Granola bars satisfy our need for grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks. They slip easily into briefcase or bag. They don’t drip on our clothes. They tote easily and need no refrigeration; if we forget to eat a granola bar it stays civil, as a hard-cooked egg left sitting in the desk for a couple of weeks will not do. A granola bar will hold famished kids in a pinch, at least until they can hector you into buying fast food.
A quintet of Tribune tasters rated honeyoat granola bars to see which we found best. Three brands were crunchy, two were chewy, though we didn’t favor one type or the other. Tasters rated the bars on the usual criteria of aroma, appearance, taste and texture in a blind tasting. Then we figured out the cost per serving. We learned that some brands consider two thin bars a serving, while others deem just one plumper bar enough. (That’s why we’ve given the cost per serving, instead of the cost per bar.)
Nature’s Choice Moist and Chewy Granola Bars, which we found at Whole Foods Market, come from Barbara’s Bakery. The third-place Millville is sold at Aldi. The bar with the lowest rating, Nature Valley, was also the most expensive.
We sought a balanced, authentic blend of honey and oat flavor, with no inappropriate flavor notes.
Prices are based on what we paid for the bars at the supermarket, and may reflect sales or discounts from frequent-shopper cards.
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The results are in:
Nature’s Choice Moist and Chewy Granola Bars
(6.4 points. 6 servings. $2.59; 43 cents per serving). “Attractive glossy color.” “The honey flavor predominates.” “Too gooey to be portable.” “Syrup and grain without much nuance.”
Sunbelt Chewy Granola Oats & Honey
(5.8 points. 8 servings. $1.79; 22 cents per serving). “Pleasant, quite different from the rest.” “Soft and pleas-ant.” “Gooey; too sweet.”
Millville Oats & Honey Crunchy Granola Bars
(5.6 points. 6 servings. $1.89; 31 cents per serving). “Ordinary taste, with some crunch for interest.” “Nice oaty flavor with sweet honey support.” “Nice toasted flavor.”
Jewel Crunchy Granola Bars
(4.8 points. 6 servings. $2.50; 41 cents per serving). “Flat, dry, crumbly.” “Generic seeds-oats-fiber.” “Love it–the crunch is good.”
Nature Valley Oats ‘N HoneyCrunchy Granola Bars
(4.7 points. 6 servings. $3.29; 54 cents per serving). “Dusty residue on my tongue.” “Hard to bite into, dry, packed together.” “Hints of cinnamon and sugar immediately apparent.” “Good crunch.”
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