Review: Cracker Jack'D - Hearty Mixes

Cracker Jack'D Hearty Mixes come in four varieties: Cheddar BBQ, Zesty Queso, Berry Yogurt, and PB & Chocolate. The idea is to have "snacks with impact" i.e. bold flavor powders.

They're labelled "Hearty Mix" because they're meant to satiate your hunger. For the most part, they feature various oat clusters (like granola), peanuts, and almonds (except for PB & Chocolate).

A 3.0-oz pouch carries a suggested retail price of $2.49, but I received these courtesy of Frito Lay.



For the most part, the oat clusters, peanuts, and almonds are pretty standard as far as snack mixes go; it's the nuances where they differ. Here's the breakdown:

Cheddar BBQ is described as "tangy cheddar and BBQ flavored oat clusters, mixed with salted peanuts & smoked almonds." These exhibit a fairly standard smoky, slightly-sweet barbecue flavor with a hint of cheddar. Maybe I'm just not used to it, but savory, powdered oats were a little weird to me; I got used to it though. Also, the clusters in my pouch were broken up or just really small.

Zesty Queso is described as "kickin' zesty queso flavored oat clusters, mixed with spicy peanuts & roasted almonds." The powder tastes like sour cream and nacho cheese. There's a tangy topnote with a bit of bite to it from the peanuts.

Berry Yogurt is described as "sweet berry yogurt flavored and coated oat clusters, mixed with roasted almonds, salted peanuts & fruit flavored granola."  There's a mellow sweet berry flavor paired with the taste of creamy yogurt. There's not much in the way of yogurt sourness, but that seems to be the case with most yogurt-covered snacks. The un-coated granola has the same berry flavor sans the sweet creaminess of the yogurt coating.

PB & Chocolate is described as "savory PB & Chocolate flavored and coated oat cluster, mixed with honey roasted & salted peanuts. The peanut butter-flavored coating has a good amount of salt to it and a sweet, creamy peanut butter finish. The chocolate-flavored coating is pretty mediocre with a little bit of a weird bitter aftertaste (not like dark chocolate). Between the two I prefer the peanut butter clusters.

I enjoyed each flavor of Cracker Jack'D Hearty Mixes, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Cheddar BBQ. Berry Yogurt is close but just slightly too sweet. My least favorite would be the PB & Chocolate mix because of the subpar chocolaty coating.

Nutritional Info - Cracker Jack'd Hearty Mix - Cheddar BBQ - one pouch (85g)
Calories - 450 (from Fat - 230)
Fat - 25g (Saturated Fat - 4g)
Sodium - 680mg
Carbs - 41g (Sugar - 5g)
Protein - 13g

Nutritional Info - Cracker Jack'd Hearty Mix - Zesty Queso - one pouch (85g)
Calories - 450 (from Fat - 230)
Fat - 25g (Saturated Fat - 4g)
Sodium - 690mg
Carbs - 41g (Sugar - 5g)
Protein - 12g

Nutritional Info - Cracker Jack'd Hearty Mix - Berry Yogurt - one pouch (85g)
Calories - 460 (from Fat - 230)
Fat - 26g (Saturated Fat - 8g)
Sodium - 330mg
Carbs - 45g (Sugar - 27g)
Protein - 11g

Nutritional Info - Cracker Jack'd Hearty Mix - PB & Chocolate - one pouch (85g)
Calories - 450 (from Fat - 230)
Fat - 25g (Saturated Fat - 12g)
Sodium - 420mg
Carbs - 43g (Sugar - 25g)
Protein - 13g