Trader Joe's Soft Baked Drizzled Gingerbread Oat Bars

In an ideal world, we would all naturally wake up each morning with a pep in our step, oodles of time, and a piping hot breakfast. Eggs and bacon. Avocado toast. My mother-in-law's congee. Oh we can dream. Most mornings, I'm blessed if I get 20 minutes between getting up and getting out the door. :P

I've gone through phases with TJ's granola bars. I enjoy some of them for a time - until you eat them like everyday for a week or two in a row. Then the pitfalls get to me. Some are too soft. Some are too dry. Some are too expensive. $5 for like 4 dinky little bars? No thank you! 

I confess, I veered toward these bars (yes the packaging) mainly because they looked more like cookies than granola bars. Sometimes, I need a little something something to dunk into a cup o' tea like the British. Or a grandma. Or a British grandma. 

Fig paste and almond butter? I'm sold. That stuff ain't cheap. 

Unfortunately, the ginger flavor overpowers what little almond butter or fig paste exists. They probably contribute to the texture I like so much, and there's little fig-like bits scattered throughout the bar but you can't taste it. It's not soft but chewy with a good "bite" to it that requires some conquering to be done. I like conquering my food by chewing it. A likes to conquer his food by putting it in his stomach (so he is rather indifferent about this bar). Overall, I do like this oat bar. The oat is also pretty well-disguised by the ginger, and there's just enough sweetness with the icing but not too much. It is on the drier side as far as "chewy" bars go (like a drier oatmeal raisin cookie). Beware of the ginger. It's quite strong, like POW in your face from the crystalized ginger and powdered ginger (probably not the most appealing to kids). 

I've already repurchased for those grab-and-go-type mornings. Or hitting-the-4am-nightshift-wall-type shifts. It's seasonal and runs $2.49 per box. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Soft Baked Drizzled Gingerbread Oat Bars. Dunkable, densely chewy, portable gingerbread disguised as a breakfast food. 7 out of 10. 

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