Nut Kreations

Place in Santa Cruz with probably 50+ nuts, chocos, and other such items. Store owner is very friendly and lets you sample the items. 4 ounce bag is usually ~4.50-5.00$. some of the items are a little crazy so sample before you buy.

My favorite thing from this store so far is the homemade ranch corn nuts - they're not as tough as the store brand and they taste great! But that's nut all - the store also has a bunch of chocolate coated nuts, flavored nuts, and even some things that aren't nuts (I know, right?) I'm also looking forward to trying one of their gorgeous chocolate bars (with little bits of dried fruit stuck to it). But the corn nuts will definitely keep me coming back!

I feel the items they, Nut Kreations, do best, that I have tried, are their butter toffee almond butter, butter toffee almonds, double dipped macadamia nuts, and habanero corn nuts. I have purchased and sampled many other items besides this, but these are the best IMO. The habanero corn nuts I must admit aren't quite spicy enough, but they are stereotype white person spicy. The texture and flavor of their corn nuts is great and so much better than the terrible version of corn nuts you get from the foil bags at gas stations and grocery stores. The flavor of their corn nuts is generally strong enough to be noted, but not overpowering in that the flavor sticks in your mouth for ages. They generally seem to have samples of a combinations of their corn nuts on their counter as well. Their butter toffee almonds are quite good. My only complaint would be is their isn't quite enough crunch from the butter toffee itself, however the almonds keep strong enough crunch with them. Their flavor is a good sweet and buttery. combination that doesn't overpower the almond's natural flavor too much. The double dipped macadamia nut is good, but honestly it is a chocolate covered macadamia nut so if someone messed that up it'd be terrible. Their butter toffee almond butter is delectable. It definitely isn't something you want to spread like you would a generic peanut butter and jelly sandwich for your kids and/or yourself for lunch. The flavor is strong, and the texture is great. I am not sure how long it keeps as it will be gone within a week usually at my place. There are little bits of almond still in it rather than being completely pureed to a creamy texture, but not quite enough for a crunchy texture either. I do have to give an honorable mentioned to their chocolate toffee hazelnuts. This tastes a bit like nutella, but better. I think it needs a bit more toffee myself, but it is good nonetheless. The staff I have interacted with have all been friendly. I had a conversation about oral histories that sprung from a brief discussion about recipes, and life experiences, from grandparents. I have had interactions with either their main cook or owner, or some title similar to these, where they are patient with me coming in asking if they have something that sells out quickly in stock. Their staff is open with their opinions on the items being sold at the store. The store is in an easy to access to place downtown, and isn't part of the main street, Pacific Ave, of downtown, so you don't get too much foot traffic blocking or getting in your way in general on the way in and out. Finally the store itself is well organized and kept fairly clean. They are dog friendly, within reason. It is a quaint little shop with nothing too noteworthy as far as physical appearance goes, but I feel this is a good thing. They seem to accept credit/debit cards without a fee. I have not tried apple or samsung pay, so I am unsure about whether or not they accept these forms of payment.

Amazing locally owned store. The quality sprouted almonds were delicious and the chocolate covered popcorn was the biggest hit for my friends as well.