Review: Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Dogs

July is National Hot Dog Month, and while I don’t normally review items sold in grocery stores, I’m making an exception because Auntie Anne’s, a mall chain that sells all things pretzel, has decide to start selling their product in stores.

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Dogs are described as “famous pretzel dough wrapped around a Nathan’s Famous hot dogs.”

A box of 4 pieces retails for about $5.79, and can be found at many of the most popular grocery stores.  Auntie Anne’s gave me a complimentary box to try.

I am not a huge hot dog fan, but I do love a good barbecue during the summer.  I do not like corn dogs, so I was not sure how I would feel about another similar item.  The instructions on the box allow the option of cooking in the microwave over cooking in an oven.  I opted to use the oven for the best, most true pretzel dog experience.

The actual hot dog was very juicy and flavorful.  Being on the west coast, I have only heard about how delicious Nathan’s famous, all-beef hot dogs were.  These are a little thinner and longer than a typical hot dog I might find at the grocery store.  They did have slightly more salt than I would have liked if I was just eating them plain, however I think Auntie Anne’s was able to balance out the saltiness of the hot dog with the wrapped pretzel.

The pretzel bread was just the right texture that I like to see in a soft pretzel.  It was a little crunchy on the outside and a little spongier on the inside.  The dough got a little wet around the hot dog.  With as much juiciness as this hot dog was emitting, I can understand the difficulty of keeping the bread more dry.  The pretzel flavor was also very good.  The pretzel flavor was a bit more mild than I would have preferred (it was more “bready”) but the pretzel flavor still came through really well.

The combination of the hot dog and pretzel wrap worked really well.  I think Auntie Anne’s nailed the ratio between hot dog and pretzel dough.  I think the combination of juiciness from the hot dog and texture of the pretzel really worked well together.  These would be delicious plain, but I also tried them with mustard for the full experience.

In my reviews, I also like to mention the value, not just the taste.  Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Dogs are pretty big.  With 4 pieces, that puts each pretzel dog at $1.44.  That isn’t bad at all.  For a snack, I think just one of these pretzel dogs is filling, and two would make a meal, so I think the price was pretty close to what I would expect.

Another thing I noticed was the box had a coupon for a Buy One Get One pretzel at any Auntie Anne’s retail shop.  Some of the Signature Pretzels at Auntie Anne’s can cost around $2.99, so that is a great coupon, and make the value of the entire package even better.

FastFoodWatch.com Grade 4/5

Overall, Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Dogs were the perfect combination of juicy hot dogs and pretzel dough.   These would make a fantastic summertime snack, especially during National Hot Dog Month.

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Dogs Nutrition Information (1 piece):

• Serving Size: 114 g
• Calories: 310
• Protein: 10 g
• Fat: 16 g
• Carbohydrates: 31 g
• Sodium: 630 mg