Pringles is Out of Control: Pumpkin Pie Spice Pringles

Most smart people know how good sweets work with salts- not just the caramel with sea salt snacks that are suddenly everywhere, but the classic pretzel snacks and even standard potato chips with chocolate too. Look at Irwin eye this chocolate drizzled potato chip I got from Gertrude Hawk Chocolates:

I guess his opinion isn't that valid since he wants to eat everything in our house, but still- you get the idea. The idea of a mainstream potato chip company putting out chips covered in sweets is unprecedented (as far as I know), but it's not that crazy. This, however, is:

Only a few days after we reviewed their Cinnamon & Sugar flavor, I was able to find their newest experiment, Pumpkin Pie Spice Pringles. And they're about as weird as you'd think they'd be. 

Opening the tennis ball container, I got a very strong scent of pumpkin pie, and a very sugary sweet pumpkin pie at that. I honestly don't know what to say about these. They taste exactly like pumpkin pie. The salty potato chip flavor isn't as strong with these as they were with the too-potato-chipy Cinnamon & Sugar ones. And not only that, it actually kind of works. Who would have thought pumpkin pie should have salt drizzled atop it? 

The reason I don't have much to say is because I can't decide if I like these or not. I keep eating one here and there as I type (as any good reviewer should do), and I have the same reaction every time. I quietly cringe as I put one in my mouth, saying "I don't want to eat this," and then I say "oh wow, this isn't bad- it totally tastes like pumpkin pie, and this is neat!" But then I finish and I don't want to eat another one. Or maybe I do. Maybe it's just that I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, or maybe I'm pumpkined out from all the pumpkin snacks fall brings. I think it's really that my brain is just so confused by what I'm eating that I don't know if I should be happy about eating these or not. 

So I guess the bottom line is this: you're going to try these if you can find them. And you're going to be confused too. They taste exactly like a pumpkin pie potato chip, or a pumpkin pie with a very salty, very crispy crust. So Pringles has done a fantastic job with these (they're much better than the Cinnamon & Sugar Pringles) but do I want to keep eating them? Do I cook a pumpkin pie then drizzle smashed up chips on top? Or create the crust out of these? Do I put some in the middle of a pumpkin whoopie pie? (I just realized these are all excellent ideas) Or are these just going to go on our free food shelf to be ignored? I have no idea. But Pringles did a hell of a job confusing me. 

I give these a B+ (I think?)

Now Pringles- you better not be giving us both these flavors, then releasing what we're truly excited for in such a limited release that we can't even find them. I demand White Chocolate Peppermint Pringles!

-review by Mike