Bakery on Main Soft & Chewy Gluten Free Granola Bars

Bakery on Main has just upped the ante in the gluten free granola bar category! I love their new line of Soft & Chewy granola bars.

I say it all the time–I’m not a big fan of bars.  But the taste, texture and quality of ingredients of gluten free bars has vastly improved with recent product launches, namely Bakery on Main’s Soft & Chewy gluten free granola bars, made from certified gluten free oats.

Chocolate Almond

Let’s talk taste.  The three soft and chewy flavors are Peanut Butter & Jelly, Chocolate Almond and Apple Cinnamon, all of which are bursting with flavor.  The Chocolate Almond comes with REAL mini chocolate chips and almonds.  In my opinion the Peanut Butter & Jelly could have been heavier on the peanut flavor, but the bar does taste just like our favorite childhood sandwich.  And, I thought I was eating apple pie when I tasted the Apple Cinnamon.  My guess is the natural flavors added some punch to the flavor profile ingredients.  Each are a little on the sweet side, but then again I’m a salt eater and always find bars too sweet.

On to texture.  I do not care for hard, crunchy, rice krispie-like bars.  These bars are exactly what the packaging says–soft and chewy.

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Now for a look at the ingredients and nutritionals.  All three flavors’ first ingredient is certified gluten free oats, which is so nice to see.  While I’m not crazy that brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice take up spots #2 and #3 on the ingredient list, what follows is a pleasure to read.  Real ingredients make up the flavor profile, including real peanut butter and dried strawberries, real chocolate and almonds, and dried apples.  Next comes canola oil, flax seed, quinoa, chia seed, amaranth, sea salt and “natural” flavors, the only ingredient that can’t be identified or defined.

Apple Cinnamon

The nutritional breakdown per bar is as follows:

•  130 – 140 calories
• 3 – 4.5 grams of fat, less than 1 of which is saturated
• No cholesterol
• 70 milligrams of sodium
• 2 grams of fiber
• 3-4 grams of protein

To boot, the bars are:

• GMO free
• Dairy free
• a source of omega 3 fatty acids, from the chia and flax seeds

If your grocery store doesn’t yet carry these bars, ASK FOR THEM!  I am going to do the same.

(DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the Bakery on Main Soft & Chewy Bars. I was not paid to write this blog post.)