NEW! Barebells Protein Bars: Cookies & Cream, Caramel & Cashew and Coconut-Choco (CNSport)

Chances are that if you're into fitness and regularly use Instagram you'll have seen plenty of posts following BodyPower of the hottest new protein bars on the scene. Just about everyone is talking about Barebells, the Swedish company who graciously came into our lives less than a week ago. Barebells sell a range of protein products including puddings, crisps, desserts and even a hazelnut cream -but it's the bars that has got everyone talking. They're available in three flavours: cookies & cream, caramel & cashew and coconut-choco, and I was lucky enough to be given some samples to review, thanks Barebells. 

Barebells say that they believe in "eating happy and living healthy". Their bars are less than 200 calories and each contain 20g of protein whilst being low in sugar (1.7g or less).

I know you probably don't want to hear about the packaging, but I love it. It's clean, simple, feminine and screams of luxury. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but lets hope you can in this case. 

Coconut-Choco
I'm not a huge bounty fan, and so I opted for this flavour first -thinking I'd get it out of the way more than anything. 

It's certainly pretty once unwrapped too, and sliced easily -a good sign that it wasn't likely to cause jaw-ache. 

The bar was delicious! The inner nougat was a similar consistency to a mars bar with an authentic coconut flavour. I was pleased to see the real coconut flakes (6%) that graced the outside of the bar too. As for the chocolate, it's not about to replace the real deal due to the lack of cocoa solids, but it's as good -if not better- than the coating of a Carb Killa. The bar also microwaved well, check out the video below including a cameo from Anthony the ant who decided to pay a visit from his home in the flowers. 

Macros per 55g bar: 199Kcal P:20/C:15/F:7.7

9/10

Caramel Cashew

Another stunning looking bar. This time the innards actually looked very Mars-bar-esque with the nougat and caramel layers. If you've ever had a Mars protein bar you'll know that they're chewier than their non-protein counterparts. The Barebells however was wonderfully soft, and was far superior to the Mars protein bars in terms of both taste and texture. 

The nougat had a lovely chocolatey flavour to it (much like the now discontinued Mars Xtra Choc actually), whilst the cashews on the outside were crisp and added a natural crunch. The ingredients list mentions white chocolate, but to be honest I'm not sure where that came in -I couldn't see or taste it. This bar was also delicious warmed up, but it doesn't serve to improve it as the bar is so good at ambient temperature anyway. 

Macros per 55g bar: 199Kcal P:20/C:14/F:8.3

8/10

Cookies & Cream

I thought I'd saved the best flavour until last, but I wasn't sure if Barebells could top their other two bars. Cookies & Cream is a popular choice amongst manufacturers in this crowded market, so I was eager to find out how Barebells would rank amongst the protein bar giants such as Quest and Grenade.

Sweet bejeezus. It was a corker. The inner was milky sweet and every bit as soft as the other too bars. If I was to be pernickety I'd say that the cookie pieces in the centre were too small to be noteworthy. The best part however was the coating, which was covered in super crispy cocoa soy crunches and ended up tasting like coco pops. So imagine if you will: a soft, low-sugar protein bar with the texture of a Mars bar, but coated in chocolate covered Coco Pops. Need I say more? 

10/10

If you want to try these fantastic new bars then please do give Conor a call at CNSport, he's selling boxes of 12 for £21.99 but as a favour is offering an extra 10% off for you guys -simply quote AMY10 when you ring: 07967949984. I think that makes them the cheapest place to get them in the U.K right now!

Thank you to Barebells for the samples!