Sugar-free snack bars with superfoods and adaptogens because….why not?
photo credit: Stefan Welter
The snack bar category is a crowded one–the shelf space dedicated to these single-serve, mostly functional “foods” has exploded exponentially in recent years. Into this space wades
B.T.R Bar. Named by founder Ashley Marie for her parents’ personal mantra–be bold, tenacious and resilient–B.T.R. Bar’s flavors are labeled by aspiration.
Dark Chocolate Brownie is Recharge (with lion’s mane, said to relieve mild symptoms of depression); Cherry Chocolate Chip is Zen (with reishi, said to boost your immune system); Cinnamon Cookie Dough is Energy (with mildly stimulating cordyceps).
How does it Taste?
The adaptogens are fine–I didn’t really notice their beneficial impacts in my taste tests–but what I did notice is the
monk fruit in each bar. Intensely sweet, monk fruit is often used in place of cane sugar in many packaged foods. It is the sweetness without the caloric guilt, making keto eaters happy. The problem is: I do not like monk fruit’s taste. After eating a product with monk fruit, my tongue feels unpleasantly coated, like one of those tiny dogs zipped into a puffy sweater.
While all the bars had a firm, dry texture,
Recharge came across chalky with bursts of creamy chocolate;
Zen tasted subtly of cherry with a somewhat softer texture;
Energy was pleasingly soft and smelled nicely of cinnamon.
And the Winner Is:
Energy. Energy most successfully masked the monk fruit flavor. And the softer texture and noticeable cinnamon notes made this flavor my top choice in this admittedly biased tasting. This was my kids’ favorite bar, too. The dry texture and noticeable monk fruit sweetness of the other flavors was off-putting.
Do you like sugar-free snack bars or bars with monk fruit? If so, won’t you please tell me why?
*I received a free sample of this product.
