Gluten Free Oat Bars: Bobo's Oat Bars Maple Pecan

PRODUCT NAME:                  Gluten Free Maple Pecan

BRAND:                                 Bobo’s Oat Bars

COST:                                   $3.49

SIZE:                                     3oz

COST PER OZ:                      $1.16

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:    NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:     NA

ORGANIC:                            YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:    UNKNOWN

VEGAN:                                YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:      NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:      Boulder, CO

SHELF LIFE:                         6 months

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
This week I sampled Bobo’s Gluten Free Maple Pecan Oat Bars. The bar is moist and very rich. The maple flavor is very prominent and intense and goes nicely with the subtle crunch of the pecan chunks that are distributed throughout the bar. You can taste the oats as well, but it is a predominantly maple flavor that permeates everything.

While the bar is very moist, which is nice as a lot of gluten free products have a tendency to be dried out, it is also very crumbly. This makes it a challenge to handle as it easily falls apart into chunks. Eating this in the car would be tough, but pretty much anywhere else you’d be fine. I crumbled a bit into my yogurt for breakfast, which turned out to be delicious as the sweetness of the bar was cut with the tartness of the plain yogurt. This would definitely satisfy a sweet-tooth, but would be a bit overpowering for someone who has a more savory palette.

The bar is very filling and very rich and I certainly couldn’t finish the whole thing in one sitting. It has 190 calories per serving and there’s 2 servings per bar. The nutritional information is for half of the bar, so be aware of that as you look at your daily intake requirements. There’s 7 grams of fat per serving, most of which I would imagine would be from the nuts, as well as 3g of protein. It has quite a bit of carbs but balances that out with 12% of your daily fiber needs. I would like to stress then, that eating half of the bar is probably a healthier way to go. Eating the whole bar in one sitting, you are looking at something that’s almost 400 calories, which is a bit excessive for a snack bar.

Bobo’s Oat Bars makes a lot of regular bars and only a few gluten free flavors. I am sure that this is an area where they will expand since there is certainly a need for gluten free oat products on the market. As of now the gluten free bars come in peach, lemon poppy seed, and chocolate almond in addition to this maple pecan one. The company was started by a mom who wanted a nutritious bar that was not only flavorful, but also kept health and fitness in mind. I would certainly say that based on the calories, this would be perfectly suited for someone who leads an active lifestyle of biking, hiking, sports, etc., but perhaps a bit overkill for someone with a more sedentary day to day. They seem to be made as a high-powered snack, one that’s packed full of protein and energy that your body needs when you’re on the go. There is a lot of chances for getting away and into nature around the bay area so this would be something that’s ideal to pack when you are headed out of the city. These bars are available at Gluten Free Grocery.

For more information, you can check out Bobo’s Oat Bar’s website www.bobosoatbars.com

Taste: sweet, rich maple flavor with a pecan crunch. The bar is soft and moist but crumbly.

Labeling: clearly gluten free, vegan and organic

Packaging: plastic see-through wrapper

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RATING:

Texture:       3
Taste:           4
Value:          4
OVERALL:    3.7

Reviewed by Krisztina L