Flavors Tried: Cookie Butter, Caramel Fudge
Price: $30 for 12 bars ($2.50 per protein bar)
Nutrition: 190 Calories, 7g Fat, 24g Carbs (5g Fiber & 8g Sugar Alcohol), 15g Protein
Back in 2022, I reviewed Misfits protein bars and found them to be pretty disappointing.
Each bar featured a crunchy cookie interior with a thin caramel-like layer and chocolate coating, and the photos made them look better than any other protein bar you had ever seen.
While it sounded great in theory, most flavors had an overwhelming “earthy” plant protein taste that was hard to get past. Only their Dark Chocolate Brownie flavor managed to mask that flavor effectively, but even that was nothing special.
So when I spotted their new bars at Trader Joe’s with “NEW & SOFTER” plastered on the wrapper, I was both skeptical and curious. Could they really have improved that much?
These bars pack decent macros for a plant-based option: 190 calories and 15g of protein. Some might want more protein, but with vegan bars, pushing the protein content too high often ruins the taste, so I’m okay with it.
The first thing I noticed is that these reformulated bars look exactly like Barebells protein bars. Considering Barebells are pretty much everyone’s favorite protein bars (including mine), it’s no surprise Misfits would try to replicate that success.
Gone is the cookie-like interior of the original bars, and they’ve gone the “soft bar” route. Trader Joe’s had two flavors available, so let’s give ’em. shot.
Caramel Fudge Misfits Protein Bar
If you think these bars resemble Barebells on the outside, they resemble them even more on the inside. These bars are soft throughout, with crunchy pieces inside and protein puffs lining the exterior.
This flavor has an interesting profile. It’s definitely on the sweeter side, which I personally enjoy, but was surprising for a plant-based bar.
The caramel flavor comes through as the dominant taste, while the fudge aspect is mainly just present in the chocolate coating. There is a slight pea protein taste and it’s a tiny bit chalky, but I might be nitpicking here because it’s really not bad compared to other vegan bars.
You do get some sugar alcohol taste in the aftertaste, but it’s not overwhelming. If you’re sensitive to artificial sweeteners you might find it more prominent, but I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker.
Overall, this is a huge improvement from the original bars. The bar is certainly softer, and while it has a little bit of an “earthy” flavor, it’s well above some other plant-based bars out there.
Cookie Butter Misfits Protein Bar
I love cookie butter, so I was really excited about this one. Flavor aside, the texture of this one alone makes it worth trying. It’s actually softer and less chewy than the Caramel Fudge version and eats very much like a Barebells protein bar.
There’s a very slight grittiness to it from the plant-based protein, but it’s minimal.
When I first bit into this bar, I was disappointed that the cookie butter flavor was not very prominent. But as I worked my way through this bar, the flavor continued to build and become identifiable.
This is a huge improvement over their original Cookie Butter flavor, in my opinion, which barely tasted like speculoos at all and was dominated by that plant protein taste.
As a fan of all things cookie butter & Biscoff, I thought this one was delicious. You do get some artificial sweetener notes, which I could do without, but overall this is very solid for a vegan protein bar.
Overall Thoughts: Misfits Protein Bars
These reformulated bars eat remarkably like regular Barebells bars – not their vegan line, but their regular bars that I believe are the best out there.
While they don’t quite reach Barebells level in terms of flavor, these are definitely one of the better tasting vegan protein bars out there, and they nailed the soft & chewy texture that they were clearly after.
If you’re specifically looking for “clean” ingredients or avoiding sugar alcohols in your vegan protein bars, these might not be for you. If that’s the case, you might prefer something like ALOHA bars.
But if texture is your priority in a plant-based protein bar, Misfits has absolutely nailed it with this reformulation.
This is a perfect example of a company listening to feedback and making meaningful changes, which seems to be pretty rare these days. Sometimes a complete overhaul is exactly what’s needed, and Misfits made the right call here.
I’ve read through reviews and some people feel the exact opposite of me and miss the old formula. I guess it boils down to this: if you like Barebells, you’ll enjoy Misfits protein bars, because they clearly attempted to mirror them.
For anyone who tried and disliked the original Misfits bars, these are worth giving another shot.
