100 Calorie Snacks

Straight from the rain forest and into your mouth, these toucans are tasty. We previously reviewed Trader Joe’s cheese toucans. The chocolate graham variety similarly don’t disappoint. The chocolate flavor is not overwhelming, and the toucans are very crunchy, perhaps even a little dry. They make for a great pick-me-up during the work day, or a kids’ snack.

Yes, Target is in the 100 calorie market. Packaged under the Target store brand, Archer Farms, these 100 calorie packs of baked chocolate chip snacks offer generous portions but the taste and texture are not as satisfying as real cookies. My 3-year-old, who isn’t allowed many cookies, enjoyed them. But next time I’ll opt for a smaller serving of more cookie-like cookies. I am looking forward to seeing what Target comes up with next in its new 100 calorie line, however.

Nabisco has released its famous animal crackers from their recognizable box-with-string and caged them in 100 calorie packs. Trouble is, the trip has not only made the animals shrink; they’re now too hard and crunchy, with less flavor. More importantly, their heads are too small to bite off with any real precision. Save these for kids’ play dates and seek out a more substantial snack for yourself.

Who would have thought the Dollar Tree would jump on the 100 calorie snack band wagon? At a price of $1, we couldn’t pass up this box of fudge shortbread cookies. They didn’t taste half bad, but they’re no Keeblers either. The chocolate isn’t very rich and the shortbread isn’t very buttery. Still, if you want to save money as well as calories, they’re worth a try. Think of them as the poor man’s (or woman’s) 100 calorie pack.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Lorna Doone, as well as for actress Laura Dern. Laura Dern had a tender heart for the triceratops in Jurassic Park, while Lorna Doone shortbread cookies are tender and tasty. For its 100 calorie packs, Nabisco has changed the DNA in these cookies, making for teeny, tiny versions of the original. They still have big taste, though, and melt sweetly in your mouth. The only downside: Like the scant few total minutes of on-screen dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, the package of cookies was over too fast.

Nabisco doesn’t just use tinier versions of its classic Chips Ahoy cookies for these 100 calorie packs; these are a different product. They are, as the package implies, crispy. If you’re hoping for a chewy cookie, this is not for you. But the crisps taste great, with plenty of chocolate taste. I’d buy them again, for myself or to give my kids a take-along treat.