Combos Baked Snacks

Combos Baked Snacks

I assume you know the deal with Combos. There is a thing, and it is hollow, and they put something else inside that thing. e

I know you probably won't believe me, since I'm such a fiend for snacks in general. But trust me when I say that before today, I had only eaten Combos once. Back in the 1980s when they first became popular. I didn't like them (I think I tried some kind of Ranch flavor?) and I never tried them again.
 
Aren't our food beliefs and pretensions and fussinesses funny? 
 
The other day at the grocery store when I was picking up bologna to try for the first time in at least 35 years, I passed a big display of Combos on sale. And I thought, "Aw, what the heck." In for a penny, in for a pound, right? As long as we're trying new stuff, let's go all out!

 
The bologna turned out to be a disaster. Disgusting. But I'll tell you something: I was wrong about the Combos, all those years. These things are delicious!
 
I assume you know the deal with Combos. There is a thing, and it is hollow, and they put something else inside that thing. I decided to start simple. Combos come in a bewildering variety of flavors. (My hand hovered over the bag of Pepperoni Pizza flavor for several moments.) I settled on the Cheddar Cheese/Pretzel combination.
 
The pretzels here are fat, about the width of your pinkie or ring finger. They are crunchy and salty and, you know, pretzel-y. Not much you can say about pretzel bits.
 
The filling was a dead ringer for the "cheddar cheese" they put in those cracker sandwich packs. Salty, neon orange, vaguely cheese-flavored, and an interesting texture between spreadable and crumbly. 
 
Taste-wise, these were pretty decent. But the texture is where I really felt these shine. They have the perfect combination of a crispy crunchy outside, and a creamy tender inside. Combine that with the primitive appeal of fat and salt, and you've got yourself a winner! In fact, I ate almost the entire bag before I had realized what was happening. I had to stop myself in order to take the picture above, with the sad last four Combos.
 
The only down side to Combos is the cost, which is surprisingly high. I paid $1.99 (sale price) for a little 7 ounce bag. The bag is about the size of a lunch pack sized bag of potato chips, although the density of the Combos means you get a lot of snacking in there.