Two freeze-dried desserts: brownies and cake. Both are crunchy and easy to pop in your mouth. These are eaten as is, not rehydrated. They’re great for snacking on the trail. A small bite of sweetness to push you up a steep hill. Or in camp at night, after dinner.
Last week, I was at REI, and with a whopping $8 in yearly REI Dividend money, I decided to treat myself to a pouch of freeze-dried Chocolate Fudge Brownie Bites from Peak Refuel.
It was $6.99, so it was free.
We cracked it open yesterday to give it a try.
Each package is 4.58 ounces in weight. The ingredient list is short.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour, butter, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, soybean oil, corn starch, natural flavor, soy lecithin, salt.
The pieces are odd-looking. This isn’t actual brownies baked and cut. They were cut into bite-size chunks.
My first impression was, “Wow, this is hard!” Don’t bite down on them; you could wreck your teeth. Instead, let them sit in your mouth for a few seconds to soften a bit, and then you can chew them easily. The flavor is decent enough, but also kind of chalky in texture.
They just were not “brownies” to me. The texture and taste were not correct. It reminded me of a very dense energy bar from long ago, but in bite size pieces.
I wasn’t impressed. Which was a bummer as I have liked nearly everything by Peak Refuel. It was just not what I was expecting.
But if I were to buy a freeze-dried snack, I would pass over these. (And if you are wondering, no, these had plenty of years of their expiration. They were rated for 2028.)
I had a friend as we were working…Moochie Pants the Seagull:
Confetti Cake Bites.
The boys reminded me I had a few Thrive Life cake bites cans and that we should “open a can” to compare with the brownies. That’s because it’s prepper stash food, and they love these cake bites. So, usually, they don’t get to indulge in them. It was a lucky day for them.
The 11.4-ounce “pantry can” size (the can has a pull top to open and a plastic lid for storage) retails for $26.24, so it isn’t cheap. However, it is very festive and tasty. It’s an actual cake, cut into tiny squares.
Kids love these cake bites. They are crispy but not hard, and a handful is satisfying to snack on. They taste exactly as you imagine them to —just like confetti birthday cake. All that is missing is frosting.
Its only downside is it has artificial coloring added, and the ingredient list isn’t great.
But a treat is a treat, and if not indulged often, so much the better.
UPDATE: Thrive Life closed shop in 2025.
FTC Disclaimer: We purchased all products. All thoughts and opinions are ours.
~Sarah