Friday, September 11, 2020

Trader Joe's No Bake Nut Butter Bar Mix

In addition to 80's movies, I'm also an appreciator of fine post-apocalyptic cinema—not just influential films like The Road and Mad Max, but lesser known indie flicks like Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse, Light of My Life, and EMP 333 Days. Speaking of EMP's, you could theoretically make these treats even after a massive electromagnetic pulse. No bake! I love it.

I mean, sure, they want you to put the mix in the freezer for 20 minutes to let it coagulate for a spell. But if it's winter time, you could just put the pan outside for a while to achieve the same effect. Also, some of you might argue that you'll still have the ability to bake in such a situation since gas lines will still function after an EMP. Sure, that will be true for a time, but unfortunately a long term grid failure will mean losing natural gas and running water soon after the electricity goes out.

But if you thought ahead, you'll still be snacking on Trader Joe's No Bake Nut Butter Bars. What a luxury these will be in the Apocalypse. Nut butters, honey, and maple syrup are all great things to stock up on.


The recipe calls for a cup of any nut butter of your choice and half a cup of either honey or maple syrup, along with the included mix. I used peanut butter and honey, probably the least exotic combo possible, but also quite possibly the safest. 

It turned out surprisingly well. I used chunky pb, which might have thrown off the intended solid to liquid ratio and made my mixture a little less viscous than it was intended to be. I found it hard to coat all of the mix with my pb/honey blend.

But they came out super crunchy, which Sonia and I both loved. The honey was more than adequate as a sweetener, and the mix added even more nuttiness to the flavor. Peanut butter was still the dominant flavor, but the almond, oats, and rice from the base could still be detected in the background. My favorite part of the Trader Joe's mix were tiny little spheres of what I assume are puffed rice..? They moved the texture even further in the direction of "bar," rather than "wad of edible Play-Doh," and added a crispness that's very pleasant.

Sonia seemed a little more captivated by the finished bars than I was. She thinks she'll make another batch with almond butter and maple syrup very soon. I'm sure they'll be at least as good as the first batch.

$3.49 for the mix. Will most likely be a repeat purchase. Four and a half stars from Sonia. Three and a half from me.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

7 comments:

  1. I tried these with almond butter & maple syrup...and added: dried tart cherries, mini chocolate chips & a bit of almond extract - delicious!

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  2. WOW! It's Gluten Free & Vegan. I like the idea of allowing you to decide which nut butter to go. Although wished they could include a pouch of a nut butter to save money.

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  3. With the entire West Coast of the USA on fire (from Oregon down through California), rolling power outages, pandemics, shut-downs, and more -- I don't think the EMP analogy was even necessary. There are so many areas out of power and eating pantry staples right now -- it's already apocalyptic for so many. And now thanks to your post I've remembered I have a box of this mix and no baking is required. Off to make some of these bars right now.

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    1. I can't tell if you're being snarky? Are you trying to censor a post about Trader Joe's? 🤔

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    2. Censorship? Time for me to use the same emoji you did -- what did I censor or suppress? My humor must be too dry for some. I was saying that with REAL apocalyptic conditions going on right now, and actual rolling power outages everywhere, including my city, it's easier to compare the real world conditions than using the EMP movie themes. And as I said, I concluded I said to myself "Oh that's right, thanks to this post I've got a box of this mix, I can make a batch of these right now" -- during a rolling power outage. Which I did. Pretty tasty.

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  4. These were pretty good. I used TJ's mixed nut butter and honey, though the honey stood out a little too much for me. I also put a layer of melted dark chocolate on the top of mine and highly recommend. Next time I'd add some flaky sea salt on top of the chocolate layer before freezing.

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