Top 10 Snacks That Defined Cuisine

Decades before Gen Z was picking sides between Team Edward and Team Jacob, their parents' generation were making a much more important decision - Pop Tarts or Toaster Strudels? And for our money, it’s Team Toaster Strudel all the way. Introduced to the world in 1985 Toaster Strudel changed our ideas about toaster pastries forever. Sure, Pop Tarts can be kept at, and eaten at, room temperature while Toaster Strudels must be toasted from frozen. But that little extra time is so worth it for that flakey texture and better taste.

Introduced to the United States by Pepperidge Farm in 1962, Goldfish crackers have been a staple of snacking for decades. Sure, they’re cheddarly-delicious, but it’s that simple fish-shape design that has made them the iconic item they are. It might seem silly, but it’s true. In fact, that shape is such an important characteristic of the snack that when Nabisco introduced a Cheese Nip that somewhat resembled a fish, Pepperidge Farm sued them… and won! Even Julia Child loved Goldfish to the point where she would put out a bowl of them on Thanksgiving. And if it’s good enough for Julia, it’s certainly good enough for us!

They aren’t literally from outer space, but no one can deny that Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownies are out of this world. Yes, we all know that they are the same as Little Debbie’s Fudge Brownies, but for the candy-coated chocolate chips on top instead of the walnuts. And nothing against walnuts, but what kid wouldn’t take colorful chocolate chips over nuts any day of the week? Whoever came up with that idea at Little Debbie, we hope they got a raise and we thank them from the bottom of our fudgey, cakey, chocolatey-loving hearts.

Yes, we know they make a cool sound when combined with milk, but does anybody really, actually love Rice Krispies cereal? Sure, there are probably some of you out there, but even you have to admit that Rice Krispies are truly at their ultimate best when combined with gooey melted marshmallows. And while Kellogg does sell pre-packaged Rice Krispies Treats, we whole-heartidly believe that the ones our mothers made at home are still the best. Forget about those “snap, crackle and pop” sounds, because we’re all about the sounds of….. Well, whatever sounds melted marshmallow and Rice Krispies make together.

As grown-ups, when we say cheese and crackers we’re talking about some gourmet crackers alongside a variety of cheeses from multi-year aged cheddar to a creamy camembert. But when we were kids, the most perfect version of cheese and crackers were the Handi-Snacks. We would peel back that plastic cover to reveal a few decent butter crackers, some spreadable cheese and that iconic flat, red plastic spreading stick. Sure, the cheese was way-too-orange and tasted kinda artificial, but we loved it and the whole process of spreading it on those crackers. And if you don’t think the stick was important just check out the online petitions to bring it back since the Kraft company removed them in an effort to be more environmentally friendly.

The original Ritz cracker was introduced in 1934 and has become a beloved member of our snack family. But if we’re being honest here, our true go-to when it comes to Ritz are the “bits” - those mini Ritz crackers with cheese or peanut butter sandwiched between them. We all knew how good Ritz crackers were topped with cheese and peanut butter, but not having to spread it ourselves was a revelation - as was that perfect pop-in-your-mouth size. These things are an almost mandatory snack for any road trip. And while peanut butter is our favorite, we don’t look down on those who put the cheese ones first.

Kids today won’t understand why this one made the list, but that’s only because the Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks they know aren’t the ones so many of us grew up on. In 2015, General Mills made the decision to remove artificial coloring and flavors from many of their foods. And while this is a move most of us would obviously support, we just can’t get behind it when it comes to Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks. While the reformulated gummies might be a little healthier, they simply aren’t as good! And they got rid of the Scooby-shaped blue one which was pretty much everyone’s favorite. So, new Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks… whatever. Original Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks… life changing!

Imagine yogurt flavored like your favorite sugary breakfast cereal. Well, beginning in 1992 we didn’t have to imagine it, we could actually try it. Because that was the year that Trix - the cereal for kids, not rabbits - became a yogurt option as well. Each little container consisted of two colorful flavors and now we could take our Trix on the go. We didn’t need milk, a bowl and a spoon - we only needed the spoon. It was an idea that defined a generation. So much so that after the product was discontinued, the outcry was so great Trix Yogurt found its way back to store shelves in 2021.

Dunkaroos are like the Handi-Snacks of desserts, because instead of dunking your crackers in cheese, Dunkaroos let us dunk our cookies in sweet, delicious frosting. Being able to decide your own ratio of cookie to icing is amazing - although, we assume we’re not the only ones to over-dip and end up with no frosting left for the last cookie or two. But that’s a price we’re willing to pay for this awesome, cavity-inducing experience. That experience was taken away from American consumers in 2012 with the discontinuation of the product. Thankfully Dunkaroos jumped back into our lives in 2020.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Pudding Is Good… Frozen Pudding on a Stick Is Better

Sugar, Artificial Flavors & a Whole Lotta Fun

We’ll Eat Oreos in Any Shape or Form They Come In

Chewy Candy in a Yogurt Shell. Yes, Please!

Tell Us You Put Them on Your Fingertips First Also

How many snacks inspired a rock-operatic duet with Meat Loaf and Jimmy Fallon? Sure, we could argue that Bagel Bites deserve the number one spot based on that alone. But we don’t have to make that argument because these are mini bagels topped with cheese and pizza toppings, and how could that combo not be number one? These were the iconic afterschool snack for many of us growing up, and we probably all still have scars on the roof of our mouths from eating them too quickly right out of the oven. And we do apologize to our Canadian viewers who are probably now craving a Bagel Bite but can’t have one. They were pulled from Canadian stores in 2022.