Sometime within the last year, Quaker’s Life brand came out with a new soft bake bar flavor, banana walnut bread. I love regular banana bread so I figured I’d give this a shot as it sure would save a lot of time not having to bake it my stuff. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Life’s effort isn’t quite as good as mom’s homemade recipes, but it’s certainly satisfying enough for a grab-and-go type snack. The primarily oatmeal texture keeps the bar soft and moist while the walnuts give a nice offset of crunch. The one disappointment comes from the banana flavor, which is a bit lacking and not as strong as I would have liked. The fruit taste is definitely there though, completing the trifecta of taste.
Depending on how sensitive one is to the thought of sugar in products, a problem super health conscious folks may have with Life’s soft bake bars is the word “Nutrition” on the packaging. Though the most prominent ingredient is certainly oats, a Quaker specialty, it’s followed by soy crisp rice and three different sugars and sweeteners (brown sugar, invert sugar, and oligofructose) on the ingredient list. Next is walnuts, water and freeze dried bananas followed by more sugary ingredients. Of course all things considered, there’s only 10 grams of sugar per bar, certainly not enough for me to be upset about, however, if sugar offends you, than stay away.
A single bar comes in at 150 calories and includes 5 grams of fiber, most of which are contributed to by the oats. There’s also a good variety of vitamins and minerals in the product provided by a combination of the healthier ingredients and food fortification. The walnuts brings a perfectly acceptable 4 grams of fat. For me, the good stuff far outweighs the bad on this one.
Life’s Banana Walnut Bread Soft Bake Bars may not be as tasty as the family recipe but it will do plenty to satisfy your hunger and taste buds. In fact, despite the ingredient list, it’s probably a bit healthy then what dear ole’ grandma makes because the nutritional benefits of it’s main ingredient, oats. If you’re in the need for a breakfast bar that’s quick, I wouldn’t hesitate to give these a try.