Will "Newtons Fruit Thins" Keep You Thin?

July 6, 2011   26 Comments

Snack Girl believes the holy grail of snack foods to be the healthy cookie. Both yummy and good for you, this cookie would solve all my snacking problems.

Recently, I purchased a bag of "Newtons Fruit Thins" for $4.29 and THAT day received a free box in the mail. Two packages of cookies! Just what I needed :)

I opened the package, hoping that I would hate them. Alas, they are delicious (and they go with my favorite drink, coffee, really well).

The free ones tasted much better than the ones I paid for ;-)

The flavor that I tried is "Fig and Honey" and it is like a Fig Newton except less sweet and more crunchy. These cookies are more for the adult palate - my kids didn't love them because they aren't that sweet.

Are there any health benefits to eating them?

Well here are the nutritional facts:

For 3 cookies: 140 calories, 5 g fat, 21 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 95 mg sodium, 4 Points+

and the ingredients:

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN AND/OR PALM OIL, ROLLED OATS, DRIED FIGS, RAISINS, HONEY, SALT, BAKING SODA, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR (CONTAINS CINNAMON).

You know, these aren't that bad! I wouldn't say that these are exactly good for you - but for a treat - these are pretty great. The ingredient list in my opinion is pretty clean (no High Fructose Corn Syrup) and it is pretty close to my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.

Of course, they used "soybean and/or palm oil" instead of butter and there is "soy lecithin" which seems like a mystery ingredient - but the rest of them are wholesome.

It is very nice that there is some whole grain here - whole wheat flour and rolled oats - but, I would have liked to see the whole wheat flour as the FIRST ingredient. But, I bet the "mouth feel" of the cookie would have been too much like a cracker for many people if Nabisco had attempted that maneuver.

They ARE made with real fruit as the package states - but I don't believe anyone would think they are entirely made of fruit because of the large photo of the cookie on the package (unlike Edy's Fruit Bars).

So, if you don't have time to bake your own oatmeal raisin cookies, and you are looking for a treat for your lunch box - give these a try (if you have the $4.29).

Remember, these are COOKIES.

Has anyone else tried Newtons Fruit Thins?

This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided.

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