Hmm, it’s Sunday afternoon and I’m feeling a little munchy. Rather than ripping open a bag of Jalapeño Cheddar Kettle Chips from F&E (our new favorite store), I opted for something healthier instead. Andrea was kind enough to share her bounty of Quaker True Delights Chewy Granola Bars with us (you can read her review here), and I’ve been intrigued at these granola bars’ luxurious candy bar-like packaging. Can granola bars actually taste luxurious?

I’ve always enjoyed granola bars - I usually go for the crunchy variety (Nature Valley), and sometimes I like a chewy variety as well, except sometimes all that chewing hurts my jaw. We decided to be daring and try all three bars at once (what rebels we are!).

On first glance, these certainly look delicious. I can see the big pieces of fruit, whole pieces of cashew/macadamia nut/almond, big coconut flakes, and chunks of dark chocolate. I tried the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut - it has a very strong banana smell and taste, but the coconut flakes didn’t look or taste toasted and I couldn’t taste much of the macadamia nut. It does have really good texture though - I could definitely taste the unique texture of the coconut and the mac nuts. Combined with granola, it was good overall except the banana flavor was a bit overpowering.

The Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry was next. I liked it a lot - there is a very pleasant honey aroma and taste along with a hint of caramel. The cashews were perfectly roasted and the berries were delicious and added it a bit of tartness to the sweetness of the granola. Great combination of textures - The roasted cashews gave it a crunch, the mixed berries had a softer tartness, and the chewy granola really went really well together.

Last but not least, the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond. Now this tasted like a fancy candy bar - I guess mostly because of the dark chocolate and raspberry. It tasted sweeter than the other two as well. I like how there are whole roasted almonds in the bar rather than skimpy slivers. The aroma of the chocolate and raspberry was nice as well. I couldn’t taste much of the dark chocolate but the raspberry flavor was a nice surprise. If you like your granola bars to taste more like a candy bar, then this one is definitely the winner.

After conducting the taste test, I would rate the Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry on top, followed by a tie of the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond. I couldn’t find anything I didn’t like, and it was mighty tasty! At approximately $4 a box, I would totally buy the Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry because I occasionally splurge on Fruits & Nuts in Yogurt Kind Bars that cost $2 per bar. I know that goes against the CheapLander way of living, but sometimes you just gotta splurge a little.

Thanks Andrea!

[Addendum]
I wrote up my review without reading Andrea’s first, and was glad to see she prefers the Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry too!