Clif Bar Panforte Review

[Roger Caffin]

Disclosure: I was sent some of these Panforte Clif Bars to try out.

OK, they are meant to be inspired by Italian 'Panforte', which is a traditional Italian
dessert containing fruits and nuts, and resembling fruitcake (a bit). The name and concept may date back to 13th century Siena, in Italy's Tuscany region. The word panforte means 'strong bread' which refers to the spicy flavour.

According to the Clif Bar company, the ingredients include: Organic Brown Rice Syrup,
Organic Rice Crisps (Organic White Rice Flour, Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Organic Barley Malt Extract, Salt), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Date Paste, Organic Figs (Organic Figs, Organic Oat Flour), Organic Almonds, Pistachios, Hazelnuts, Organic Pears, Organic Zante Currant Raisins, Crystallized Ginger (Ginger, Dried Cane Syrup), Walnuts, Dried Citrus Peel Blend (Lemon Peel, Orange Peel, Cane Syrup, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid), Organic Almond Butter, Organic Cocoa, Spices (Organic Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Coriander, White Pepper), Sea Salt, Natural Vitamin E (Antioxidant).

The list of ingredients is huge! But what is interesting is that most of them – nearly all of them in fact, are actual foodstuffs, rather than the emulsifiers, colorants, preservatives etc etc etc which you find in so many commercially-made items these days. One thing you won't see a lot of in this list is sugar, and indeed the bar is not sweet. It's not sour of course, it's just different – more dried fruit and nut maybe. I've seen suggestions that it tastes like fruitcake, but I can't agree. For a start, there's no wheat flour in there. Rather solid spicy dried fruit is the best description.

I thought they tasted 'OK'; my wife thought they tasted very nice. She isn't keen on sweet things. They are moderately soft, not hard and crunchy. The colour is not all that inspiring, but that's due to the dried fruit content. One gets used to that.

But while they seem good, I am told by the company they will only be on the market for a few months (to late 2012). This seems really wierd to me. If they are good enough to take to the market (and I think they are), why stop production just when word-of-mouth might be getting going? Strange. Try some, and if you like them you might want to stock up.

RRP $1.39.

[Link .]

Cliff puts out seasonal(holiday)bars every year that are only out for a few months,usually October,November,December.These might be a new one for them for the holidays.

[Richard Lyon]

The winter seasonal bars – gingerbread and peppermint stick – are my favorites. Or were, until the Panforte appeared. Best-tasting Clif bar ever. I bought a box. I'm hoping that this is a market test and that soon these will be regularly available.

[Greg Mihalik]

Sarah,
No Wheat.
No Soy.

Fruit "paste" is ingredient #4.

What is your closest recipe?

Thanks.

[Keith Bassett]

At least here in Seattle, they have these at the downtown REI.

Got one because I like the original panforte, and was impressed with it. It has a nice round spice flavor and a pleasant texture. Not nasty like some energy bars.

I dug it too.

K

[Jeff J]

Inspired by Clif Bar and the fact that none of these seem to be in my area, I made my own panforte. Like my Logan bread, it's mostly stuff I try to keep on hand anyway.

Panforte di Siena

Butter a 10” cast iron skillet and line the bottom with an appropriately sized tortilla.

Toast at 350F for 4 min:
1 C chopped pecans
.5 C chopped almonds
.25 C wheat germ

Mix:
~.5 C chopped figs (I probably used more)
.5 C chopped raisins
.5 C chopped cranberries
.25 tsp vanilla extract
.25 tsp fresh nutmeg
.25 tsp cinnamon
.25 tsp ginger
Pinch white pepper
.5 C AP or cake flour
Toasted pecans, almonds, and wheat germ

Melt and heat to 242-247F:
2 Tbsp butter
.75 C dark brown sugar
.75 C honey
(This temperature is right above boiling for the sugar mix; it can be messy if you turn your back.)

Toast and mix the dry ingredients; then heat the wet and watch the pot. Once the wet ingredients are at temp, add to the dry and mix quickly. Turn out into the skillet and smooth to the edges; this sugar mix will set up if it cools so speed is important. Sprinkle the top with flax seeds and bake at 300F for 30 minutes.

-Jeff

[Ken Larson]

This recipe makes how many bars and what size?

[Roger Caffin]

I am not convinced
Your recipe needs independent testing
Send two dozen immediately
:-)

Cheers
(Oh yum!)

[Jeff J]

Hard to say because I ate the first batch already. Filled the round, 10" skillet and was about .5 – .75" thick. I just sliced off a wedge when I wanted some. Good stuff; I was going to save it for backpacking trips but it didn't make it. Guess I just have to make more.

-Jeff

[Laurie Ann March]

These bars are out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Clif which apparently was inspired by cycling in Italy. Panforte is like a cross between nougat and Christmas cake. Delish!

"It was cycling that ultimately led me to create CLIF Bar. Now, it's 20 years later and I'd like to share with you a wonderful new limited edition CLIF Bar inspired by my earliest cycling adventure up and over the Passo di Govia in Northern Italy."

This is the recipe I've used in the past (I don't eat it anymore – pout)

David Lebovitz's Panforte

There is an interesting story as to why chili powder is used instead of black pepper in this recipe.

[Kattt]

Panforte di Siena……lo sanno davvero cos'e' qui? Sentirne il nome mi fa' mancare la Toscana. No, non vo' a tradurlo.

[Laurie Ann March]

My brother-in-law is a Carlo (and Priamo), which is how I first learned about it. I'm not sure what region they were from. I have Nona Carlo's Easter Bread recipe which I have never come across anywhere else including searching on the web.

I'd love to go to Tuscany. My eye specialist is from there and goes home once a year. He tells me that I would adore it.

PS I had to translate part of it. My Italian is limited to words that would get me banned from here.

[Paul Magnanti]

Grandma Magnanti made a version of panforte every Christmas Eve that was a little less sweet than the version linked. (As with many southern Italian desserts vs their northern Italian counterparts ). Lots of dried fruit and nuts.

Good stuff (along with the baccala, baked stuffed squid, linguine with clam sauce, smelts and my favorite for dessert: torrone. Yes, that, and more, was in one meal at Christmas Eve! :) )

speak a little Italian; read it better
most of the more "colorful" words I know actually come from the Neapolitan dialect…. ;)

[Anonymous]

"along with the baccala,"

How did she prepare the baccala? I'm assuming here that you're referring to salt dried cod? Yummy stuff, IME.

[Curry]

Woah! That looks really, really delicious. I loved the gingerbread and peppermint stick put out last year, but I haven't seen the Panforte ones. I would totally eat that! The list of spices reminds me of Chai tea.

My current favorite new Cliff bar is the Chocolate Coconut, but my all time favorite is the black cherry almond! Timeless and scrumptious!

[Paul Magnanti]

"How did she prepare the baccala? I'm assuming here that you're referring to salt dried cod? Yummy stuff, IME."

It is indeed salt cod. I never did get her recipe for baccala, sorry…. :(

But this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Our-Italian-Heritage-Cookbook/dp/096293030X

was published in 1991 and is the product of Italian immigrants or their children. Very basic recipes in the sense that they already assume you know how to cook and they use everyday ingredients (more or less). Much like when my grandmother would give me or my brothers recipes, the recipes make no sense unless you can cook (what the heck is a little amount???? :D) This book is as close to the experience if my grandmother was still alive and hand wrote everything locked up in her memory…

In it is a baccala recipe that seems to be similar to what my grandmother cooked during the Christmas Eve dinners of my childhood and early teen years.

So as to not thread jack anymore, PM if you want and I can give you the recipe directly if you'd like. :)

ps. has couple or recipes for Easter bread too…

[michael levi]

Does anyone know where the best place to buy these is? They are so good, I had some last weekend while hiking with a friend.

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