Trader Joe's Ranch Seasoned Cashews

Growing up, my mother always had this odd assortment of nuts lying around the house. In the kitchen, in the cluttered hallway, and even in her bedroom, there would be half-eaten tubs and jars of macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and filberts spilling out onto tables and floors all over the place. Among her favorites were, of course, cashews. I quickly learned to like them since they were virtually always available at our house and my food allergies limited what I could eat, especially throughout my younger years.

Back then, the only varieties of cashews I remember were salted or unsalted, raw or dry roasted. If they'd offered ranch cashews, I would have been begging my parents to try them. Whether they'd have indulged me or not would have depended upon whether my mother wanted to try them, too. My guess is she'd have given them a whirl.

Would she have liked them or not? I'm not sure. It's well within the realm of possibility that a cashew purist might be scared off by the sugar, garlic, and buttermilk slathered on this snack. I mean, Sonia and I like them quite a bit. We think the level of ranch-ish-ness is appropriate. Others may disagree.

Certain bites seem more ranchy than others, but the overall flavor is a good balance between the cashews' nutty goodness and the buttery, garlicky tang of ranch dressing. I must admit the taste seemed a little strange at first, but it quickly grew on me.

The nuts are mostly whole cashews with some halves floating around in the bag. Sonia liked their texture, stating that they're not too hard and not too soft, still crunchy like a nut should be but not overly firm.

$3.99 for the 8 oz resealable bag. Kosher. Would buy again. Eight and a half stars from Sonia for Trader Joe's Ranch Seasoned Cashews. I'll throw out seven and a half.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.