Soft and chewy texture of Bakery on Main’s Peanut Butter and Jelly granola bars can’t save the bad aftertaste

Product: Bakery on Main Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars – $5.49

I really, really, really wanted to like these granola bars.  Honestly.  Why?  Well, for one thing, they are the product of one of the best gluten-free companies out there.  I fell in love with Bakery on Main through their gluten-free oatmeal and then again through their granola.  But, since then, I have had little luck when it comes to their products.  When I spotted these granola bars at the Gluten-Free Trading Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I thought it was too good to be true.

Come on…it’s granola bars made to taste like everyone’s favorite go-to sandwich, yes?  Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Let me tell you…I was sold.

They came home with me and I put them in the pantry…where they taunted me as I worked my way through the snacks with earlier expiration dates.  Then, last week, the moment I had been anticipating arrived.  These delicious sounding granola bars were going to be my afternoon snack at the office.  So, I excitedly opened up the box and placed one of the bars into my lunchbox and happily headed to work.

When my afternoon snack time rolled around, I eagerly took the granola bar out of my desk drawer and opened it up.  I paused only long enough to snap a picture of it before I tore into it.  Before I get into the flavor, let me tell you a little more about the product itself.

These chewy granola bars are made with certified gluten-free oats, amaranth and quinoa, making them a great source of whole grains.  Couple that with the addition of flax and chia seeds and you also get a great source of not just Omega 3, but also Omega 6 fatty acids.  Awesome.  These bars are also made with real peanut butter and dried strawberries.  Bakery on Main’s Web site says that these taste like an actual peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  So, yeah, I was ready for my first bite.

So, imagine my disappointment when I took it…and was hit with not as much salty, nutty flavor as I anticipated.  In fact, I feel that these bars suffer from lack of that peanut butter flavor.  As for the dried strawberries, they didn’t help matters either.  In fact, instead of lending that sweet “jelly” flavor to these bars, what I got was this weird chemical-like taste.  The flavor was very off-putting.  I tore of a piece of it and walked it over to where my roommate was working and told her I didn’t know what I thought of them and to try it.  She said it had a weird aftertaste and I totally agreed with her.  I was disappointed…but I was hungry, so I ate the rest of it.

Sadly though, when I got home I couldn’t bring myself to pack another one for the next day.  Normally I don’t waste my gluten-free foods, even if I’m not a big fan of them…but I just couldn’t eat these the rest of the week.  The flavor was so strange and chemical-like.  Which is weird, since Bakery on Main uses no chemicals in their ingredients.  Every ingredient listed on the box is something that I recognize immediately.  And it is real food…nothing fake.  No strange preservatives.  These just didn’t sit right with my palate…and so…they were tossed.  Since these are not cheap, I took the financial hit in order to enjoy my afternoon snack the following day.

This experience however has not soured me on Bakery on Main.  I believe in their products.  While I seem to have an on again – off again relationship with their variety of gluten-free offerings, I actually hope I can try their other flavors of granola bars.  Maybe a different flavor will sit better with me and my taste buds.

As for Bakery on Main’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Soft & Chewy Granola Bars…I think I’ll stick to the actual sandwich instead.  These just didn’t satisfy me and the taste was just off.