We couldn’t believe that N!CK’S Swedish Style Snack Bar had no added sugar (and just 2g sugar overall).

The line was developed to conform with the keto† diet. It provides a full-flavor candy bar experience using non-caloric, plant-based sweeteners; and delivers 14g – 15g of protein to boot.

You’d never know that there was zero refined sugar in these snack bars. The sweetness comes from alternative plant-based sweeteners* that provide sweetness without calories.

They taste great! That’s why they’re our Top Pick Of The Week.

If the flavor we tried (Choklad Peanot) is representative of all three varieties, they provide the experience of a chocolate-coated candy bar while being so much better for you.
 
 
NICK’S KETO SNACK BAR FLAVORS

N!CK’s gives you a keto candy bar experience with low net carbs and high protein. The flavors:

 
All are sweetened with natural noncaloric sweeteners*.
 
The line is vegan.
 
 
THE CHOKLAD PEANOT BAR

To date we’ve only tasted the Choklad Peanot Bar. It’s bursting with fresh peanut crunch and gooey caramel, .

It’s oh-so-satisfying, and so chewy that it lasts longer. Have it with a beverage, and you’ll be full.

We’ve even had them for lunch (there’s 15g protein, after all).

It’s a guilt-free indulgence, worth every calorie.
 
 
GET YOURS

The NICK’s website currently only features only Choklad Peanot Bar.

Amazon has all three flavors.

A box of 12 bars is $335.95. That’s 12 days of yummy snack breaks!

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*N!CK’s products use a variety of plant-based sweeteners, including:
Allulose, a sweetener found in figs and raisins.
Erythritol, found in pears, plums and fermented foods. It can also be made from corn.
Monk fruit, a small green gourd from Asia that has been used for sweetening since the 13th century.
Stevia, from the stevia plant of South America.
Sweet fiber, soluble corn fiber.
Xylitol, also called birch sugar. It is naturally found in fruits and vegetables, and is produced in small amounts by our bodies every day.
 
Check out our glossary of noncaloric sweeteners.

†The ketogenic diet (keto for short) is a low carb, high fat diet that offers many health benefits. Here’s more about it.

[1] The keto-friendly Choklad Peanot Bar from N!CK’S, one of three flavors (all photos © N!ICK’S).

[2] N!CK’S Krispi Nougat Bar.

[3] Karamell Choklad bars. The bars are sold in boxes of 12.

[1] A sweet potato pizza with caramelized onions, copressata and balsamic glaze (photo and recipe © DeLallo).

[2] Sweet sopressata, a dry salami from southern Italy (photo © Our Harvest).

[3] Mascarpone, rich and creamy (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[4] Provolone cheese is a close cousin of mozzarella. Both are stretched-curd cheeses, called pasta filata (stretched paste) in Italian (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

For National Potato Month, September, go beyond the Big Three (baked, fries, mashed) and try something new. We’re fond of a white pizza of smoked salmon and sliced potatoes, garnished with salmon caviar. But today, we’re making a sweet potato pizza. It’s an Old World-New World fusion food: pizza from Italy, potatoes from the Americas.

The lively meld of flavors include sweet potato, caramelized onions, sopressata, mascarpone cheese, provolone, fresh sage and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Sopressata (also spelled soppressata, sopresseta, soprasata and sopresatta) is a dry Italian salami made from coarsely ground pork sausage seasoned with garlic, savory spices and whole black peppercorns.

If you can’t find it, substitute prosciutto di Parma or any dry Italian salami.

> The history of potatoes

> The history of pizza
 
 
RECIPE: SWEET POTATO PIZZA WITH CARAMELIZED ONION, SOPRESSATA & BALSAMIC GLAZE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

If you have ready-to-use pizza dough, skip Step 1.

1. COMBINE the flour mix and yeast packet in a large mixing bowl with 1-1/4 cups of lukewarm water. Stir with a fork until the dough begins to form. Knead by hand for 3 minutes, or until the dough is soft and smooth. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. (After this step, you can refrigerate for use within 1-3 days.)

2. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Wash the potatoes and poke holes using a fork. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 1 hour. Meanwhile…

3. HEAT a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter; then turn down the heat to low. Add the onions and stir to coat with the butter. Spread the onions evenly in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, sprinkle them with salt. Cook for 30 more minutes, or until caramelized. (Editor’s note: Ours were done in 10 minutes.)

4. REMOVE the sweet potatoes from the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and discard or repurpose the skins*. Pulse in a food processor with the salt. Add the olive oil and purée until smooth.

5. REDUCE the oven temperature to 450°F. Cut the pizza dough in half. Roll out the dough into a circle on a floured surface. Evenly spread the puréed potato mixture onto the dough. Sprinkle with the provolone. Top with the onions, dollops of mascarpone and the sliced sopressata.

6. BAKE for 10-12 minutes, or until the provolone melts and the crust becomes golden brown. Remove from the oven. Allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting.

7. DRIZZLE with the balsamic glaze, sprinkled with sage and serve.
 
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*The skins are where the fiber is. You can slice them and crisp them in a hot pan or add them to scrambled eggs and omelets.

Sure, we love sophisticated foods. Bring on the molecular gastronomy or a plate of foie gras. But we also love the foods of our youth. This year, September 7th is National Ants On A Log Day (it’s held the second Tuesday of the month). So it’s nostalgia time.

We remember the day in our childhood when we were first allowed to place our own “ants” on the logs. Mom had already filled the logs; some with cream cheese, some with peanut butter. But we got to put on the raisins.

Back in those days, the “ants” were always raisins. Our creative mother supplied both purple and golden raisins (sultanas); and once, we remember chocolate-covered raisins left over from Halloween.

Since then, moms have gone further, replacing the raisins with dried cranberries, freeze-dried corn and peas, fresh blueberries, grape tomatoes, olive slices, pretzel sticks, and on and on (photo #2).

Moms had been stuffing celery sticks for some time. Stuffed celery sticks became popular at the turn of the 20th century, as an appetizer for adult gatherings [source].

We may never know who added the raisins and called the result “Ants On A Log,” but the term first appears in the 1950s. Whoever you are: Thanks for putting a fun name on this crunchy snack.

National Ants On A Log Day is the second Tuesday of September.

For today’s celebration, here’s perhaps the most fun idea of all our recipes, Goldfish® in a stream (photo #2). Well…before we say it’s the most fun idea, check out photo #6, below.

Below:

> Goldfish in a stream recipe.

> More Ants On A Log recipes.

> The year’s 10+ raisin holidays.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of Ants On A Log.

> More Ants On A Log recipes.

> The year’s 7 celery holidays.

> The year’s 90 snack holidays.
 

[5] The original ants on a log: peanut butter and raisins (Gemini Photo).
 
 
RECIPE: BEYOND ANTS ON A LOG, GOLDFISH IN A STREAM

This fun creation from Delicious Made Easy via Taste Of Home was made for kids; but grown-ups can enjoy them, too.

In fact, grown-ups can tweak them:

 
Ingredients

[1] Goldfish on a log…or maybe, in a stream (photo © Delicious Made Easy via Taste Of Home).

[2] Adult versions: sliced grape tomatoes and olives—and how about a zigzag of pretzels (photo © Cava).

[3] Ants on a raft: romaine leaves, cream cheese, fruits and olives (photo © Aldi).

[4] Snails and caterpillars. Here’s the recipe (photo © Women’s Day).

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the wells of the celery.

2. TOP each piece of celery with 3-4 Goldfish crackers. Sprinkle dried parsley on top.
 
 
MORE ANTS ON A LOG RECIPES

 

[6] Animal crackers on a log! What’s next (photo © All Service).
 
 
THE YEAR’S 10+ RAISIN HOLIDAYS