Care to Compare: Wetzels Pretzels vs. Auntie Anne's

Today's mission: To seek out the better pretzel.
Location: Wetzel's Pretzels and Auntie Anne's

Wetzel's Pretzels is a soft pretzel franchise based in Pasadena, California, and has locations all over the nation. (http://www.wetzels.com)
Auntie Anne's is a much larger soft pretzel franchise based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and has been around a few years longer. (http://www.auntieannes.com)

Obviously, everybody likes pretzels. Especially hot, soft pretzels. Yumm! So, as we were strolling through the mall on a lazy Monday afternoon there was no way we could pass up a delicious snack. Now, we have always been used to the familiar taste of an Auntie Anne's pretzel, so of course we were struggling with brand loyalty when starting this mission.

Growing up, Auntie Anne's was the only place we ever went, so just one whiff of the buttery aroma sent us flying into childhood bliss! Just last year, in my college dorm room, some friends and I got together with the Auntie Anne's Pretzel Party Pack (a make your own pretzel kit) and had a blast baking them in the crummy dorm kitchen. It's easy to see why Auntie Anne's was the predicted winner.

In order to give a fair evaluation of each pretzel company, we decided to set aside our prejudices and rate the pretzels based on taste alone. Thus began our foray into the world of food comparison.

We started with four pretzels, one in each of our hands. An original (butter and salt) and a cinnamon sugar from each place. We scoped out the nearest bench in the mall, too excited to waste time looking for a table. Sitting on that bench, we decided that the best method of attack was to just dig right in!

The first bite of the Auntie Anne's original pretzel was just like going home; it was just like the good ol' days. It was salty with just a hint of sweetness in the dough that kept us wanting more. The dough was dense and chewy, completely delicious. However, we couldn't get carried away and gobble it down just yet. There was another pretzel to try. The inaugural bite: not at all what we had expected. The Wetzel's pretzel crunched as we bit into it. We actually turned to each other and said, "Wow, this is really crispy!" Jinx. Upon further evaluation, we realized that the crisp was not all that this pretzel had to offer! The dough seemed to melt in our mouths, like ice cream on a hot day. Could this be? Is Wetzel's winning?

The butter and salt was essentially the same for both pretzels... it was the dough that put Wetzel's over the edge. We decided after much consideration that Wetzel's had actually beaten out our childhood favorite. We couldn't believe it!

We were so surprised but the results of the first taste test, but we were certain that Auntie Anne's would pull through in round two. The sweet dough of the AA's pretzel seemed like it should compliment the cinnamon sugar topping. Let taste test number two begin. You can't even imagine our surprise when Wetzel's dough actually outshone the sweetness of AA's yet again, even with the sugary topping!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT PEOPLE?! We couldn't. Well, at least not at first. But really, we couldn't argue with our taste buds. Wetzel's was the only winner in our minds.

This simple comparison test taught us that we can't always just stick with what is familiar. If we hadn't ever tried something new we never would have discovered our new found love for Wetzel's Pretzels. And now begins a great journey of trying new things!

(p.s. As for nutrition, the pretzels ranked nearly equal, the Wetzel's containing a few more calories than the Auntie Anne's)