subjective and the bags retail for only $2.99. So you could always judge for yourself. But if, like me, you crave cozy, crisp-leaf fantasies of fun fall flavors, these might end up a bit (or a lot) disappointing.
