Taste-Off: The best chocolate-laced protein bars — and the awful ones

No time for breakfast? Lunch break is a joke? Tempted to grab some junk food? It happens. One solution is pack a stash of protein bars that can serve as a semi-nutritious, stop-gap meal solution.

Store shelves are crowded with to-go snacks, especially at this time of year. There are breakfast bars, nutrition bars, meal bars and granola bars. For this taste-off, we focused on chocolate-laced protein bars.

These bars come in a range of textures and styles. Some use soy for a protein boost, others lean on egg whites, nuts or seeds. Some are more affordable than others, but as a category, they are fairly pricey at $2 to $3 per bar. To find out which bars are worth the cash, we lined them up and tried them.

The best chocolate-inspired protein bars are toothsome treats that taste great but are much higher in protein and substantially lower in sugar than, say, a candy bar. They range from crispy to chewy and incorporate enough chocolate to please. Bad protein bars are chalky, salty, sticky sugar-bombs that are laced with fake flavors.

Here’s the lowdown on the most deliciously rich protein bars — and the disgusting bars destined for the trash. Nutrition info for these bars is tricky, as sizes range from less than an ounce to 2-plus ounces. The details below refer to one ounce, no matter the size of the bar.

Aloha Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Chocolatey rich and fudge-like, these thin, chewy bars pocked with crispy bits of brown rice stand out. From texture to flavor, these bars hit all the notes of a great snack. The use of pumpkin and sunflower seeds is inspired. 124 calories, 6 g fat, 54 mg sodium, 3 g sugar, 7 g protein. $2.99 for 1.98 ounces at Whole Foods. (4 stars)

Luna Nutz Over Chocolate

A delicious combination of peanuts, oats and soy layered with chocolate make these chewy bars among the best on the shelf. These are so much better than a candy bar. 127 calories, 6 g fat, 160 mg sodium, 3.5 g sugar, 5 g protein. $7.59 for six 1.69-ounce bars at Target. (4 stars)

Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate

Bars that are packed with peanuts and chocolate chips are hard to fault. The chocolate is far from “dark,” but these chunky, flavorful bars are both affordable and tasty. 145 calories, 9 g fat, 116 mg sodium, 5 g sugar, 7 g protein. $4.99 for five 1.42-ounce bars at CVS. (3½ stars)

NuGo. Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip

Fans of dark chocolate will love these crispy, chocolate-coated bars. They’re salty and sweet and deliver plenty of soy protein. Note that the Dark Chocolate Pretzel variety is extremely salty. 116 calories, 3.5 g fat, 191 mg sodium, 8 g sugar, 7 g protein. $1.99 for 1.76 ounces at Whole Foods. (3½ stars)

Clif Builders Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter

These nougat-like, crisp bars are like candy with benefits. They’re too sweet, but they deliver an impressive hit of nuts and soy protein. 124 calories, 5 g fat, 141 mg sodium, 7 g sugar, 8.5 g protein. $9.88 for six 2.4-ounce bars at Walmart. (3 stars)

RXBAR Minis Peanut Butter Chocolate

This popular brand made with egg whites gets points for chewy, candylike texture and pleasant flavor, but the salt content is over the top. 112 calories, 5 g fat, 178 mg sodium, 8 g sugar, 7 g protein. $8.63 for eight .92-ounce bars at Target. (2½ stars)

Good & Gather Chocolate Protein Bars

Dates, egg whites, cashews, almonds and a dash of chocolate make for a tasty flavor profile, but these bars are so chewy that they stick to your teeth. 117 calories, 4 g fat, 128 mg sodium, 9 g sugar, 7 g protein. $5.79 for four 1.83-ounce bars at Target. (2 stars)

Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie

More chocolate would improve these grain-forward bars. They are chewy and have fresh, clean flavors, but they don’t quite live up to the ”brownie” claim on the label. 107 calories, 2.5 g fat, 77 mg sodium, 7 g sugar, 4 g protein. $5.49 for five 1.27-ounce bars at Target. (2 stars)

Think! High Protein Brownie Crunch

These brownie-like bars coated in chocolate get points for texture, but they are disappointingly bland. Note that the sweetness in these bars comes from maltitol, not sugar. 111 calories, 4 g fat, 92 mg sodium, 4 g sugar alcohols, 10 g protein. $8.99 for five 2.1-ounce bars at Target. (1½ stars)

TruBar Oh Oh Cookie Dough

Made with pea protein and tapioca fiber, these protein-packed bars have the texture of cookie dough, but both the dough and the tiny “chocolate” chips have a strange fruity flavor that tastes nothing like chocolate. 190 calories, 9 g fat, 75 mg sodium, 8 g sugar, 12 g protein. $2 for 1.76 ounces at Whole Foods. (1 star)

Ready Clean Dark Chocolate Sea Salt

Crispy bits of grain bathed in agave, then dredged and drizzled with taste-free milk chocolate make for a super-sugary bite. These are way out of balance, but might be a hit for someone with a sweet tooth. 104 calories, 3 g fat, 78 mg sodium, 5 g sugar, 8 g protein. $6.12 for five 1.98-ounce bars at Walmart. (1 star)

Gomacro Macrobar Mocha Chocolate Chip

Made with almond butter and both rice and pea protein, these chewy, flat-flavored bars have as much flavor as a paper plate — and they’re among the most expensive ones on the shelf. 120 calories, 4 g fat, 4 mg sodium, 5 g sugar, 4 g protein. $9.29 for four 2.3-ounce bars at Target. (½ a star)

Power Crunch Triple Chocolate

Yuck. These dry, chalky, wafer bars layered with whey protein look good, but they taste like nonfat milk powder laced with fake sweetener. 160 calories, 9 g fat, 87 mg sodium, 3.5 g sugar, 9 g protein. $7 for five 1.4-ounce bars at Walmart. (No stars)

Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.