Flavors Tried: Cookie Commotion, Sundae Funday, Chocolate Explosion
Nutrition Facts: 200 Calories, 9g Fat, 21g Carbs (11g Fiber 7g Sugar Alcohol), 20g Protein
Price: $34.99 for box of 12 ($2.92 per bar)
Say what you want about Quest, but they are one of the most innovative companies in this space. I have a lot of respect for a company that is willing to listen to its customers, try new things, and tweak formulas that don’t work.
Sure, they release a lot of new products, but (most of the time) it doesn’t just feel like a cash grab.
If you search “Quest” on this site, you’ll see that I have reviewed every single product Quest has released over the past few years. From their hero bars, to their chips, to their peanut butter cups, and everything in between.
Now it seems like Quest is trying to bridge the gap between their protein bars and candy bars with the new “Overload” protein bar, which are basically chocolate-coated Quest bars with tons of extra mix-ins inside.
We all know that the mix-ins are the best part of a protein bar when done well, so the bar is pretty high for these.
Looking at the nutrition facts, the bars are nearly identical to the regular Quest bars. It begs the question: “how do they fit all those mix-ins into these bars?”
I won’t pretend to understand how a bar with 5x the cookie pieces has nearly the same macros as its counterpart, but I won’t question it. Sign me up for a protein bar with 200 calories and 20 grams of protein if it tastes as good as it looks.
Cookie Commotion Quest Overload Bar
On the surface, this bar looks identical to the “dipped” bars that Quest offers. Here is a cross-section of the dipped cookie dough bar, which looks remarkably similar:
So, what’s the difference between this “overload” bar and the dipped Quest bar? It should come as no surprise that the overload bar is packed with a ton more stuff inside.
Based on the wrapper, these are the cookie flavors you’re supposed to get from this one:
- Chocolate chip
- Smores
- White chocolate chip
- Shortbread
- Oreo
What do you actually get? In terms of flavor, mostly chocolate chip, but you get big chunks of crunchy shortbread and cream filling (or white chocolate chips) that make the other flavors identifiable depending on the bite.
Texturally, this bar is great. Quest has made its bars softer and less chewy than the original formula, and it has improved significantly. There is still a very clear protein bar chewiness, but it’s not nearly as pronounced as the original bars.
Since it’s loaded up with crunchy mix-ins, it helps break up the chewiness and make it much more enjoyable than your standard Quest bar.
The downside to this one is that it’s very sweet. If I were ranking every Quest bar in terms of sweetness, the Overload bars would be on their own level at the top.
Personally, I would take the dipped cookies & cream and dipped cookie dough Quest bars over this one, making me feel like maybe this one is a classic case of “too much of a good thing.”
Sundae Funday Quest Overload Bar
I’ll tell you up front that you wouldn’t guess this was sundae flavored if you were blind taste-testing, but that doesn’t make it bad. There’s a dash of rainbow sprinkles added on top, but they add nothing to the experience.
Just like the other flavor, this bar is a traditional Quest bar interior, but with tons of mix-ins to elevate the experience.
I love white chocolate, and Quest nailed the white chocolate coating of this bar. As the prominent flavor of this bar, I really enjoy it, but again, it doesn’t scream “ice cream sundae.”
The mix-ins of this one are interesting. You get the obvious chocolate chips, and it’s accompanied by caramel bites that taste like chopped up hard candies, making a very interesting flavor contrast. Then you have the same shortbread chunks are the Cookie Commotion flavor, which don’t make a whole lot of sense to me in this one.
Had Quest swapped the shortbread for pieces of waffle cone, you’d have a flavor that much more closely resembles an ice cream sundae, and the large crunchy chunks would not be nearly as intrusive.
I should be clear: this is a very critical review because I want to set the proper expectations. I happen to thoroughly enjoy this bar for what it is, and it doesn’t feel overly sweet like the Cookie Commotion bar.
As a fan of white chocolate, I think this bar is delicious, but it’s not the sundae experience I was expecting.
Chocolate Explosion Quest Overload Bar
This flavor is the winner in my book, and aptly named.
You truly do get a chocolate explosion, from the chocolate coating and drizzle on top, to the chocolataly interior, then to the brownie chunks inside.
The chunks taste like a truly delicious brownie, and it elevates every single bite.
If you remove the brownie chunks, you’re left with a pretty standard chocolate protein bar. It tastes like chocolate protein more than it tastes like rich milk chocolate, but it’s a flavor I expect in these bars.
The sweetness is more balanced in this one, it doesn’t taste artificial, and it has the right amount of chew. Pair all of that with the soft brownie chunks inside, and this one is my favorite f the Overload bars.
Quest Overload Bars: Overall Thoughts
I’ve been stewing over how to best articulate my thoughts on these bars, and this is what I’ve come up with:
If you like Quest Bars, the overload bars are a welcomed addition to the lineup. If you don’t like Quest bars, there is nothing about these bars that is going to change your mind.
These bars truly are Quest bars with extra “stuff” inside, which seems like it would be a great thing. But sometimes too much of a good thing is simply that: too much.
Personally, I prefer the other Quest dipped protein bars more than these. The cookies & cream bar has that amazing white chocolate coating and focuses on the amazing Oreo-like cream inside. The Sundae Funday Overload bar is a similar concept, but the added mix-ins almost cheapen the experience and heighten the sweetness.
These are fun protein bars that I wouldn’t mind sticking around, but I’d love to see an improved v2 from Quest in the future. Quest has a wide assortment of bars out there, and if they decide to combine some of the elements, they could create one unreal protein bar.
Imagine if the Sundae Fundae bar had the interior of the Quest birthday cake bar (my personal favorite), a caramel layer like the Hero bars, and then mixed in chocolate chips and waffle cone pieces. It would be out of this world.
