These are my reviews and a ranking of various Anabar Protein Candy bars that I’ve found and tried. I had found out about these through social media, specifically TikTok, where they advertise themselves as “candy bars” instead of “protein-based bars.”
What do these have in common?
First off, I have never seen a protein bar-based brand label itself explicitly as “candy bars,” so my first question is:
Do they live up to that? Or is it simply sensationalism?
What’s common amongst these bars is that they all have a very thin, super soft shell and nearly entirely consist of an inner, thick, chewy and dense filling. Mouthfeel-wise, it’s pretty generic in this regard, though some of the bars have a variety of crunchy pieces either on the outside, inside, or both. Don’t get me wrong either, none of these are crunchy by any means and infact, they all lean towards more of a uniform, chewy and dense composition.
The sweetness? All are definitely authically sugary sweet–they weren’t lying about that. These do in fact more or less taste like candy bars. I never noticed any artificial or weird protein flavoring either, if anything, I felt weird eating a protein bar that tasted like “real” sugar. As per the packaging, the flavors are authetic to some degree, though most lean towards a sugary-tasting side instead of what’s percisely advertised.
So, candy bars? Sure, though, I feel like candy bars usually offer more mix-ins and nuanced textures. Even comparing these to bars like Barebell and a few other brands, these come out with a more uniform composition overall. However, the difference between these and most other bars I’ve had is that they did nail the sugary tastes perfectly! You won’t find anything artificial here!
1. Fluff n’ Butter
First, this smells so tasty and like a yummy creamy peanut butter!
One of the sweeter ones here, notably sweeter and peanutty than the Death by Peanut Butter, and comes nearly to the flavor and creaminess of a chocolate-less Reese’s. On top of its sugary candy bar peanut taste, it’s creamy, as it has several white chocolate chunks in the center, which provide that additional level of smoothness alongside the sweet peanut.
The combination of flavors, including the sweetness, is the best here. I love how unique it is because most bars try to throw chocolate with their peanut flavors, but this instead takes it up a notch with a very creamy and sweet white chocolate background to boost its nuttiness.
2. White Chocolate Cookies & Cream
Interestingly, the softest here. You can bite through these much more easily for some reason, though they’re still fairly close to their counterparts, but they do feel lighter overall.
To me, it’s mostly sugar with cookies and cream vibes. I also love the dusting of chocolate on top, which is a nice addition, but anyway, it’s a white chocolate shell with a slightly darker, offwhite inside and some crispy pieces. For the most part, it’s just sugary sweet, while the cookies and cream flavor takes the back seat. There are a few large dark chocolate cookie pieces on the inside, but they are unfortunately overpowered by the sugary taste.
Overall, I’d appreciate more dark chocolate and tone down the sweetness to bring out the actual cookies and cream flavor itself.
3. Milk Chocolate Campfire S’mores
One of the least sweet of the bunch, alongside Monster cookie Crunch, and also one of the more authentic-tasting ones–likely because they toned the sugar content here. It’s got a thin milk chocolate shell and an inside filling that looks like mashed up graham cracker with a few embedded white crispy pieces. The combination of these offers milk chocolate, light buttery graham, and white chocolate/marshmallow, where the chocolate part is most prominent, though not by much.
Essentially, this comes out to me as a more milk chocolate-based s’mores bar where the graham and especially the marshmallow could have been stronger.
Notably, not as many crispy pieces on the inside or outside compared to the others, which is unfortunate.
4. Triple Chocolate Wasted
I’m not sure if this is triple chocolate; I would say double. A mix of milk and dark provides a tasty contrast, and compared to other chocolate protein bars, these are a little sweeter. Overall, it’s a sweet, chocolately protein bar without any artificial aftertaste. A good chocolate bar? Yup! And that’s it!
Lastly, there is a notable amount of crispy pieces on the inside compared to the others, which is appreciated!
5. Death By Peanut Butter
First, there are some decently large peanut pieces on the outside, which is nice, and as advertised, this is peanut through and through with a hint of chocolate from the shell. I feel like it’s trying to compete with Fluff n’ Butter and simply loses. It doesn’t have its creaminess, and instead stubbornly relies just on a regular, less sweet peanut taste. At the very least, the dusting of peanut candy pieces on the outside and a few crispy pieces on the inside is nice.
Overall, it tastes less peanutty and sweeter than Fluff n’ Butter, and also neglects any creaminess. Essentially, it’s a moderately sweet, peanut candy bar. It’s good, but why get this when you can have the other?
6. Monster Cookie Crunch
Large candy pieces on the inside litter the milk chocolate shell with a few crunchy pieces on the inside, which is a nice crunchy combo. However, more importantly, to me, I can’t exactly decipher what it’s going for. It’s reasonably sweet, less sweet overall than the others on the list, though the flavor itself is generic in a way. Basically, I feel like it’s trying to give you chocolate, peanut butter, and some sort of cookie, but all three are pretty lackluster, and nothing stands out, so what you’re left with is kind of a boring tasting bar with no identity.
I know I’m being vague, but I really can’t tell what exactly this is trying to be aside from a generic, sugary-flavored candy bar. I’d like to see more pronounced and distinct flavors here. Make up your mind, Monster Cookie Crunch!