Snickers Bar: Rockin' nut road

Product name: Snickers Bar: Rockin’ nut road
Purchase details: £1.59 for a 49.9g bar (Mr Simms)
Calories: 230 per bar
Country of origin: USA

I’m not generally a fan of Snickers which is why, so far, I’ve only reviewed the mini version included in Celebrations. However, this Rockin’ nut road variety (based on rocky road) caught my eye on my first ever visit to Mr Simms. (That’s right – we have a Mr Simms now! I always wondered what this magical place was like and I can now report that it smells amazing!)

This bar consisted of dark chocolate, almonds, caramel and marshmallow flavoured nougat, and it was the change in nut type and nougat that got me so excited. I can usually take or leave marshmallow since I like the flavour but, in other things, I don’t tend to like its elasticity. As a result, having the flavour in a nougat seemed like a win-win situation, particularly since it’s the presence of marshmallows in real rocky road which tends to put me off eating it, usually.

Made by Mars Chocolate North America, the bar came in a striking black wrapper and was a very good looking specimen. The semisweet chocolate was nice and glossy and the pale nougat, large nuts and gooey caramel were all well-defined against this dark shell.

It may have contained artificial flavours but this Snickers Bar: Rockin’ nut road wasn’t bad at all. Its aroma was a simple but deep dark chocolate one and this ingredient was definitely the main one in terms of taste too – it made the product noticeably more bitter and it balanced well with the inner features, almost creating a saltiness by comparison. The downside was that the nougat and caramel weren’t as sweet as they could have been and the inside, generally, wasn’t very flavourful but, overall, the taste wasn’t miles away from an actual piece of rocky road.

The texture was the standout element for me, though. The inside was stringy but not too chewy, and I loved the softness of it, as well as the fact that it wasn’t overrun with nuts that got in the way. If anything, I’d say the feel was very much like a Mars bar but with the odd dull crunch here and there.

In conclusion, I would have liked the flavours from the nougat, almonds and caramel to be more prominent in this bar, but its squidginess was very enjoyable indeed.

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 7.63/10

Clif Bar: White chocolate macadamia nut

Product name: Clif Bar: White chocolate macadamia nut
Purchase details: £1.28 for a 68g bar (tesco.com)
Calories: 263 per bar
Country of origin: USA

As a huge fan of Subway White Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, I’ve had my eye on this variety of Clif Bar for a while. However, I did wait for it to be reduced before I took the plunge since I was a bit nervous about the fact it was an energy bar, following my not-so-great experience with the peanut butter Lenny & Larry's Muscle Brownie – proof that my favourite ingredients don’t always taste amazing!

The Clif brand was named after the founder and owner’s Dad, Clifford, who was his ‘childhood hero and companion through the Sierra Nevada mountains’ – this description didn’t half make me feel bad for munching on my bar as I sat on my bum in front of the telly! Anyway, it was clearly designed with active people and adventurers in mind, which is why the wrapper featured an illustration of a man climbing on a cliff. Despite the wrapper’s beige background colour, the blue from the sky and red from the logo really prevented the product looking boring.

On reading the description of the ‘oat, macadamia nuts and white chocolate flavour energy bar’, I realised the word ‘flavour’ didn’t sound great. The ingredients did list 16% rolled oats and 5.2% macadamia nuts, but the ‘white chocolate’ came in the form of ‘soy cocoa butter chips’ (6%). In fact, I’d never seen so many soy-containing ingredients listed on one product, but I was pleased to see lots of vitamins and minerals in there too.

The rectangular bar was quite a dark syrupy colour and looked like a knobbly flapjack with a white chocolate drizzle and visible macadamia nuts. The aroma was a bit unusual – it was like a waxy, floral vanilla scent which didn’t seem to match the bar that was sat in front of me.

As for the flavour, I wasn’t convinced at first. It almost tasted of alcohol which, as I’ve mentioned before, is not something I like. However, I found the flavour improved as I went on. The nuts tasted good but, overall, the bar was a bit bland and I couldn’t pick up on the white chocolate element at all. It certainly wasn’t a match for the Subway cookie, although I did like how it was sweet without being sugary.

Texturally, the Clif Bar was like a really dense and substantial cereal bar. It was chewy and crispy which made me think of cornflakes, at first, but then I realised that it contained rice crisps instead. I was also pleased that, despite being bitty and grainy by nature, it wasn’t dry.

On the whole, I’d say the Clif Bar: White chocolate macadamia nut was great in terms of what it was designed for – a filling boost that didn’t taste too shabby. As a ‘treat’, though, this didn’t quite work – the flavours on offer didn’t live up to my expectations and, for the calories, it just wasn’t worth it. 

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 6/10
Taste: 6.5/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 6.75/10

Nakd Banana Bread

Product name: Nakd Banana Bread
Purchase details: £0.60 for a 30g bar or three for £1.20 (tesco.com)
Calories: 92 per bar
Country of origin: Britain

I really liked the sound of Nakd Banana Bread. Described as a ‘banana flavour raw fruit, oat’ and ‘nut wholefoods bar’, it was the same positively healthy concept as the Strawberry Crunch I’ve previously reviewed.

The bar came in a pale wrapper which, I felt, hinted at a caramel cream-type flavour. However, that may just be because I’ve had a Milky Way French Vanilla and Caramel eying me up from my stash for a few weeks! There was a subtle picture of a banana on the left-hand size of the wrapper, though, to remind me that this was a very different product.

The combination of dates (37%), bananas (23%), oats (21%), walnuts (8%), apple juice concentrate, vanilla and ‘a hint of natural flavour’ resulted in a product that looked...well, healthy! It had a similar appearance to the Strawberry Crunch but was darker. Despite not containing any crispy pieces on this occasion, the bar was certainly full of bits.

I’d mistakenly fooled myself into thinking that this Banana Bread would be like a loaf cake but I realised my error when I discovered the disappointing lack of a banana scent. Instead, it had quite a sharp aroma which I think was caused by the dates. Despite initially thinking I could sense a bit of banana in the mix, I realised that this was just wishful thinking!

Fortunately, the banana flavour did come through on the taste test, starting gently but then getting stronger. The first flavour to make an impact, though, was quite unusual and not the most pleasant, and this also caused a bit of a strange aftertaste. Again, I think it was the dates that caused this (a fruit I’m not a fan of, to be fair!), although the almost bitter taste I find walnuts have may have contributed to this too. That said, I’d never have guessed the product contained walnuts! Anyway, the good news was that the banana flavour was strong enough to lift the overall experience so, as I munched my way through the bar, it did still feel like a treat.

Texturally, the Banana Bread was quite chewy. It was generally soft with the odd tougher bit and the inclusion of the oats was a big plus. It may not sound pleasant as a description, but I really liked how little pieces were left behind at the end of each mouthful as it meant I could pretend I was eating a flapjack instead!

I think the Strawberry Crunch had given me higher expectations for this bar than, perhaps, was fair – I certainly thought I’d enjoy this variety more than I did. However, whilst it was my least favourite of the two Nakd varieties I’ve tried so far, I still thought it was excellent as a healthy snack...I’d just prefer to eat actual banana bread if taste were the only consideration! 

Appearance: 6/10
Aroma: 6/10
Taste: 6.5/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 6.5/10

Tesco Peanut Butter Style Cupcakes

Product name: Tesco Peanut Butter Style Cupcakes
Purchase details: £1.50 for a pack of two cupcakes or three for two (Tesco)
Calories: 309 per cupcake
Country of origin: UK 

I couldn’t wait to try these peanut butter and jelly themed cupcakes when I spotted them on Tesco's website. They appeared to be part of a new American range and, having seen a review of some of these products over on The Review Addict!, I realised I’d have to leap into action as they’re a limited edition and are only around for 12 weeks – major sad face.

On picking up my pack of Peanut Butter Style Cupcakes in-store, I realised that the key word in the product name was ‘style’. You see, there was no peanut butter in these cupcakes. In fact, the allergy advice simply warned: ‘may contain nuts’ – there weren’t any actually listed on the ingredients list. Instead, the cakes contained ‘peanut butter style toasted soya frosting with jam’, but I remained intrigued.

I loved the simple plastic box that these cupcakes came in as they showed off the beauty of the product within and, most importantly, it kept both cakes firmly in place for transportation. The stars and stripes design on both the cardboard sleeve and paper cases was also a nice touch.

I thought the ‘sponge cakes filled with strawberry jam, topped with soya nut butter frosting and coloured chocolate beans’ looked great. I was delighted that the frosting, being my favourite part of a cupcake, accounted for 42% of the product, and this was a mid-brown colour with a ridged design. The pastel-coloured beans added a nice bit of decoration too. As for the sponge, this was very pale, and I was pleased to see a decent injection of a deep red jam that made up a further 10% of each cake.

I felt like I went on a bit of a journey when it came to consuming the cakes. The frosting, containing soya beans and soya oil, seemed to produce the kind of scent that I simultaneously associated with nut-based vegetarian meals and soy sauce. I guess this was understandable but this savoury aroma was a little unnerving and not really what I wanted from a sweet product!

I’d been a bit alarmed when I first handled a cake as a substantial amount of grease had seeped through the paper case. However, I was relieved that this wasn’t an issue in terms of taste. The cake was very spongy to the extent that it made a noise when cutting or tearing it, and whilst not overly moist, it wasn’t dry either. Its quite stiff texture contrasted well with the beautiful, smooth jam centre that provided a strong berry taste and delicious sweetness.

On its own, the frosting had an initially convincing peanut butter flavour but, unfortunately, the soya taste then became evident. It was pretty oily but also had a thick and slightly spongy texture. Despite not being as dense as peanut butter, it did still stick to the roof of the mouth, and I soon discovered that when eating all elements of the cake together, as intended, the frosting did become convincing as peanut butter again. There was still a slightly odd aftertaste, and the inclusion of icing sugar provided a lighter consistency, but I very quickly adjusted to the soya element. After this point, it stopped being noticeable and I found the cakes very enjoyable, with the jam and icing sugar preventing the flavours becoming too heavy.

If I could change one thing about these cupcakes, I’d get rid of the chocolate beans. Despite the very crispy, sugary shells, the overall chocolatey taste was quite bitter, and I didn’t really like this additional flavour. Whilst it didn’t interfere too much with the overall experience, I also didn’t feel that the added crunch was needed.

However, I did end up enjoying these Peanut Butter Style Cupcakes and I thought it was great that they came with relatively long use-by dates. From my point of view, the ability to store one in an airtight container after I’d consumed the other one was an added bonus!

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 5.5/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 7.25/10