Welcome to our food series called Eat It Up, where we share the kitchen gadgets and foods that we can’t cook without.
One of the most challenging parts of going keto is resisting the day-to-day temptations of all the things you have to avoid, such as sweets (especially during the first few weeks as your body’s adjusting). And while there are plenty of keto-friendly dessert recipes out there, sometimes you just want to indulge in a little something without having to spend time in the kitchen.
Enter Notty ($7), a new line of high-protein candy bark that’s the ideal solution when cravings strike. It’s the closest equivalent we’ve seen to a compliant chocolate bar, and we can personally attest to its deliciousness. The cocoa butter- and milk-based treats are sweetened with natural sugar-free sweeteners like erythritol and stevia leaf, and are free of gluten, soy, and corn. Each package contains between 160 and 190 calories, 3 to 4 net carbs, and 12 to 15 grams of fat, so you can take part without ruining your carb count for the day.
Founder and self-described sweet tooth Kelli Warren created Notty because she was on a low-carb diet to manage a chronic health condition. “My health condition has largely normalized because of that diet,” she told us. “This is the product I wish I had when I was starting out and had such a sweet tooth.”
The lineup includes five flavors: Fluffernutter, Lemonberry, and the chocolate-based Salted Almond, Cold Brew, and Peppermint. Fluffernutter, the first to be introduced, is arguably our favorite: It has a creamy, milky quality and reminds us of Reese’s Pieces without the hard candy shell. If you’re a fan of lemon bars and white chocolate, the Lemonberry flavor will dazzle you: It’s bright, tangy, and the creamiest of the bunch—and you can really taste the freeze-dried strawberries that flavor the icing. Salted Almond is reminiscent of an intense, citrus-forward dark chocolate, and Cold Brew has a lingering coffee flavor that is for anyone who misses chocolate-covered espresso beans. The Peppermint is our personal favorite of the chocolate flavors; the sweet, cooling crunch of peppermint crystals are rather satisfying on the tongue.
Notty, which launched in the summer of 2018, is the only company in the country that is producing no-sugar-added chocolate with extra protein, which helps satiate low-carb dieters so they won’t resort to an all-out sugar binge. Note that because protein has a tendency to soak up moisture, this treat can have a bit of a tacky mouthfeel, not unlike the sensation of eating a peanut butter sandwich. If this is something you’re concerned about, we’d suggest springing for the Lemonberry, which we found to be the creamiest of all the flavors.
What’s your favorite keto sweet treat? Tell us about it @BritandCo!
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