Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Trader Joe's ABC Bars


I'm Always Buying Crack at Trader Joe's—not literal crack, just highly-addictive substances that happen to be nice and legal. ABC could stand for so many things here. I might refer to them as they're meant to be called: Almond Butter Cocoa. Or I could ask Sonia to Absolutely Bring the Chewies on our next hike. They're definitely Addictive Bars, Creamy. They're vegan, so they're free of Animal Byproducts, Completely.


Flavor-wise, I might call these Amaretto Blast Cookies. The flavor is almondy—but it's such a sweet almond flavor, I think it tastes a bit like amaretto—though not alcoholic in the least. I think they taste more like amaretto than either almond butter or cocoa, quite honestly. Sonia thinks the cocoa dominates the almond butter slightly. I'm not sure if I agree or not. They're just sweet—but not overly so, nutty, buttery, and not unlike confectionalized amaretto. Scrump-dilly.

Texture-wise, they're surprisingly soft. I might describe the mouthfeel as A Bed of Comfort. They're definitely chewy rather than crunchy, but there's a much greater "melt-in-your-mouth" factor than, say, most "chewy" granola bars or cookies. 

They're gluten-free, so...Absolutely Buy'em Celiac-sufferers. Price-wise, ABC is easy as 1, 2, 3 dollars, with a total of six in the box. That makes them about 50 cents a piece. They are kinda small, but they're rich, dense, and more filling than you might expect. Sonia and I would put them on par with the average Clif, Luna, or Balance bar in terms of hunger-curbing capacity, with a slightly better overall value.

This is another thumbs up from both of us. Sonia will dish out her second four and a half stars in a row. Put me down for four again.

Awesome Bars, Conclusively.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

10 comments:

  1. Woo hoo! Can't wait for them to get to Vermont!

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  2. It is nice that it is GF and Vegan. Great idea for a light snack.

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  3. I am so excited about these! Not only are they peanut free, but they don't have the "peanut facility" warning. You have no idea how hard it is to find bars that don't have that on them and almost every preschool in the country requires that anything that comes in your child's lunch not have it. I LOADED up today for school lunches.

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  4. At first they weren't my fave (not enough almond butter lol) but they are slowly growing on me. They are are quite dense and surprisingly filling for such a small bar. The ingredients are good...unlike many breakfast/protein bars...

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  5. My neighbor gave me one to try..... Im hooked. After work I'm going to pick up A couple of boxes.

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  6. Yes if you are restricted to a gluten free or vegan diet, these are probably a step above what you are normally permitted to eat. But, if you are free to choose any snack you want, then they are so-so. Edible, but not choice. Very similar to a Clif Bar with an extra strong dose of fig paste.

    When I impulsively bought them, something about the packaging made me think they were some kind of candy/cookie treats. But they turned out to be "healthy". I think they would be better with the addition of some slightly more enticing ingredient like sugar, maybe a little fat, or even just some crunchy nut pieces. But for what they are, they are ok.

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  7. Lol!!! I loved all of your Absolutely Brilliant Comments!! :D

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