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Although the granola butter tastes exactly like the real deal, you may not have as great of a risk of food poisoning — or an allergic reaction. Oat Haus’ Cookie Dough flavor and six other varieties are free of the top 14 major allergens, including nuts, gluten, soy, eggs, and dairy, according to the company’s website. While the granola butters do contain coconut oil, the brand considers it to be “allergen-free,” as the ingredient has been refined, bleached, and deodorized during processing, which disrupts the tree nut’s allergic proteins, according to a company representative. (BTW, the Food and Drug Administration does not require products containing highly refined oils from major food allergens to be labeled as containing an allergen. So if you are allergic to coconuts, use your best judgment.)
But the Cookie Dough Granola Butter isn’t the brand’s only spread that’s basically liquid dessert. The Original variety (Buy It, $13, amazon.com), spiced with cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and ginger, is reminiscent of a graham cracker, while the Chocolate version (Buy It, $13, amazon.com), infused with cacao powder, tastes like the leftover brownie batter you’d lick off a whisk. Thanks to those flavors options, along with the Vanilla, Blueberry, and Strawberry Shortcake varieties, there’s a granola butter fit for every type of sweet tooth.
Based on the nearly 160 five-star Amazon reviewers, I’m not the only one drooling over the innovative spreads, either. “The best damn thing I’ve ever tasted,” writes one shopper. “…The blueberry flavor is 10000% my favorite flavor by far. Chocolate is right behind. Honestly you can’t go wrong. It tastes like magic in your mouth and is even better when refrigerated. 10000/10.”
Even one eater who “basically lives off of peanut butter” has swapped their PB for the oat-based schmear. “I had a hard time wrapping my head around oat butter but took the jump and ordered the variety pack [Buy It, $33, amazon.com],” they share. “I got around to [trying] it today and have to say, it’s better than peanut butter. I love the taste, texture, and the use of super clean ingredients. Yeah, it costs more, but in my opinion, it’s totally worth it.”
FTR, the nutritional profile of Oat Haus’ granola butters doesn’t necessarily stack up to that of their nut-based counterparts. A 2-tablespoon serving of the Cookie Dough variety, for example, offers 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein, while the same amount of almond butter provides about 3 grams of fiber and nearly 7 grams of protein, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The granola butters also contain a minimal amount of added sugar (between 3 to 5 grams, depending on the flavor). Since the USDA recommends capping your added sugar intake off at 50 grams daily, you may want to keep those numbers in mind when planning out the rest of your meals (and treats) for the day. Still, the Cookie Dough granola butter does come out on top in comparison to real cookie dough; two Toll House cookies contain less than 2 grams of protein, no fiber, and 14 grams of added sugar.
That said, a food’s muscle-building and digestion-boosting macronutrients and sugar levels aren’t necessarily top of mind when you’re craving something sweet — nor should they be. So when you have a hankering for melty chocolate chip cookies, fudgy brownies, or blueberry pie that must be satisfied immediately, skip the oven and dig into a jar of Oat Haus’ granola butter. Nutrition be damned.
