Our food team knows a thing or two aboutsnacks. To do our jobs well, we need to eat a lot of them—market research, ya know? So that you can stock up on the best of the best, we’ve rounded up our absolute favorite eats,treatsandpantry staplesof the season. Some are from brands you already know and love (looking at you,Levain), while others are from smaller purveyors that deserve a permanent spot on your grocery list.
The Best Snacks, Pantry Staples and Treats of Summer 2022, According to Our Food Team
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1.Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies
The bakery behind NYC’s most iconic chocolate chipcookie首次推出季节性summe味道r. Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside like Levain’s other confections, the Rocky Road cookies are made with dark chocolate cookie dough, semisweet chocolate chips, pillowymarshmallows(like, a ton of them) and roasted cashews.
2.Ithaca X Grillo’s Pickles Hummus
We’ve been longtime fans of Ithaca Hummus, since the brand uses all-natural ingredients and no preservatives in its cold-crafted products. Needless to say, our brains just about exploded when the company teamed up with Grillo’s Pickles—the brand behind the ingeniousPickle de Gallo—to create this nine-ingredientpicklehummus. They werenotshy with the dill and fresh garlic, folks. Might we suggest slathering it on your nextcheeseburger? (Bonus points for usingground lamband playing up the brininess with a little crumbled feta.)
3.Fly By Jing Tingly Sichuan Salt
If you already love the Fly By Jing’s cult-favoritechili crisp, add this limited-edition salt to your pantry next. A collaboration with Jacobsen Salt Company, this seasoning consists of kosher sea salt and meticulously hand-picked Sichuan tribute peppers and Erjingtiao chiles. Sprinkle it onpopcorn,eggs, vegetables,noodlesor evenbrownies. (And while you’re at it, add the newly releasedSpicy Sovereign Syrupto your cart for drizzling onwaffles, veggies, fried chicken,pizzaand more.)
4.Hen Of The Woods Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
Abarbecueorpicnicspread is incomplete without a bowl of communal chips, but why settle for flimsy plain ones when Hen of the Woods exists? Their chips are thick, durable and exquisitely crunchy. The brand is arguably best known for their original Red Wine Vinegar flavor, but we’re particularly enamored with the Everything Bagel (made with a generous dose of caraway), Buttermilk & Chive and White Cheddar Jalapeño varieties.
5.Melinda’s Black Truffle Hot Sauce
How do we love thine products, Melinda? Let us count the ways. We slather your barbecuesauceson all our favorite mains, add your preserves to ourcharcuterie boardsand drool over every batch of spicy garlic Parmesanwingswe make. But our current go-to is the black trufflehot sauce, due to its creamy consistency, subtle-yet-bold kick and umami-laced flavor. A substantial drizzle of the stuff is the easiest way to upgrade your go-tobacon, egg and cheesesandwich.
6.Loisa Adobo, Sofrito And Sazón
Any Latinx cook could wax poetic on the importance of these pantry staples. For the uninitiated, adobo can refer to asauce or cooking styleas well, but in Caribbean cuisine, it usually refers to a dry seasoning mix that’s garlicky and bright in flavor. Sofrito is a sauce made from alliums, vegetables and herbs sauteed in oil that’s often used as a cooking base. Sazón is a bold dry seasoning that often includes cumin, coriander and annatto. Unlike many on the market, Loisa’s products are free of anti-caking agents and artificial dyes, and they star authentic ingredients like tomatoes, onions, achiote, oregano and ajicito dulce peppers. Use these in your everyday cooking, whether you’re making arroz con gandules or pollo guisado.
7.Brightland X Dear Bella Champagne Vinegar Peach Crisp Ice Cream
Brightland, the artisanal olive oil company with a cult following, teamed up with Dear Bella Creamery to create a peach crispice creaminfused with their PARASOL Champagne vinegar. Think caramelized peach ice cream dappled with pools of slow-roastedpeachcompote and almond-pecan oat crumble. The gift box includes two pints of ice cream, bottles of Brightland olive oil and vinegar and a jar of bee-free honeycomb. Snag one before they disappear on August 31.
8.Sweet Chaos Popcorn
Not to brag, but we consider ourselves popcorn connoisseurs. Whether you’re looking for the bestmicrowavevariety, a from-scratchrecipeor something giftable andgourmet, we’ve tasted our way through the cream of the crop. This summer, Sweet Chaos stole our heart with its hand-popped kernels and real-deal seasonings. There’s a whole slew of sweet and salty flavors to choose from (like Peanut Butter Cup Drizzle and Cake Batter), but personally, we find the Jalapeño Blue Cheese to be straight-up revelatory.
9.Gatsby Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
我们吃了无数里斯的杯子。(他ck, this summer alone.) But recently, we discovered Gatsby’s better-for-you alternative, which boasts half the calories and a quarter of the sugar of the O.G. These peanut butter cups are also vegan, low carb and keto-friendly, since they’re sweetened with allulose and just a touch of sugar. We’re partial to the dark chocolate ones, because they offer just the right dose of bitterness.
10.Trader Joe’s Patio Potato Chips
We wait with bated breath for these crispy beauties to make their return every damn summer. Buckle up for a cookout-themed mélange of four unique, though equally delicious, flavors: Sea Salt & Vinegar, Delicious Dill, Homestyle Ketchup and Smokin’ SweetBBQ. You may think each type of chip is best enjoyed solo, but we’d argue that the zingy, herbaceous and sweet notes complement each other seamlessly. Ourgrocery store booreallydoesthink of everything.
11.Coop’s Microcreamery Original Hot Fudge
We aren’t exaggerating when we say this decadent, rich fudge sauce will convert even the staunchest of caramel lovers to the dark side. A spoonful or two only need a few seconds in the microwave to be transformed into molten heaven (although we may or may not have eaten it cold straight from the jar to take advantage of its thick,brigadeiro-like texture, too…). Hand-crafted in small batches with top-tier Europeanchocolateand local dairy, this hot fudge will take yoursundaebar up a notch and then some.
12.Läderach Popcorn Milk
If there’s one thing we’re willing to splurge on, it’s a next-level dessert—and this Switzerland-made popcorn is no exception. Picture crispy popcorn encased in a drool-worthycaramelized涂层。如果你需要更有说服力,finished with a layer of Swiss milkchocolatebefore being bagged. Do you feel amovie marathoncoming on or is that just us? OK cool, we’ll fetch the wine.
Taryn Pireis PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram@cookingwithpire.