Caramel Fudge a definite flavor-winner for thinkThin high protein bars

Product: thinkThin Caramel Fudge High Protein Bar – $1.99+

It’s sometimes hit or miss when it comes to protein bars.  Honestly.  They can be amazing…or they can taste like cardboard…or worse.  Yes…there have been worse.  But, for me, with the exception of one bar so far, thinkThin has not let me down.  In fact, a majority of the products I have tried from thinkThin have been good.  Some even really good.  Some better than really good.

Due to a sale at my local grocery store, I ended up picking up a couple of these bars because, for the most part, I can trust them to be filling and taste good.  Hey…I’ll eat something that is just “good.”  I might be a little picky when it comes to flavors, but if it’s edible, I will eat it.  That being said, I picked up one I previously reviewed…Creamy Peanut Butter…and then the Caramel Fudge.

This past weekend I was out of town…which meant I needed to pack the onslaught of protein bars in case I was hungry and there was nothing around for me to eat.  At conventions, that can happen.  And it did.  Honestly.  Thankfully, I have learned to always be prepared.

On Sunday morning, however, after a 7 mile run, I returned to the room to shower and eat breakfast.  I had brought apples, raisins, and peanut butter to make apple sandwiches for my roommate and I, but I also knew it would be awhile before we were going to eat lunch…so we decided to split the thinkThin Caramel Fudge High Protein Bar.

Before I get into the taste, I figure I’ll hit up the general nutritional info on these bars.  First of all, what I love about thinkThin’s High Protein Bars are that they contain around 15-20 grams of protein per bar (which 1 bar is a serving).  That’s awesome.  They are gluten-free and sugar-free as well.  I appreciate that especially as I start to lean toward more clean eating…while balancing a very active lifestyle.  This particular flavor of bar contains 240 calories and 9 grams of fat.  In addition to that, you get only 300 mg of sodium and less than 5 mg of cholesterol.  One of the Caramel Fudge bars has only 1 gram of fiber and then 20 grams of protein.  For the active and protein challenged like me, this is an ideal choice for a snack before or after a run.  Honestly.

But…the big question loomed.  How would it taste?

I sliced the bar in half, the chocolate coating giving way to the nougat-like caramel filling that it surrounded.  Given that this was the Caramel Fudge flavor from thinkThin, this is a good thing.  It was also good that this bar smelled like chocolate covered caramel.  So far, so good.  Taste-wise…well…

It tasted a lot like it smelled…sweet and a little salty.  One of my favorite combinations.  So, it was a bit like having a chocolate covered salty caramel goodie.  And salted caramel is one of the best things in the world, if you ask me.  Really.  It is.  What I loved about the flavor of this one is that it didn’t taste like the protein that is added to it.  Too often, that protein powder is so evident in protein bars, but not this one.  This had a very smooth flavor.  The chocolate had the right amount of sweetness to make it feel like a treat as well.  The chocolate shell was soft, but had this crispness to it when it was split in half.  It was nice.  The texture was moist without being chalky…making it very palatable.  Yeah…I totally fell in love with this one.  Definitely ranking up as one of my favorites to date.  The peanut butter varieties still rank at the very top so far though.  Just sayin’.

If you are looking for a delicious protein bar, this one definitely gives you a 20 gram protein punch for your buck.  Honestly.  thinkThin is one of the products I continue to return to.  While not completely void of sugar (they use sugar alcohols), they are one of the better choices out on the market.  And I am so glad that my friend Tawn introduced me to these bars a couple of years back when I visited in California.  Beyond impressed.  And soon…more will find their way into my run snack drawer.  Very soon.

Nicely done, thinkThin.  I applaud you…and will restock sometime in the very near future.