Cinnamon & Sugar and White Chocolate Peppermint Pringles: 'Tis the Season, I Guess

Mel Biv Devoe

It's an understatement to say that the holidays are a very lucrative time of year for most companies.  And everyone wants a piece of the pie... which sometimes leads those who aren't usually associated with Christmas to come up with wacky ideas in order to goose their profits.  Like Pringles, for example.  They make potato crisps, which are similar to potato chips in theory, at least.  Did you know Pringles are made from dried potatoes, which are combined with wheat and flour?  They're like a slurry of ingredients that are pressed and fried into potato crisp-shape.  I guess "crisps" is a more appealing name than "potato, wheat, rice, and corn slurry."

What was I talking about again?  Oh, right, Pringles is trying to cash in on all the holiday hubbub with several limited edition flavors.  I found two of these flavors, Cinnamon and Sugar and White Chocolate Peppermint, and decided to give them a try.  Because even if it's not the healthiest of snacks, I do love me some potato crisp slurry.

First up, the Cinnamon and Sugar crisps.  Upon opening the tube, I noticed that the chips were seasoned in that typical Pringles manner - one side of the crisp is plain and the other side is coated in seasoning.  In this case, the coating is a layer of sugar and cinnamon.  As for the taste?  I rather thought they tasted like a flat, crunchy churro.  The potato taste is there, but it's overpowered by the cinnamon and sugar.  My husband thought they tasted like pie crust, which is his favorite part of the pie.  They're pretty good, crunchy and salty and sweet, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them again, while my husband said he could definitely see himself picking them up next time he's at the store.  So, overall, we enjoyed the Cinnamon and Sugar crisps.

The White Chocolate Peppermint crisps, on the other hand... look, I should probably admit here that I'm not a fan of white chocolate.  It's like someone said, "Hey, is there a way we can take delicious chocolate and make it taste horrible?" and then they invented white chocolate and made everyone miserable.  And before trying the crisps, I was afraid the combination of the mint and the salty potato would be like when you eat something after brushing your teeth - I don't know about you, but I think that's one of the worst taste sensations.

When you open the tube of the Peppermint crisps, there's an unholy scent that wafts out, a strange combo of potato and mint that is unpleasant and, really, should be a warning that what you're about to experience will also not be pleasant.  The chips do not have any visible coating of seasoning, but one bite tells you that there is, indeed, white chocolate and peppermint flavorings on the crisps.  The white chocolate and peppermint compliment each other rather well, which is no surprise, but they DO NOT mix with the potato crisp at all.  I think that just goes to show that some duos are best as duos and not trios - adding in that third element just throws the balance off completely.  The minty flavoring blends with the saltiness of the crisp in such a way that my tongue actually started to tingle.  If the white chocolate and peppermint had overpowered the salty potato taste, maybe, MAYBE these crisps wouldn't be so bad... but what's the point of eating them in that case?  Why not just eat some white chocolate peppermint bark?

Apropos of nothing - just made me giggle.

To recap - the Cinnamon and Sugar crisps were a nice surprise, an enjoyable treat that I wouldn't turn down but I wouldn't punch another shopper to grab the last package, either.  The White Chocolate Peppermint crisps, on the other hand, are an affront to snackery and definitely not worth your money.  I give the Cinnamon and Sugar 5 out of 8 tentacles and the White Chocolate Peppermint a 1 out of 8 tentacles.  You can find the limited edition Pringles in stores now through the end of the holiday season - I got mine for $1.50 each at Target.

Ratings: 5/8 and 1/8 tentacles