CRACKER JACKED

Masala Pop’s Chai Masala Popcorn with Assam Tea 

Neha Patel’s spicy-sweet, coconut palm–sugared caramel corn is the Darjeeling Limited of snacks; a rattletrap journey through unexpected flavor territory, pinging with crunchy, warming bursts of cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. All aboard. eatmasalapop.com, $4.99

DIY ICE CREAM SAMMY

Two Tarts Daily Specials 

Portland’s best off-menu ice cream sandwich works like this: pick any cookie in the case to pair with one of three “spur of the moment” ice creams. You might bundle bright rhubarb ice cream and chocolate shortbread cookies, or combine a frozen dream of fresh-pressed coconut milk with crispy coconut oatmeal cookies. After all, you’re the boss. tartnation.wordpress.com, $2.50

FRIES, LOCKED & LOADED

Bunk Alberta’s Carne Asada Fries

A taqueria staple slums it with McDonald’s-caliber fries in this meaty, smoky, guacamole-topped San Diego specialty, wherein each perfectly crisped spud groans with melty cheddar, tender steak nubbins, and red chile salsa. bunksandwiches.com, $6

THE HOLEY CLUCKER

Blue Star Hawthorne’s Fried Chicken Doughnut

The godchild of Krispy Kreme and hot wings: a horchata-glazed round crowned with juicy, fried-to-order chicken thigh, kissed with honey and a smack of Frank's Red Hot. “It’s a religious experience,” says Blue Star's Micah Camden. Who can argue with that? bluestardonuts.com, $4.25

IT’S OVER, LITTLE DEBBIE

The Sugar Cube’s Oh Snap! Gingersnap Cookies

Forget gummy stacks of snack cakes—the Cube sneaks a tangy cache of vanilla bean–laden cream cheese frosting between two chewy, crisp-edged rounds zinging with fresh-grated ginger, blackstrap molasses, and orange zest. thesugarcubepdx.com, $2.50

THE ASIAN HOSTESS

Boke Bowl’s Twinkie

These are not the sugar-choked sponges of your youth. A butterscotchy ooze of pudding, molasses, and miso paste hides inside, charging the springy, vanilla bean–scented cakes with the caramelized electricity normally reserved for dulce de leche ice cream. bokebowl.com, $2

REESE'S REBORN

Alma’s Thai Peanut Butter Cup

Sarah Hart’s Southeast Asian take on the candy aisle favorite posterizes the original like Robin Lopez dunking on a hapless defender at the rim. Pierce the hard chocolate shell for a soft explosion of nutty cream edged with chiles, lime, and ginger—everything dancing under the smoky crunch of volcanic salt. almachocolate.com, $2.25

BETTER THAN RED VINES

Jacobsen Salt Co’s Salty Black Licorice

There’s your typical long, bendy red twirls textured like shoe leather, and then there’s Jacobsen’s midnight-dark goodies: individually wrapped wads of licorice thunder and taffy pull with a deep undertow of sweet burn and flaky salt. jacobsensalt.com, $14.45

THE THINKING PERSON’S SNICKERS

Xocolatl de David’s Raleigh Bar

Each of David Briggs’s squatty little bars boasts a concentrated exactitude of pecan nougat, dark chocolate, and caramel smoky enough to set off alarms. xocolatldedavid.com, $3

THE ADULT MILKSHAKE

Pepe Le Moko’s Grasshopper

Inhaling a strawful of bar whiz Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s crèmes de menthe and cacao milkshake, shivering with Fernet Branca and vanilla ice cream, is like sucking down a lungful of menthol cigarette smoke, without all the sadness. pepelemokopdx.com, $11