Update Review, 2023
I've raved about Perfect Bars for years now, but I just tried another flavor, and thus, an update review is in order!
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| Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp. |
Chocolate + hazelnut can be a bit of a over-done pairing, and although I do like both chocolate and hazelnuts, I seem to be one of few people who doesn't adore Nutella, so I wasn't entirely sure about this flavor. The idea of crisps inside my Perfect Bar drew me in however.
This was one of the more unique Perfect Bars, mostly due to the crunch from the crisps. The base was otherwise much the same as others - lightly chocolately, reasonable peanut and hazelnut butter flavors, slightly crumbly texture, enjoyable. The crisps give it little bits of crunch, like a Nestle Crunch bar almost. It definitely helped make this feel a bit more like a candy bar than a reasonable healthy snack.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, particularly when I dunked it in whipped cream, and I'd get it again if I was in the mood for a reasonable candy bar replacement. I still would like a stronger chocolate element though, like a coating, rather than integrated throughout. ****.
Update Review, August 2022
I've long been a fan of Perfect Bar products, as you've seen in my original reviews. While normally I'd jest at their lofty name, in this case, I do kinda endorse it. The peanut butter based Perfect Bars in particular are about as perfect as any healthy nutrition bar is going to be. Protip: cut into hunks, coat in chocolate, roll in cocoa nibs, and keep a stash of chocolate covered peanut butter protein bar bites in your fridge or freezer at all time.
Anyway, I've tried nearly the entire range of Perfect Bar bars, and clearly have my favorites. This review however is for something new: the peanut butter cups! I had to buy them the moment I saw them, because, that is basically what I was creating at home anyway.
Peanut Butter Cups
Oh Perfect Bar. You did it. You made the product I always pretend your bars actually are. Peanut butter cups. But, healthier peanut butter cups, with protein and superfoods of course.
The peanut butter cups come in 3 flavors (milk, dark, or mint chocolate), and, just like the bars, require refrigeration.
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| Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt. |
I opened my pack with glee. I did, however, slow down a bit once I saw the cups, as they made me laugh. The shape was quasi familiar, but, not quite. They were thinner than I expected, and, uh, kinda ugly? And the cup was inverted from their common candy counterparts. But I still dug in eagerly.
The dark chocolate shell was dominant, and it was reasonable dark quality. I tend to use dark chocolate when I make my custom Perfect Bar chocolate coated bites, and I like the chocolate I choose more than this, but, this was better than average dark chocolate. I loved the generous sprinkle of salt on top.
And inside, the peanut butter filling, much like the peanut butter flavored Perfect Bars themselves. It was good, but, a bit hard to taste, as the chocolate was so dominant.
Overall these were good, although the chocolate to peanut butter ratio was a bit off for me. It turns out, I just prefer to make my own with the peanut butter Perfect Bars, high quality dark chocolate I like, and, usually, cocoa nibs for crunch. They did inspire me to add a touch of fleur de sel next batch I make, the salt really does help the flavors pop!
***+.
Original Review, June 2021
Perfect Bar doesn't beat around the bush. They believe that they make the best nutrition bars out there. And thus, the self proclaimed brand name: "perfect".
I of course had my doubts, mostly because try as I might, I rarely end up liking protein bars, particularly those with delicious sounding names (show me a 'cinnamon roll' or 'birthday cake' bar that even comes close to the real thing ...), but also because Perfect Bars are also more ... complicated than most. These aren't the kind of items you can just keep in your pantry, stash in your bag, etc, as refrigeration is mostly required. I say "mostly required" because they are fine for a full week out of the fridge, but recommended storage is in the fridge (with a shelf life of nearly 9 months!), otherwise the oils will separate and quality will go down. Because they use fresh real ingredients (they like to say the only preservative used is "cold").
Perfect Bars are also of course amazing for you, non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free, filled with protein and "expertly-hidden" super foods, and they only use complex carbs as sweeteners (organic honey or dates), yadda yadda.
I've watched the brand blossom over the past few years. I remember when they first launched and carried only a small handful of flavors of bars, all fairly basic. Now they have ... well, something for everyone. Fruity, nutty, chocolatey, some even almost head in the "brownie" direction.
Perfect Bars now come in two sizes, regular full size bars and smaller "minis", plus bags of "bites", a children's line, and even ... peanut butter cups (!!!). I've tried an extensive range of the offerings, and highly recommend.
The minis are portioned at .74 ounces, about 100 calories, 4-5 grams of protein. Little bites for a quick pre/post gym snack, but not a full meal.
"Creamy organic peanut butter meets organic honey and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods."
I started with their original product, the simple peanut butter.
"This seasonal-batch recipe talks the talk and walks the walk with a fall favorite like you’ve never tasted before. Our bar is crafted with freshly-ground organic peanut butter and honey, along with organic dried pumpkin and spices to make for a pairing that will have your taste buds craving this delicious pumpkin pie combo all year long."
Perfect Bars are also of course amazing for you, non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free, filled with protein and "expertly-hidden" super foods, and they only use complex carbs as sweeteners (organic honey or dates), yadda yadda.
I've watched the brand blossom over the past few years. I remember when they first launched and carried only a small handful of flavors of bars, all fairly basic. Now they have ... well, something for everyone. Fruity, nutty, chocolatey, some even almost head in the "brownie" direction.
Perfect Bars now come in two sizes, regular full size bars and smaller "minis", plus bags of "bites", a children's line, and even ... peanut butter cups (!!!). I've tried an extensive range of the offerings, and highly recommend.
Minis
Minis are only available in a reduced flavor set, basic nuts butters. These are bite sized little treats.
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| Minis. |
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| Peanut Butter. |
I started with their original product, the simple peanut butter.
I had zero expectations for this. Yes, I love peanut butter, but, nutrition bars usually don't live up to the taste I want, and the "expertly-hidden whole foods" scared me away when I looked at the wrapper and saw that in addition to peanut butter and honey, I had "dried whole food powders" that contained kale, flax seed, rose hip, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, dulse, carrot, and spinach to look forward to. How all those would *possibly* combine together and not 1) taste awful and 2) mask the peanut butter was beyond me. And don't get me started on the rice protein, and slew of oils I had waiting for me (flax seed oil, sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, olive oil, and pumpkin seed oil).
And then I took a bite.
Well, huh. This was one of the best nutrition bars I've ever had.
The texture was slightly crumbly, but still held up well. Smooth. The peanut butter flavor was basically all I tasted, along with a touch of sweetness from the complimentary honey. It was ... good. Like the inside of a peanut butter cup. Or a peanut butter blossom cookie.
I wanted chocolate with it immediately though. If they made this dipped in chocolate, or with chocolate chips, wow, it would be such a hit. (Which, of course they realized, and added to the full size line up. Keep reading ...).
I immediately made a note to take a box of them and dip them in chocolate, and eat them that way instead.
Which of course I did. I assure you, this is a winning move. I now regularly take a box of minis, temper some dark chocolate, coat them in chocolate, and roll them in cocoa nibs, and then stash back in my freezer or fridge. Amazing little bites of joy, that I get to feel good about eating, since, hey, protein!
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| Peanut Butter Perfect Bar + melted dark chocolate + cocoa nibs. |
When I'm less prepared, even pairing with a piece of chocolate works, but I find dunking in a thick chocolate ganache or hot fudge works best. You can make a bunch at a time and freeze them too, like buckeye cookies. Sure, not healthy little snacks anymore exactly, but really quite tasty. I get these regularly.
****+.
"Why should peanut butter lovers have all the fun? We blend creamy almond butter with organic honey and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods to get the perfect combo of taste and nutrition. Get ready to take your almond love to a whole new level."
The almond butter version I tried next. I'll admit that even though I loved the peanut butter one, I expected to hate this one. I was done being skeptical of all the other ingredients, but, the primary one, almond butter, is not something I'm generally a fan of.
And then I tried this.
It too, was ... well, good. The peanut butter one didn't have distinct bits of peanut in it, but this one did have bits of chopped almonds, which added texture and crunch that I really enjoyed. The honey also seemed stronger, which tasted great with the almond, but, was a bit too strong for me, resulting in a bite that was sweeter than I really wanted.
Again, I wanted to just coat it in dark chocolate. I didn't mind these bars, but I prefer the peanut butter.
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| Almond Butter. |
The almond butter version I tried next. I'll admit that even though I loved the peanut butter one, I expected to hate this one. I was done being skeptical of all the other ingredients, but, the primary one, almond butter, is not something I'm generally a fan of.
And then I tried this.
It too, was ... well, good. The peanut butter one didn't have distinct bits of peanut in it, but this one did have bits of chopped almonds, which added texture and crunch that I really enjoyed. The honey also seemed stronger, which tasted great with the almond, but, was a bit too strong for me, resulting in a bite that was sweeter than I really wanted.
Again, I wanted to just coat it in dark chocolate. I didn't mind these bars, but I prefer the peanut butter.
***+.
"You’ll love this blend of creamy organic peanut butter, rich and velvety carob chips, organic honey and 20 expertly–hidden whole foods."
Given the success of the basic peanut butter, and my desire to have chocolate inside, I was pretty excited to try the carob chip, even though carob < chocolate.
At first glance though, it looked much more like any standard nutrition bar, strangely shiny, strange texture.
And ... it tasted about as it looked. Fairly bitter (carob? chia? flax?). Strangely sweet. I was pretty confused by this, since, at least on paper, looked like it should be *exactly* the same as the peanut butter one, but with carob chips.
Anyway, the least successful bar for me.
Update Review: I tried another, and almost liked it. But the sweetness level was just a bit strange for me.
Another Update Review: I again tried another, again almost liked it. Peanut butter good, but just the wrong sweetness, and, eh, carob. My mom did think it was chocolate though.
I wouldn't get this again, and they discontinued it anyway.
Full Size Bars
The main product range is the full size bars, good for a snack, pre/post workout item, or perhaps a meal replacement. Some of them are quite good for breakfast on the go ...
These come with bases made from the original peanut or almond butter, or more recently, also cashew.
Full size bars mostly clock in around 15-20 grams of protein, and range around 250-350 calories, depending on the variety (cashew bars have lower protein). I've tried many.
These come with bases made from the original peanut or almond butter, or more recently, also cashew.
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| Full Size Bars. |
Peanut Butter Base
After the success of the peanut butter mini, I was ready to dive into the expanded product range, all formed around that basic base.
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| Carob Chip. |
Given the success of the basic peanut butter, and my desire to have chocolate inside, I was pretty excited to try the carob chip, even though carob < chocolate.
At first glance though, it looked much more like any standard nutrition bar, strangely shiny, strange texture.
And ... it tasted about as it looked. Fairly bitter (carob? chia? flax?). Strangely sweet. I was pretty confused by this, since, at least on paper, looked like it should be *exactly* the same as the peanut butter one, but with carob chips.
Anyway, the least successful bar for me.
Update Review: I tried another, and almost liked it. But the sweetness level was just a bit strange for me.
Another Update Review: I again tried another, again almost liked it. Peanut butter good, but just the wrong sweetness, and, eh, carob. My mom did think it was chocolate though.
I wouldn't get this again, and they discontinued it anyway.
**+.
"Mix it Up. Creamy organic peanut butter meets organic honey mixed with plump raisins, crunchy walnuts and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods – with no chemicals, preservatives, or junk to ruin the awesomeness."
This bar was not a looker. But, it was a taster!
I'm notoriously anti-raisin, as they are usually just hard chunks of meh inside my otherwise tasty products, but, they worked here, as they were soft and added a nice chew. I was a bit disappointed to find that they were the only "fruit" though inside my "fruit & nut' bar. Why wasn't this a "raisin & nut" bar?
Actually, it should have been a "raisin & walnut" bar, as there was also only one type of nut: walnuts (besides the peanut butter base). Walnuts were a unique choice though, and I liked the crunch they added.
The base was the standard peanut butter and superfoods, great peanut flavor, again still a bit too sweet from the honey.
I liked this one more than plain peanut butter, as the raisins and walnuts both added good textural components, but, I'd greatly prefer basically any other dried fruit, and there are far more exciting nuts out there. Cherry and pecan! Apricot and macadamia! Come on Perfect Bar, get more exciting :)
Still, my favorite so far ...
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| Fruit & Nut. |
This bar was not a looker. But, it was a taster!
I'm notoriously anti-raisin, as they are usually just hard chunks of meh inside my otherwise tasty products, but, they worked here, as they were soft and added a nice chew. I was a bit disappointed to find that they were the only "fruit" though inside my "fruit & nut' bar. Why wasn't this a "raisin & nut" bar?
Actually, it should have been a "raisin & walnut" bar, as there was also only one type of nut: walnuts (besides the peanut butter base). Walnuts were a unique choice though, and I liked the crunch they added.
The base was the standard peanut butter and superfoods, great peanut flavor, again still a bit too sweet from the honey.
I liked this one more than plain peanut butter, as the raisins and walnuts both added good textural components, but, I'd greatly prefer basically any other dried fruit, and there are far more exciting nuts out there. Cherry and pecan! Apricot and macadamia! Come on Perfect Bar, get more exciting :)
Still, my favorite so far ...
*****.
"It's no secret our original Peanut Butter Perfect Bar is a crowd favorite, so we decided to take it up a notch and pair it with fresh coconut flakes for a taste that will rock your world. It's time we give our peanut butter lovers a reason to go coco-nuts."
"We’re a bit nutty around here, but this island-inspired recipe has us going completely coconuts! Kick off your shoes and enjoy this blend of creamy organic peanut butter, organic honey and real shredded coconut pieces."
Oh, this was good. Very good. I was highly skeptical of the coconut and peanut butter combination (both things I like, but, not a common combo). But, they worked.
The base was the same peanut butter base that I've enjoyed plain, and the shredded coconut added some texture.
Like many of the bars though I found it a touch too sweet, and needed to mellow it out with some chocolate to dip it in. Which, I have to say, was even more amazing.
Still not a light item though, 340 calories per bar, 21 grams of fat, 19 grams sugar, but it does have the 16 grams of protein and tons of great-for-you-stuff inside that you somehow don't taste at all (kale, flax seed, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, carrots, spinach, dulse ...)
Overall a winner, and one I'll gladly have more of, particularly when I have some chocolate alongside.
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| Coconut Peanut Butter. |
"We’re a bit nutty around here, but this island-inspired recipe has us going completely coconuts! Kick off your shoes and enjoy this blend of creamy organic peanut butter, organic honey and real shredded coconut pieces."
Oh, this was good. Very good. I was highly skeptical of the coconut and peanut butter combination (both things I like, but, not a common combo). But, they worked.
The base was the same peanut butter base that I've enjoyed plain, and the shredded coconut added some texture.
Like many of the bars though I found it a touch too sweet, and needed to mellow it out with some chocolate to dip it in. Which, I have to say, was even more amazing.
Still not a light item though, 340 calories per bar, 21 grams of fat, 19 grams sugar, but it does have the 16 grams of protein and tons of great-for-you-stuff inside that you somehow don't taste at all (kale, flax seed, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, carrots, spinach, dulse ...)
Overall a winner, and one I'll gladly have more of, particularly when I have some chocolate alongside.
****.
"This one is a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and just the right amount of nutty! Our original Peanut Butter Perfect Bar recipe – creamy organic peanut butter, organic honey and 20+ nutrient-dense superfoods - receives a foodie-approved upgrade with the addition of Fair Trade Certified dark chocolate chips and a pinch of sea salt."
If there was any bar I was most eyeing, this was it. Peanut butter base is the best base. I always want chocolate with it. And, dark chocolate? Sea salt? Even better.
When I opened the bar, I was *thrilled*. It looked exactly as I hoped, loaded with little chocolate chips. This was a healthy item? I could eat this giant pb cup in bar form guilt free? Yes!
And, it was basically exactly as I expected. Soft, crumbly, slightly-to-sweet pb base with good peanut butter flavor. Lots of chips, although they were entirely on top and not distributed throughout. The chips were dark chocolate, which is the chocolate I generally prefer, but actually, with peanut butter, I do like creamy milk chocolate a bit more. The chocolate flavor also somehow didn't turn out as pronounced as I hoped and expected. I also didn't really detect the sea salt.
That all said, it was still a good bar. I think I prefer to just have the classic plain peanut butter, and pair with my own creamy milk chocolate however.
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| Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter with Sea Salt. |
If there was any bar I was most eyeing, this was it. Peanut butter base is the best base. I always want chocolate with it. And, dark chocolate? Sea salt? Even better.
When I opened the bar, I was *thrilled*. It looked exactly as I hoped, loaded with little chocolate chips. This was a healthy item? I could eat this giant pb cup in bar form guilt free? Yes!
And, it was basically exactly as I expected. Soft, crumbly, slightly-to-sweet pb base with good peanut butter flavor. Lots of chips, although they were entirely on top and not distributed throughout. The chips were dark chocolate, which is the chocolate I generally prefer, but actually, with peanut butter, I do like creamy milk chocolate a bit more. The chocolate flavor also somehow didn't turn out as pronounced as I hoped and expected. I also didn't really detect the sea salt.
That all said, it was still a good bar. I think I prefer to just have the classic plain peanut butter, and pair with my own creamy milk chocolate however.
****.
"Sometimes, you just want to lighten up. And this is the Perfect Bar for that occasion. Creamy peanut butter meets organic honey blended with organic cranberries, naturally light crispy puffed rice and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods. 35% fewer calories—100% incredible."
This bar is the only one dramatically different from the rest of the product line. It is designed as a lighter option, lightened up by adding puffed rice cereal, so it has less of the nut butter and protein mix. It really is a lighter - even though the same dimensions, it weights 45g compared to the 71g standard bar. Ok, I know they mean nutritionally, not literally talking about the weight. It is lesser in all these regards too: 220 calories, 12g fat, 14g sugar, 9g protein (compared with 330 calories, 18g fat, 19g sugar, 16g protein).
Anyway, the result? Not successful for me. But I kinda just don't like rice crispy puffs in my products (or anything like that, it reminded me of some Ben & Jerry's mix-ins that I wasn't thrilled with either).
Yes, the brown rice puffs add a crunch, but, its a strange kinda soggy/soft crunch. I don't like it. My second to least favorite bar, better only than the carob chip one I really disliked. Like the carob bar, this one was also discontinued.
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| Cranberry Crunch. |
This bar is the only one dramatically different from the rest of the product line. It is designed as a lighter option, lightened up by adding puffed rice cereal, so it has less of the nut butter and protein mix. It really is a lighter - even though the same dimensions, it weights 45g compared to the 71g standard bar. Ok, I know they mean nutritionally, not literally talking about the weight. It is lesser in all these regards too: 220 calories, 12g fat, 14g sugar, 9g protein (compared with 330 calories, 18g fat, 19g sugar, 16g protein).
Anyway, the result? Not successful for me. But I kinda just don't like rice crispy puffs in my products (or anything like that, it reminded me of some Ben & Jerry's mix-ins that I wasn't thrilled with either).
Yes, the brown rice puffs add a crunch, but, its a strange kinda soggy/soft crunch. I don't like it. My second to least favorite bar, better only than the carob chip one I really disliked. Like the carob bar, this one was also discontinued.
**+.
"One bite of this plant-based bar and you’re off to brownie bliss! We crafted this whole foods nutrition bar with creamy organic peanut butter, sweet organic dates, crunchy walnut pieces, organic Fair Trade dark chocolate chips and 20 organic superfoods. With 10g of plant-based protein, this fudgy delight is a nutritious nosh and deletable treat all rolled into one!"
And then, I saved the best for last, it turns out.
Chocolate Walnut Brownie. Sounds like one of those nutrition bars that has a tasty name, promises dessert, and instead still leaves you with protein bar meh. Plus, dates? Sorry, but I never like bars with dates.
And yet ... yup, another surprise enjoyment.
It was the most chocolate-forward of any of the bars, truly chocolatey, with chocolate integrated throughout the entire base, and in distinct chips. I loved the crunch from the chips, and even more, from the pieces of walnut. Did I taste dates? Nope! Nor did I taste the hemp protein, rice protein, chia powder, sunflower, flax seed, any of the whole foods powders (kale, flax, rose hip, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, dulse, carrot, spinach). But I tasted peanut butter and chocolate, and they were fantastic.
I'm surprised peanut butter isn't in the name of this one, as really, it was like a giant chocolate peanut butter brownie, with bits of chocolate chip and walnut in it. Sure, the texture wasn't brownie, not cake-like, but it was still soft, the texture from the mix-ins was excellent, and most important to me, it was delicious.
I may or may not have had it for breakfast, and felt like such a rebel eating a brownie for breakfast, but I actually think I'd be satisfied with this as a dessert item too, which is truly saying something.
Hands down winner in the "dessert" category.
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| Chocolate Walnut Brownie. |
And then, I saved the best for last, it turns out.
Chocolate Walnut Brownie. Sounds like one of those nutrition bars that has a tasty name, promises dessert, and instead still leaves you with protein bar meh. Plus, dates? Sorry, but I never like bars with dates.
And yet ... yup, another surprise enjoyment.
It was the most chocolate-forward of any of the bars, truly chocolatey, with chocolate integrated throughout the entire base, and in distinct chips. I loved the crunch from the chips, and even more, from the pieces of walnut. Did I taste dates? Nope! Nor did I taste the hemp protein, rice protein, chia powder, sunflower, flax seed, any of the whole foods powders (kale, flax, rose hip, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, dulse, carrot, spinach). But I tasted peanut butter and chocolate, and they were fantastic.
I'm surprised peanut butter isn't in the name of this one, as really, it was like a giant chocolate peanut butter brownie, with bits of chocolate chip and walnut in it. Sure, the texture wasn't brownie, not cake-like, but it was still soft, the texture from the mix-ins was excellent, and most important to me, it was delicious.
I may or may not have had it for breakfast, and felt like such a rebel eating a brownie for breakfast, but I actually think I'd be satisfied with this as a dessert item too, which is truly saying something.
Hands down winner in the "dessert" category.
****.
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| Pumpkin Pie. |
Yes, even Perfect Bar jumped on the Pumpkin-Spice-All-The-Things bandwagon!
So, first up. If you are expecting strong pumpkin flavor, or traditional pumpkin spice flavors, this is not the product for you. In fact, I had to do a double check to make sure I had opened the pumpkin bar ... as I just didn't taste it. If you search for it, the pumpkin spicing is there, very mildly, on the finish, but otherwise ... I mostly tasted the signature peanut butter base (which, makes sense, peanut butter is still the first ingredient).
The bar was slightly sweet, had the same crumbly dense texture as others, and was pleasant, but, pumpkin forward it was not. I appreciated the subtle light spicing as something different, but pumpkin and peanut butter aren't really a popular combo for a reason ...
***.
Almond Butter Base
Since the basic almond butter mini was decent enough, I explored the almond butter based product line too. |
| Maple Almond. |
I had high hopes for this one. The plain almond butter one was almost great, and I adore maple, so, this sounded like the bar for me. I hoped the maple would address the sweetness issues I had as well.
But ... I ended up not really caring for it. Much like the plain almond butter, it had grit to it and bits of almond, so, lots of texture. And it wasn't strangely sweet, although I didn't quite taste maple exactly. Which sounds like I should have liked it, but instead it just tasted like almond butter to me, the kind of almond butter I never like.
Update: I tried one more just to be sure, but, yes, this is not the product for me. I think my favorite of the almond based bars, but I just don't care for almond butter taste. And guess what? Discontinued!
**+.
"This silky smooth criminal is made with creamy almond butter, organic honey and 20+ nutrient-dense superfoods. We blend that recipe with rich cocoa powder and vanilla, and topped with Fair Trade Certified dark chocolate chips."
If I wanted chocolate with my almond butter bar, this was the one for it. The bar itself was much darker, as it had cocoa powder blended in, and then, actual chocolate chips, dark ones at that.
This was the first almond butter bar that didn't have a strange sweetness to it, I think all the chocolate helped balance it out. But it was still an almond butter base, gritty, and, well, very almond butter forward, which at this point I have realized just isn't for me.
I did appreciate the real, plentiful, dark chocolate chips. I expect that almond butter fans will enjoy this one quite a bit.
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| Dark Chocolate Almond. |
If I wanted chocolate with my almond butter bar, this was the one for it. The bar itself was much darker, as it had cocoa powder blended in, and then, actual chocolate chips, dark ones at that.
This was the first almond butter bar that didn't have a strange sweetness to it, I think all the chocolate helped balance it out. But it was still an almond butter base, gritty, and, well, very almond butter forward, which at this point I have realized just isn't for me.
I did appreciate the real, plentiful, dark chocolate chips. I expect that almond butter fans will enjoy this one quite a bit.
***.
"The protein bar dating scene is full of nuts, so let us introduce you to the plant-based protein bar of your dreams. Organic almond butter blended with organic dates, dried cranberries, 20 organic superfoods and yummy shredded coconut make this a happily ever after for your taste buds!"
I was very surprised when I opened this. Why was it dark? Why did it have chunks of fruit? I thought this was going to be just almond butter and shredded coconut, as it was called the "Almond Coconut" after all.
But instead, it was loaded with dates. Dates are the primary ingredient. I hate the taste of date. The dark color came not only from the dates, but also from a bit of cocoa (totally unexpected) and cranberries.
I really disliked this one. You guessed it. Discontinued!
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| Almond Coconut. |
I was very surprised when I opened this. Why was it dark? Why did it have chunks of fruit? I thought this was going to be just almond butter and shredded coconut, as it was called the "Almond Coconut" after all.
But instead, it was loaded with dates. Dates are the primary ingredient. I hate the taste of date. The dark color came not only from the dates, but also from a bit of cocoa (totally unexpected) and cranberries.
I really disliked this one. You guessed it. Discontinued!
**.
"This bar is a dreamy blend of creamy cashew butter, almond butter, bursting blueberries and a hint of vanilla. We're beyond excited to add another nut butter to the family, and with real blueberries and vanilla, it's truly our most delectable bar yet!"
I have a strange relationship with cashews. Every once in a while, I decide I love them. But generally? Strong dislike. Particularly to cashew butter.
But hey, I'm always up to try things.
This however was not the bar for me. Cashew and almond butter were not a match I liked, both fairly bitter. If you *like* cashew and almond flavors though, they were both pronounced, the cashew stronger than the almond, but only slightly.
Blueberry is a good match though, and I did like the little dried blueberry bits.
Nice to try, don't want again.
Other
For those who don't want peanut butter or almond butter, there are far fewer choices, not a direction Perfect bar seems to have expanded much.
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| Blueberry Cashew. |
I have a strange relationship with cashews. Every once in a while, I decide I love them. But generally? Strong dislike. Particularly to cashew butter.
But hey, I'm always up to try things.
This however was not the bar for me. Cashew and almond butter were not a match I liked, both fairly bitter. If you *like* cashew and almond flavors though, they were both pronounced, the cashew stronger than the almond, but only slightly.
Blueberry is a good match though, and I did like the little dried blueberry bits.
Nice to try, don't want again.
**+.
