I try a lot of Costco products. While a lot of them are really good, there aren’t that many that I find unique and original. These Eastern Standard Provisions Co. Artisanal Soft Pretzels fall into that category. I can’t ever remember seeing a make-your-own soft pretzel kit at Costco or anywhere else! With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, could this be the perfect snack to make you feel like you’re watching the game in person at the stadium?
Other pretzel snacks from Costco are the Hoody’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Mix, Creative Snacks Co. Pretzels and the Kirkland Signature Peanut Butter Pretzels.
Other appetizers from Costco you may enjoy if pretzels aren’t your thing are the Partini Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos, Kirkland Tempura Shrimp, Pinty’s Honey & Garlic Wings, Bibigo Beef Bulgogi Mandu, Hampton House Dry Garlic Ribs, Pinty’s Buffalo Chicken Flings and the Cuisine Adventures Mini Quiche.
Location in Store
I bought these at the Kalispell, Montana Costco and found them in the freezer section, the item number is 1683175.
Taste
The pretzels themselves are good – pretty similar to soft pretzels I’ve had at sporting events, etc. The dough isn’t overly flavorful, but that’s normal for a soft pretzel. I followed the preparation instructions on the individual packages. I baked the pretzels at 400 degrees Fahrenheit from frozen for the lower amount of recommended time and they came out great. They were hot and soft inside with a touch of crispness on the outside.
The pretzel salt is exactly what you’d expect. Salty and coarse, so it adds texture too. If you’re looking for a classic soft pretzel flavor, this is it.
The French toast sugar is sweet with a hint of maple flavor, but pretty mild. You need a lot to really taste it, and even then you might be a bit disappointed at how mild it is.
The three cheese pretzel salt was my least favorite of the three seasonings. If you’re not paying attention, you might just think it’s a finer salt. I can’t say it tasted cheesy to me at all. It does have a bit of a different/weird flavor. My best description would be that it’s a bit tangy.
My biggest complaint about these pretzels is the confusing directions. There are different heating instructions on the box and the individual plastic bags and neither is super clear about when to apply your toppings (i.e., before or after baking).
I used melted butter on my pretzels. On my first batch (big pretzels), I put the butter on, then baked them, then put the toppings on. It didn’t work great. For my next batch (pretzel sticks), I baked them, then put my butter and toppings on. For my final batch (pretzel bites), I put the butter and toppings on and then baked them. Both the second and third methods worked pretty well for me.
My second biggest complaint is the amount of toppings provided. If you’re careful and you like/use all three, it’s probably enough. However, the pretzels definitely taste the best when you’re generous with the toppings and it would be nice to be able to generously season the whole box (or most of it) with your favorite topping.
Overall these pretzels are a super fun and unique product, and they’re fairly easy to make despite the somewhat poor instructions. They’d be perfect at a Super Bowl party or any gathering where you want to wow your guests with a cool snack.
Cost
The box comes with four large wheelhouse pretzels, six turnbuckle sticks and 22 one-timer bites and costs $11.99 USD which isn’t bad at all!
Convenience
The box comes with the pretzels packaged in plastic and the three packets of seasonings. The three kinds of seasonings are three cheese, french toast sugar and pretzel salt. There definitely needs to be more seasoning in the box because I didn’t make all my pretzels at once, one box will last me about three times.
To bake the pretzels place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with butter, water or olive oil and sprinkle with sugar or salt. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes.
The pretzels need to be kept frozen and the best-before date is just over a year from when I purchased them. Kids and adults will both enjoy these, my toddler devoured them. One thing I’ll mention is that they do harden if they sit out and aren’t as soft.
Nutrition
Calories
The wheelhouse pretzel contains 310 calories, five grams of fat, 560 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, two grams of fiber, two grams of sugar and eight grams of protein.
One turnbuck pretzel stick contains 110 calories, two grams of fat, 210 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than a grab of fiber, less than a gram of sugar and three grams of protein.
Five one-timer soft pretzel bites contain 180 calories, three grams of fat, 340 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fiber, one gram of sugar and five grams of protein.
In half a teaspoon of the three cheese seasoning there are nine calories, zero grams of fat, zero grams of sugar, protein and fiber, one gram of carbohydrates and 106 milligrams of sodium.
In half a teaspoon of the french toast sugar topping there are nine calories, zero grams of fat, fiber, protein and sodium and two grams of carbohydrates and sugar.
In half a teaspoon of the pretzel salt seasoning there are zero calories, zero grams of fat, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar and protein and a whopping 786 milligrams of sodium. That’s a ton of sodium so go easy on this one!
Ingredients
The pretzels themselves contain your basic ingredients like flour, sugar, water and salt. I don’t love seeing soybean oil as an ingredient but it’s there. The pretzels are nut free.
The three-cheese seasoning contains parmesan, bleu cheese and white cheddar cheese but is processed in a facility that contains nuts.
French toast sugar has what you’d expect to see, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla powder. It’s also produced in a facility that contains nuts.
Pretzel salt seasoning has just one ingredient.
Scoring
Taste: 8/10
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 9.5/10
Nutrition: 0/10
Overall
Give it a try!
If you’re a soft pretzel fan you won’t want to miss out on these.
Have you tried the Costco Eastern Standard Provisions Co. Artisinal Soft Pretzels? What did you think of them? Drop a comment below!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
