Pannier Friendly Snacks (and sweets!)
 

I'm just trying to think of some sweet or sugary goodness that adds a boost to the day (or works for dessert), but also keeps through the heat of the day.

Do Paydays or Twinkies survive the warmth?

My wife and I have tried a lot of "energy" bars and not liked anything but the Snickers Marathon, but then they're not long for the world when they get warm.

Anything you thought would work, but didn't keep well?

Breakfast bars, granola bars, Hostess pies, oatmeal squares (banana) and, yes, twinkies, do indeed survive quite well in panniers. Also take any opportunity to stop for pie (it's harder to find than you think;) ) that you can.

I'm personally a big fan of the Power Bar Harvest Bars, a lot of them have chocolate or something else that melts but they have a couple flavors that don't. One is Apple Crisp, or something along those lines, and theres a cherry one too that I know of, both of which are really good considering they are energy type bars.

Yep - Hershey bars on the south side usually end up as a puddle on the bottom of the pannier - except in the Yukon when it's raining all day and barely above freezing.

I really like Quaker "Chewy" granola bars, especially the Smores flavored ones! I have an oatmeal square on the counter to try in the morning. The Hostess Pie surprises me a bit, but good to know.

Dried fruit (especially raisins) and pecan nuts are my snacks of choice

Fig Newtons (UK: Fig Rolls) are good snacks with a high melting point.

Paydays are pretty good with the heat, there's no chocolate, and they just get a bit soft.

+1 on the harvest bars. The apple one is good, and I really like the oatmeal cookie one. They don't seem to be as dry as most of the products that I've tried, not as sweet tasting and have a better 'feel' in the mouth.

Steve

This was a favourite while touring in Patagonia for a couple of months:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_de_leche

You could buy the stuff in litre bags. Snip off one corner, and suck it straight out. Close up with a rubber band or duct tape when done. It was great stuff. Utterly revolting if not touring though.

Twinkies?? They would survive a nuclear holocaust. You might have to weight a few decades to eat them, but they'd make it. My favorite energy bar though, is the Powerbar Harvest Oatmeal and Raisin. Like yourself, the only energy bar I was ever able to enjoy was the Snickers Marathon, until I found the PowerBar Harvest Oatmeal and Raisin. I usually buy them buy them by the box from performance with my saved up points (ends up being free), but since I'm leaving for my summer tour in less than a week, I've just been eating whatever the gas stations or convenience stores are selling. Not twinkies though.

I throw some M&Ms into a bag of trail mix.

One of my favourite heat-tolerant snacks is GORP, or "good old raisins and peanuts," plus variations. I buy bags of raw or lightly roasted mixed nuts and dried fruit, and munch away during the day. The combination of sugar, fat, protein, and carbohydrates works for me.

+1. Hella cheap, too. Mix a bunch up in a great big Ziploc and you're golden.

As long as it isn't dipped in chocolate or some yogurt goo it's usually ok. Hostess pies are good if you can pack them so they don't get mashed. Fig bars and various breakfast bars are my favorites. Put "energy", "nutrition" or "sports" in the name and the price instantly triples.

Clif now makes a nuts-and-dried-fruit bar, glued together with honey-tasting stuff. i think it is called Mojo. Sort of an update on Wha Guru Chew. Both withstand some heat, though I haven't tested them out in full summer.

Why not. Twinkies have 130 cal. each (260 per two 'twink' package) of which only 14 cal (28 total fat calories) come from fat. Pretty low fat content. You're burning 5000 cals or more per day, a couple of twinkies (or even 10 ;) ) is going to be a drop in the bucket. By the way, the Power Bar Harvest bar has 250 calories of which 45 comes from fat. And it cost much more than a pack (or even 10 ;) ) of Twinkies.

I have nothing against twinkies, or even hostess. In fact, I usually buy the Hostess Blueberry muffin loaf and it's usually gone by the time I get back outside the store to to my bike.

4 cups of marshmallows
2 cups of peanut butter

Heat in large saucepan over low heat until a melted goo

Dump in enough of your favorite cereal as well as raisins, nuts, dried fruit, sesame seeds, etc, to make a mostly dry mixture. Press into a pan and let cool til hard

I did a little work once on Malliard reactions (the reactions during cooking) and one of the things I learned that stuck with me was that BHT (butylated hydroxy toluene) is formed during cooking of certain items and does the same thing for us that it does for Twinkies - it preserves us. So Twinkies (and BHT) may actually be good for you! Oh boy! Oh boy!

Another vote for GORP. Simple, cheap, found everywhere. I keep ingredients seperately. Definately keep melting stuff like chocolate seperately. Raisins are excellent in the morning oatmeal too.

I vote for lightly salted peanuts and raisins. While at home, I prefer the unsalted peanuts. On the road, I think the bit of added salt keeps the body working longer. For chocolate, I carry a bar of Lindt Dark Chocolate in my handbar bag tucked between enough stuff so that it doesn't melt. There is nothing like freewheeling on a deserted road sucking on dark chocolate.

Ray

I get a similar buzz on deserted roads from good milk chocolate!

Preferably Swiss or Belgian...

Lara bars are fantastic. Date-based, raw ingredients, concentrated fruit-and-nut energy. Some of them have raw chocolate in them, which is straight dope.

This stuff is da bomb. Available in the peanut butter section of many grocery stores:
http://www.nutellausa.com/