The Daily Balance

So I’ve seen Quaker True Delights popping up all over the bloggosphere, as well as my grocery store shelves. A lover of the oats, I was intrigued and waiting for the opportunity to try one of Quaker’s newer offerings.

I heard that Quaker was giving away free samples on its Web site. Not one to EVER pass up a deal, I scooted over to the site and quickly filled out my info. A few weeks later, I received an adorable little package containing one of the dark chocolate raspberry almond bars.

SIDE NOTE: As a marketing/advertising/PR professional, I was VERY impressed with Quaker’s Web site. These folks know what they are doing. Check it out for yourself!

The design is colorful and inviting. I love the ‘share your true delight’ activity. Make sure you take a few moments to do it; it’s totally worth it!

The packaging for the bar mirrors the design on the website and is quite appealing. The bar, complete with real chunks of raspberries, almonds and dark chocolate, screamed: BITE ME! (in a good way, of course, not the ‘screw you’-like expression)

(Images courtesy of Google Image)

It was….

meh.

I really WANTED to like this bar, but it just didn’t do it for me. My favorite part was the chocolate (shocking, I know!). But the raspberries were a bit too tart for my liking. They had a bizarre texture. Maybe it’s an acquired taste — I’ve never had a dried raspberry before — but something seemed a little off. I’m pretty big on the consistency of my foods, and this just didn’t do it for me. The bar as a whole needed to be denser or moister, as it was a bit mealy. (perhaps a better textured binder would help?)

Not the worst bar I’ve ever had, but I won’t be purchasing this flavor again. Now the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut? PRETTY PLEASE! Those flavors truly sound delightful! (couldn’t help myself, sorry!) I haven’t given up on this new product line from my old pal Quaker just yet. I’ll let you know my final verdict after trying the delicious sounding banana combo.