No one really thinks toaster pastries are good for you, but they are a go to snack for college students everywhere, lining the shelves from dorm rooms at four-year schools to the College VOICE newsroom (SC 120) at MCCC. But are there any varieties that are healthier and/or tastier than the original?
A quartet of VOICE staffers set out to blind taste test three popular brands: the original Pop Tarts, Annie’s brand, and Nature’s Path, the latter two claiming some healthful advantages.
FIRST NOTES:
First, a serving is two pastries and all three brands sell their pastries with three separately wrapped pairs per box.
Second, we sampled berry versions since berry is one of the most popular flavors.
Third, we didn’t toast the pastries. Who actually toasts these things?
Finally, all the versions are vegetarian, but none are vegan as they each contain some amount of milk products.
The biggest surprise overall? Pop Tarts brand is the only one with high fructose corn syrup but overall they have the fewest calories and fewest grams of carbs of the three.
Calorie count:
- Pop Tarts = 370
- Annie’s = 390
- Nature’s Path = 420
ANNIE’S
Annie’s was our least favorite. None of us ranked it our first choice.
Annie’s official website says of their product: “Behold! An Organic Strawberry Toaster Pastry exists! That’s right, we’re talking about a warm, toasty, golden crust smothered in delicious frosting and filled with real organic strawberry filling.”
It’s not smothered in anything. According to VOICE Editor in Chief Tori Pender it has a smear of off-white frosting and sparse pink sugar crystals on top.
They got one thing right: it is organic. It also uses whole wheat flour, but so does Nature’s Path.
Our Managing Editor, Melissa Reyes, described it saying it: “Smells like walking into a pantry with old boxes.”
The advertising boasts, “Moms will love the 16 grams of whole grain per serving.” What they don’t mention is the 41g of total sugars, the highest of the lot. To be fair, it also has the highest amount of fiber 5g, while Nature’s Path and Pop Tarts only have 2g.
Senior staffer Ben Levitt described it as: “Violently raspberry.” A toaster pastry should not be violent.
The best thing a staffer noted was that Annie’s has the best packaging with the easiest to read product labeling that clearly identifies that it contains soy and milk ingredients.
NATURE’S PATH
Views were mixed on this one. Though technically it tied for first place, no one had a truly enthusiastic response.
Social Media Editor Donny Neuls said, “I like it but I don’t like it.”
That about sums it up.
Editor in Chief Tori noted that the sprinkles look like Pop Rocks and the frosting is messily placed, but that the raspberry filling tastes like real preserves.
“If I had a choice between that and not that, I would not choose that,” said Levitt of the rich taste.
POP TARTS
Although several of us leaned toward the Nature’s Path brand, the original Pop Tarts got the most verbally enthusiastic response.
Pender describes them saying they like were like white bread, perhaps somewhat artificial, but they have the “classic Pop Tart holes,” and “the icing is formally placed like soldiers lined up before battle.”
The artificialness of the Pop Tart was also noticed by Neuls though he wouldn’t eat it since it contains gelatin and he’s vegan.
“It feels right.” says, Levitt calling them the Kim Kardashian of puff pastry.
Overall, Pop Tarts was the one we all were familiar with and had the least negative comments about.
