To create an eating experience reminiscent of fresh-from-the-oven brownies that was plant-based and full of the quality nutrition Perfect Bar has become known for – that was our goal when we set out to make our Chocolate Walnut Brownie bar. The result? A chocolate, fudgy bite that transports you back to a time of licking the spoon as your feet dangled from the kitchen countertop.
With two other chocolate bars in our product lineup — Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Almond — we decided to bring one more into the portfolio, but with a plant-based twist. This new flavor opens the door to our chocolate made perfect as a dairy-free option, which Sarah Lowrey, Director of Innovation, explains was inspired by our fans,
“We’ve been listening to our consumers tell us they are seeking a plant-based version of Perfect Bar. We already offer Almond Coconut, but coconut can be polarizing. We wanted to offer a well-rounded flavor that would appeal to those seeking a plant-based diet, and those who aren’t.”
What makes Perfect Bar and this flavor, in particular, different is that it’s refrigerated. And in a crowded brownie protein bar space, the refrigeration aspect not only creates the fresh approach to a brownie bar but also allows for a creamy, fudgy texture that shelf-stable bars miss out on. This texture is what Sarah says will please consumers the most; well that, and the 10g of whole food protein in each bar.
“You learn young in the Keith family not be too good at anything because then it becomes your thing. Brownies were Zane’s thing.”
“Zane’s Heavenly Brownies, that’s what dad used to call them.” Leigh Keith, COO and co-founder of Perfect Bar, remembers when asked about bringing brownies into the product lineup.
Zane, the second oldest brother of the 13 Keith siblings and current Retail Sales Manager at Perfect Bar, was the magical brownie baker of the family growing up, so capturing that nostalgic feeling of smelling the baking brownies and (impatiently) waiting for them to cool was central in the creation of this new flavor. Chocolate Walnut Brownie hits all the marks. It tastes just like a chewy, slightly under-baked brownie and just like real brownies, it’s hard to have only one bite!
The ingredients are clean as you would expect from Perfect Bar.”Lean into clean!” as Leigh says. And with this recipe, we really did. We captured all the yummy, gooey goodness associated with brownies but without baking or dairy. Dairy-free, no-bake brownies? Sounds oxymoronic to some, but to us, it was the perfect challenge.
A challenge that was brought into the innovation process as Sarah explains: “If you’ve ever made brownies, you probably know that they use a lot of sugar, butter, milk and eggs. But we were trying to make a bar that wasn’t loaded with added sugar and didn’t use any animal-based ingredients. That in and of itself was a challenge, but we found that the blend of dates and peanut butter really hit that fudgy texture that brownies are known for, so we knew we were on to something.”
In what ways is this bar special? Let us list the ways:
So if you’re looking for a fresh take on brownie, look no further — you can now enjoy Chocolate Walnut Brownie as a permanent product to our growing Perfect Bar family.
