The holidays are here and Clif Bar has upped their game, transforming their signature snacks to indulge our holiday taste buds. In the past, they've featured scrumptious flavors like Pecan Pie and Peppermint Bark, but this year Clif Bar took their imagination to the extreme. I've searched high and low in stores from Whole Foods to REI to find these rocking flavors. Behold, the wintery combinations of Hot Chocolate, Spiced Pumpkin Pie, Iced Gingerbread, and last but not least, Mexican Hot Chocolate.
The best part about these cheery snacks? Clif Bar will donate 1% of their profits from these bars to Protect Our Winters, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating climate change. Clif Bar markets themselves as an energy bar for outdoor athletes, so it's fitting that this organization's goal is to protect the environment so that the winter sports community can continue to enjoy the beauties of the season.
Over 130,000 supporters work alongside pro athletes, such as Olympian Gretchen Bleiler, to spread awareness about the dangers global warming. Whether it be for the economy, snowboarders, or the overall stability of our environment, Clif Bar agrees with the statement: "we all need winter."Before you go out and buy three boxes of each flavor, I tasted all four and gave them a rating from 1 (being the worst) to 3 (being the best). All four bars contain some similar all-organic ingredients such as rolled oats, rice flour, and roasted soybeans.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
The Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor was by far the most unique seasonal combination and I knew I just had to try it. I found this premiere 2016 bar at my local Trader Joe's and practically jumped for joy. Locating such a flavor was like a discovering gold at the end of the rainbow!
There was nothing majorly wrong with this one — it's not like I spit it out in disgust — but personally I'm not a huge fan of mixing spicy and sweet. Heard of that cayenne lemonade detox trend? Yeah, no thank you. There was cocoa in this bar (hence, "hot chocolate"), but also spices such as cinnamon and cayenne. I think my problem is that the spice overpowered the chocolate and I don't know if my overwhelmed taste buds would enjoy eating a whole bar.
Rating: 1
Spiced Pumpkin Pie
I encountered the Spiced Pumpkin Pie bar quite frequently on my holiday Clif Bar adventure. At first bite, it's one of the best flavors I've ever tasted. I was transported back to Christmas night and grandma's pumpkin pie. The raisins and almonds in the bar add great texture and the sweetness is amped up by dried apples and pumpkin flakes.
But as you keep eating, the spice, as foreshadowed in the title, becomes more apparent. The nutmeg and cloves in the bar are a little strong. Overall, this was a great holiday bar but fell just a little short for me because of the heavy spices.Rating: 2
Iced Gingerbread
Iced Gingerbread is another quintessential and ingenious holiday flavor by Clif Bar. Again, this one is sweet from organic molasses and gets its great texture from organic raisins and pecans. But beware: Clif Bar doesn't mess around when it comes to gingerbread. The mixture of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves doesn't pull any punches and certainly embraces the flavor of a real gingerbread cookie.
However — since I've always been the girl to decorate a gingerbread house, but pass on eating it later — I'd have to pass on eating a whole one of these. Just like the pumpkin pie flavor, the spices take over just a tad too much. I'll eat this one around Christmas, but probably wouldn't enjoy it any other time of year.Rating: 2
Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate was the best flavor EVER! Maybe I love this snack so much because I'm a hot chocolate addict, or maybe it's just that this Clif Bar tastes like a Hershey's Kiss. The cocoa and date paste add punches of sweetness and the whole bar is just one smooth combination of flavors.
It reminds me of the Chocolate Brownie Clif Bar, but I like this one better because it's lighter and not quite as rich. If this quiz had hot chocolate as a result, that would definitely be my flavor. I honestly wish they would keep this one around all year!Rating: 3
Overall, I think the Hot Chocolate flavor may have taken the cake primarily because it contained no crazy spices! I know pumpkin spice lattes and gingerbread men run wild during the holidays, but I'm a simple kind of girl. I like my Clif Bars to have a smooth flavor through and through. Even though I prefer one over the others, I would definitely recommend all four. I'll just stick to eating them exclusively in the winter.
If you're interested in trying these yourself, dash to your nearest grocery store such as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or even REI to snatch them before they're gone! You can even go online and order a whole box!
Interested in the other Clif Bar flavors that are available all-year-round? Check out this amazing ranking of all of their 19 delicious snack bars.