When I first heard we were receiving Jocolat bars from Larabar, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I read a little blurb about them that mentioned they were… drum roll please… healthy. Good-for-you chocolate?? The horrors! Larabar describes them thusly:
JŎCALAT is Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate in its purest form. Harmonizing with fruits and nuts, each flavor contains no more than seven simple ingredients. Deliciously rich. All Organic. No added sugars. Free of dairy, soy and gluten. A healthy indulgence you can feel good about eating.
The box I received had all four flavors Larabar makes: chocolate, chocolate mint, chocolate orange, and chocolate coffee. I decided to start with the mint flavor, and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. The mint was very nice, not too strong, and fused nicely with the chocolate. The other parts that make the bar healthy, namely finely ground nuts and fruit, are barely discernible. Normally, I’m not a fan of nuts, but in this case they’re ground so fine that you can hardly taste them at all.
When I opened the chocolate orange, I was initially put off by the smell, which reminded me strongly of some sort of cleaning solution. However, I got past the smell and found I enjoyed the taste. The chocolate flavor was almost completely buried in this selection, but the orange wasn’t unpleasant.
The texture of these bars is interesting. I’d have to call it something between a brownie and fudge; it isn’t thick enough to be exactly like fudge, but it’s definitely more dense than a brownie. The ingredients are all well blended, but the ground nuts do add a bit of texture to the bar.
Overall, I would have to say that, if my chocolate has to be good for me, these aren’t a bad choice. I would still prefer a Three Musketeers, but I certainly wouldn’t turn down one of these. Plus, the potential health benefits are nothing to sneeze at.
They also make a bunch of other non-chocolate flavors like Pecan Pie, Lemon Bar, Ginger Snap, Cherry Pie, and my personal favorite - Cinnamon Roll. All have the same brownie/fudgey texture, are made with fruit and nuts, and are very good!
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I was wondering about these new bars. I liked the old Maya bar (which I guess was the old name for these) but didn’t love them. I see these use cocao mass instead of ground up nibs — wondering how much of a difference that makes. And I’m a huge fan of the cashew cookie Larabar — yum!
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:39 pmThose look great, free-trade too!
What are they sweetened with if not with sugar?
February 26th, 2007 at 2:21 pmI believe the included fruit provides all of the sweetness.
February 26th, 2007 at 3:44 pm