While grocery shopping the other day, I noticed the HoneyMaid 100 calorie Delight bars sitting on the shelf with that all powerful flashy red NEW! slapped on the box. The words NEW on the box, of course, initially caught my attention, as I am always looking for undiscovered low-calorie treasures. The delicious looking bar in a cheesecake and a chocolate flavor prompted me to actually pick up the box for a closer inspection.
First things first, I read the nutrition information and hemmed and hawed about whether or not to purchase them. They certainly looked delicious, and as stated on the box, there was none of the evil High Fructose Corn Syrup in the ingredients. They were also a good source of fiber, something that can be hard to sneak into your diet. On the other hand, I had been fooled by some yummy looking 100 calorie treats before only to be disappointed by size, texture or taste. Some of those things are rock hard, teeny tiny, or taste so fake its not even worth it.
I was also concerned about the words "artificially flavored" underneath the words cheesecake and chocolate. Were these even going to satiate a craving for the real thing? Or just make a desire for the real thing worse? Also, I had boxes full of 100 calorie items at home that had yet to be polished off yet. Did I really want to add to my overcrowded cupboard? Eventually I gave in to my inner impulse shopper, and tossed a box of each variety into my cart.
Of course, once I have something 'new' to try, I can't be expected to be patient enough to wait very long to try it out. So, after I arrived home and all the groceries were put away, I dived into a box of the chocolate bars - chocolate is a major weakness of mine. Right away, I was impressed that the size of the bar was large in comparison to many 100 calorie items. Tearing open the wrapper I was greeted with a lovely aroma. The soft smell of the graham crust was wonderful. To my Delight, ( yes, pun intended), it was also very tender and moist and slightly crumbly.
The top layer on the chocolate filling seemed a little firm, so I was worried it might be hard. But once I bit into it, it gave way to a very smooth filling. The taste definitely had some chocolate to it, and didn't seem to be too terribly fake. The ingredients did list cocoa for this flavor after all. I detected something in the flavor of the filling that hinted at coconut, though I didn't see any type of coconut ingredient listed on the package. I am not sure where that coconut flavor came from, but I rather enjoyed it either way.
For me, it was a pretty good way to fill a chocolate baked good craving. The best part of all was that after eating the whole bar, I was left feeling satisfied versus feeling like I had to have a second one to fill my tummy. I actually had to wait to try the cheesecake one the following day.
I had less faith in the cheesecake flavor. I didn't know how an artificial cheesecake flavor could possibly be good. Again, I found myself pleasantly surprised. It had the same great graham crust, and same consistency to the filling. The filling did actually have that slight bite of cheesecake flavor, so I was impressed. The ingredients for this flavor did list Neufatchel cheese and cheese cultures in the ingredients. Neufatchel is a low free/fat free substitute for cream cheese, and tastes pretty close to the real thing. So, for being artificially flavored, it still resembles the real thing somewhat.
Both of the flavors of Delight Bars are a good source of fiber as well. As you may know if watching your weight, fiber is a good way to feel fuller, longer. Unfortunately, other than the fiber, there isn't much of anything else beneficial in there. A little bit of calcium and a little bit of iron. But, as far as snacks go, its still better than having a brownie or a piece of cheesecake due to the low fat and calories, and the decent amount of fiber.
My vote, due to the size, soft texture, good source of fiber, low fat and tasty flavors, this is a good option for a 1oo calorie item. Worth the money and the calories. Be nice to have a little more calcium to go with that, but, its hard to find any 100 calorie item with any valuable nutritional value. Maybe I liked them so much because I had such little expectations up front for them. Either way, I have purchased second boxes of each flavor since my first experience. If you've tried them, please let me know what you think of them!
A quick summary and some additional info:
HoneyMaid Delight Bars -Cheesecake and Chocolate flavors
The good:
- Only 100 calories and 3 grams of fat
- Are a good source fiber -12 DV%
- No High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Many recognizable ingredients - cocoa (chocolate flavor) neufatchel cheese (cheesecake flavor)
- Yummy taste
- Good size bars
- Soft crust
- Pretty good value ( I paid 3.19 for each box of 6 bars)
- Artificially flavored
- Lots of chemically sounding ingredients
- Not much for other vitamins or minerals beyond the fiber
- Filling is a little on the dry side - grab some fat free milk to go with yours!
THE FACTS:
100 cal,
3 g fat,
0 trans fat,
3 g fiber (12% Daily Recommended Value),
7 g of sugar,
3 g protein
2% iron,
2% calcium
sodium 60 mg (3%)
purchase price at my local large grocery store retailer :3.19 ( not a sale price/coupon purchase)
Any questions or comments are welcome!
Until next time,
Amber
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