Junk Food Nation, just a quick public ackowledgement of my own ignroance this morning (afternoon). It was tornado warning madness here in DC last night, and my co-worker, a woman from Michigan, told me she and her husband were very cautious of these warnings given their experience with them “in the Midwest.” Since my cousins were all from Kansas and my tornado knowledge was limited to their lives, I guffawed and got into a big debate as to whether Michigan was in the Midwest, and whether Michigan actually got tornado warnings.

I guess I just thought of the US as being divided amongst time zones or something, because my own perception of the “Midwest” was always places like Kansas, Nebraska, that whole tower of states up and down in the center of America.  Well, according to Wiki and the US Census Bureau – Michigan IS in the Midwest!!! WHO KNEW?? (Not me).

And apparently, Kansas is too – so I wasn’t totally wrong. But Ohio, Minnesota – Midwest?? This was mindblowing news to me.  Anyone else learning, like me, that those states were the “Midwest?” Let me know in the comments below.

Today’s junk food: What-a-ya Nuts Maple Cinnamon Madness & Stark Raving Chocolate!

What-a-ya Nuts is a St. Louis Company that is VERY new (I believe 2011) and poised to burst onto the nut-cluster snack scene!  Created by Howie Sher, What-a-ya Nuts was his attempt to create a “modern day crackerjack.”  What-A-Ya Nuts?! currently comes in four flavors: Jalapeno Hysteria, Cracked Parmesan Pepper, Maple Cinnamon Madness and Stark Raving Chocolate, and uses only real ingredients – no corn syrup here.

The guys at What-a-ya Nuts sent me a sample of all four of their new flavors.  (BIG THANK YOU TO THEM FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!!!) While they expressed concern that their snacks weren’t necessarily “junk food,” I told them no worries – I am an equal opportunity snacker. Plus, I’ve reviewed a whole SLEW of healthy snacks on this blog before; this would be no different.

So let’s begin!  Two of the sweet flavors today: What-a-ya Nuts Maple Cinnamon Madness & Stark Raving Chocolate!

Maple Cinnamon Madness is a goofy name for a snack, but it looks interesting.  Will I go MAD after eating this? Or will I be MAD if I finish it all and there’s none left? …Ok, I’m all out of MAD jokes.

What-a-ya Nuts Maple Cinnamon Madness sounds like a generally tasty combo. Maple syrup, almonds, cashew, cinnamon and…pepitas? What the hell?  Grrr, time to turn to Wiki:

“Pepita (from Mexican Spanish: pepita de calabaza, “little seed of squash”) is a Spanish culinary term for the pumpkin seed.”

OOOOOOOH, pumpkin seeds? Why didn’t you say so, What-a-ya Nuts!? I love those.

All that text kind of looks like those recent Ford F-150 commercials.  It really describes settling into a slow form of mental instability when you eat these nut clusters.  Kind of worried…but I’m also kind of hungry.

I do like that the third ingredient in this What-a-ya Nuts Maple Cinnamon Madness is actual maple syrup.  And at 150 calories for a 1/3 cup, this is a decently healthy snack!  What-a-ya Nuts is very proud of its normal ingredients too – as they state here, they wanted to make sure all their ingredients were pronounceable.  I like it!

What-a-ya Nuts Maple Cinnamon Madness, at first glance, were just big ole clusters of nuts and sugar 🙂 Which I’m not complaining about! Smelling the bag, you get an AMAZING waft of cinnamon and maple syrup smell.  Like REALLY strong.

What-a-ya Nuts Maple Cinnamon Madness clusters go into my mouth; I chew…really tasty. A decent crunch, but to be fair, these particular clusters are relatively chewy and easy on the teeth – you won’t break any enamel eating these.

The nuttiness is immediately present, as you chomp through the various nuts in these clusters.  Really hearty and filling.  And the maple syrup and cinnamon taste? EVERYWHERE – but also, it’s worth noting that these aren’t super sweet at ALL.  Indeed, it’s just slightly sweet – you get definite maple sugar and cinnamon taste, but it’s there to accentuate the flavor of the nuts, rather than just overpower everything.

Simply put, it tastes like you’re eating really flavorful roasted nuts and seeds that have been drizzled with maple syrup and cinnamon, rather than feeling like you’re eating toffee or brittle.  This isn’t like Crackerjacks at all – it’s BETTER.

What-a-ya Nuts Stark Raving Chocolate was my next conquest. The question remains in my head: Why make these “What-a-ya Nuts?!” According to the website, it’s because company wanted to make a guilt-free snack that would make you feel good, keep you light, and eliminate the regret. Sounds good to me – I’ve got a mountain of different regrets I am chipping away at. Like eating two dinners last night – WOOOOO.

What-a-ya Nuts Stark Raving Chocolate has chocolate, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds. I must say, I LIKE the addition of seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) to the nuts clusters. This adds a texture and a flavor I haven’t seen in other snacks before.

What-a-ya Nuts Stark Raving Chocolate is sweetened with chocolate and honey, a combo I’m not familiar with, but am eager to try.

Sidenote: Where to buy these? Online, of course, or at any of these grocery stores. Sidenote again: With the exception of Landmark Theatres, I’ve never heard of ANY of these grocery stores!  What the hell??? But in time, I’m sure they’ll expand.  EXPAND EAST TOWARDS ME, WHAT-A-YA NUTS!!!

What-a-ya Nuts Stark Raving Chocolate, interestingly, smelled immediately of salty chocolate.  That was unexpected.  I dunno if I expected more cocoa smell, but the saltiness factor intrigues me.

What-a-ya Nuts Stark Raving Chocolate was crunchier than its Maple Cinnamon counterpart, and strangely salty!  The crunch was nice – not as chewy, but still very hearty. This felt more like I was crunching a light brittle.  The saltiness of the nuts and seeds was really nice, and has a good round flavor – lots of almond and cashew taste.  Every now and then I’d hit a chocolate clump and I’d get this wonderful salted chocolate flavor – savory and sweet at the same time.  This was a very complex flavor profile.

Again, not as sweet as one might imagine with the word “chocolate” on the front, much less “stark raving chocolate.” Like the Salty Chocolate Snacklemouth, I would’ve liked to see more chocolate in this one. Still, these are very tasty clusters that I would DEFINITELY eat again.

In the end, I think the Maple Cinnamon Madness is the winner between the two.  But tomorrow I tackle the SAVORY two flavors of What-a-ya Nuts! And I’m trembling with excitement 🙂

Thoughts? Hit me in the comments below or hit me on Twitter @junkfoodguy or on my Facebook Page.

Sincerely, Junk Food Guy