Hello! I got back home super late last night. LAX was super busy and it took longer than ever for my ride to pick me up. They were stuck in the traffic for 45 minutes trying to get from the off-ramp to the terminal. Luckily there was no traffic on the freeway and I zoomed home once I got my car and was in bed just before 1am. That felt super late since I got on east coast time just when I was about to leave. Oh well.
I did a short run this morning and said hello to the ducklings. They’ve grown so much since the last time I saw them!! I want to be their friend, but the momma duck is not about it.
Have you heard that Costco sells their own version of Quest bars now?
Yes. This is true! I heard it from my one friend – Skinny Runner, who moved away from Orange County to the constant drizzle of Washington state. Apparently she traded good weather for a better Costco selection because her WA Costco has the Quest bars but mine here in SoCal doesn’t.
Since she is the best, SR sent me some of them to taste test. She knows I am obsessed with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bars and have been for years now. I promise they are so good and taste like a cookie if you bake them.
The Costco version comes in a two flavor pack with their very close match to the Quest bars in Chocolate Chip Protein Bar and Brownie Protein Bar. They are a lot cheaper than the name brand.
I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the original Quest Bar and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Kirkland Bar.
Nutrition stats:
The nutrition information is very similar. The bars are the same size (2.12 oz) and have the same number of: Calories (190) and Protein (21 grams)
They are practically identical on Fat (2 grams different), Carbohydrates (2 grams different), Fiber (1 gram different) and the same on Cholesterol. Basically I’d say they are the same on nutrition but I know some of you are sticklers out there so I am mentioning the small differences.
Protein bar vs. Protein bar
Both protein bars look very similar and have a similar consistency.
Quest Bars are known for their dough-y, thick, chewy texture. The bars are easy to smash, roll and bake with in addition to eat straight up. The recipe for the Kirkland version appears to be practically the same, it was just a little lighter in color. The ingredients are very similar as well.
Taste:
Both are good and have a good texture and a good amount of chocolate chips. The Kirkland version had a very slight aftertaste to me. But I have heard that recent recipe updates to the Quest Bars received complaints of that too – funny coincidence? (I also saw a note online somewhere that the company updated the formula after getting feedback on that.)
Both are sweetened with stevia. Both are gluten free but contain dairy ingredients.
I cut the bar into 3 pieces and baked a piece of each to see if the Kirkland version bakes well too… it does! Both bars were better baked (I feel like it’s really a cookie that way). They tasted good and had a good texture when baked at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.
Overall:
Given that the nutrition stats and taste are so similar I would probably just buy which ever one is cheaper – BUT they don’t sell the Kirkland version at my local Costco right now so I’ll continue to get my stash of Quest Bars online or at GNC.
Question: Do you have a favorite protein bar? What is it?
Are these Kirkland protein bars available in your area?
The post This Might Change Your Life If You’re Addicted To Quest Bars Too appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.
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