REVIEW: Nature Valley Cinnamon Brown Sugar Oatmeal Squares

I have to say, I like oats! They are the base ingredient for SO MANY yummy things: granola, granola bars... um... uh.
Well, that's about all I can think of.
But I like to think of myself as one who enjoys oats. Oatmeal, on the other hand, I'm a little more picky about. See, the instant stuff tastes amazing (like Maple & Brown Sugar, mmmm!) but it's really sugary for the small serving one wee packet contains. And while regular oatmeal that comes in those big ol' containers is better for you, it seems like it never gets sweet enough, no matter how much sweetener or cinnamon or stuff I put in. The conventional stuff is also really, really bland. So I'm not a big fan of having oatmeal for breakfast.
Despite all this, the sound of these oatmeal bars from Nature Valley was incredibly appealing to me. Especially the Cinnamon Brown Sugar flavor... Yum, even just typing that out makes my mouth water! One box containing six 1.24 oz bars costs around 3 to 4 dollars.

One 35g oatmeal bar contains 150 calories, 50 of them being from fat, 5g of total fat, 1g of saturated fat, 0g of trans fat, 20mg of cholesterol, 130mg of sodium, 23g of total carbohydrates, 2g of fiber, 9g of sugar, and 2g of protein.

Even before opening the package I could tell this was going to be a small bar. Thankfully, after I opened the wrapper up, got a huge whiff of a delicious, cinnamon-y, dessert-y smell, and split the bar in two, I felt how dense and thick it was. The square was covered in a thin, beige drizzle sprinkled with minuscule brown specks. This bar is also, true to the name, soft.

 

There is no shortage of oats in this bar, and they provide a unique, hearty, chewy texture that only oats can seem to provide. There is also a slight crunch to this bar, which I think is due to the addition of brown sugar. This oatmeal square is crumbly and chewy, much like a soft cookie. And, you know, I think THAT is what this bar tastes like! A nice, soft, oatmeal cookie (just without the usual addition of raisins). This bar is surprisingly sweet, and has a delicious and sharp cinnamon flavor. The drizzle on top (which is supposed to be flavored like molasses, I found out later), is even sweeter than the actual bar itself and melts in your mouth. I didn't think it tasted like molasses- more like a sweet vanilla-cinnamon -but what do I know? I always thought molasses had a bitter taste or something. Hm, must've been wrong.
Anyway, this oatmeal bar reminds me of a cookie, and anything that reminds me of a cookie is considered tasty in my book. Really, this was a very enjoyable bar! It was crumbly and soft and sweet... Oh yeah, TOTALLY like an oatmeal cookie. Hey, that's ANOTHER thing that uses oats as a base ingredient! Oatmeal cookies! Duhhh!!!

I'd imagine these bars would taste really good heated up in the microwave for a few seconds or paired with a tall glass of milk... That'd just add to the whole cookie vibe!
So, this was a scrumptious little treat and I'd definitely purchase them again.
These oatmeal squares deserve an 8.25/10!

Have you tried any of Nature Valley's Oatmeal Squares yet? What did YOU think? I'd love to hear from you!

Till' then, this has been RiRi ri-porting!