Ever want something chewy and sweet? It's rare for me, but it happened for a short season--and in typical Nicole fashion, I took it all the way to find the ones with the cleanest ingredients. Now, of course I personally don't consider any of these "healthy" but they are sans HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and several other things! Also, these are not something I eat on a regular basis, just that chewy season I had, haha. Although, after trying them all, there IS one that stays in my purse and is travel snack worthy. Keep reading to find out which one I'm talking about! Please note, this is based solely (pun intended) on my personal preference and just because something isn't my favorite doesn't mean it won't be yours!
Torie & Howard Original Chewie Fruities - these had two flavors in the bag, a blood orange and a honey. The flavors were great (especially the blood orange) but they were actually too chewy for me...almost a waxy consistency the more I chewed. I couldn't swallow it.
Annie's Bunny Fruit Snacks - I actually got two kinds of these: strawberry (as pictured above) and berry. Both were good, with a slightly sticky texture, but the berry was my favorite of the two.
YumEarth Licorice - For years I've been searching and searching for a gluten-free organic licorice. I finally got to try both of these, strawberry and black licorice. The flavors were on point, but once again, I couldn't handle the chew. Oh, and for the record, I really like the true licorice/anise taste!
YumEarth Fruit Snacks - They have a kind of dusting on the outside, I'm guessing so they don't stick together. Too many banana snacks in every bag for me, but I'd eat them in a pinch, lol.
Surf Sweets - I found three different ones from this brand and had high hopes. I tried the gummy bears, gummy rings, and cinnamon bears. The bears and rings were fine, but probably not something I'd pick again; the flavors weren't quite for me. My husband liked them, though! The cinnamon bears were absolutely delicious. The flavor was great and reminded me of a soft version of the hard cinnamon disk candies I had as a kid...except it was still too chewy for me, believe it or not! I couldn't swallow this one either.
Solely (whole fruit) - The Solely's need to be discussed in two categories, even though you'd think the strips and fruit snacks would be similar. For whole fruit, I tried the mango, mango chile, and pineapple. A little hesitant on the pineapple, but it's so juicy and tastes like a real, fresh, pineapple! As for the mango chile, it was good! Definitely not something I'd have every day but a little mix of sweet and savory with the spice is nice once in a while. Finally, the plain mango is fantastic. I have tested several of these to make sure I didn't get one that was a "bad mango." It hasn't happened yet and I don't expect it to, either! They all taste perfectly ripe to me. These are mainstays in my travel essentials + purse!
Solely (gummies) - Thinking these would taste just like the whole fruit, I was mistaken. They are a little drier and stickier than the whole fruit. Flavor-wise, I liked the plain mango, mango + passion fruit, mango + guava. Mango and orange was not my favorite combo, but again, my husband liked these ones, so it's really it just my personal preference!
Black Forest Gummy Bears - Please note, I only tried the organic ones. They have non-organic bears and worms in similar packaging. First of all, I was surprised by how many different flavors are in the bag. My favorite: orange and lemon. There's also a cherry that I think I like, but the strawberry red and cherry red are really too close for me to be able to tell based on color. It might sound funny, but they're really close! I eat all the flavors, though. These were the one that satisfied my sweet, chewy craving the most.
Have you tried any of these? What's your favorite? Tell me in the comments and as always, #GetSatiated.
