Butterfinger vs. Clark Bar

Peanuts are, in my opinion, the most high impact of all candy ingredients, and peanut butter is their nectar. The Butterfinger and The Clark Bar are both a toffeesque interpretations of peanut butter and while they differ substantially in taste they both come from humble beginnings. David L. Clark was forced to leave school and work at a young age. He aced his way through the school of life and in 1886 he started making the Clark Bar in what is now Pittsburgh's North Side. By 1911 The D.L. Clark company dominated the scene, he even invented the mini candy bar. The Clark Bar is now Produced by NECCO and they outline the saga much more thoroughly on their website.

The Butterfinger was invented in 1923 by the Curtis Candy Company. The owner, Otto Schnering, invented the Baby Ruth candy bar to get his little company started. It was named through a public contest and was air dropped along with Baby Ruth's in cities over America when it was first released. Butterfinger is now produced by Nestlé. Their use of Bart Simpson in their ad campaigns is legendary.

This debate has waged for years it seems. I found a great breakdown of the ingredients from 1995.There are a few differences now; the Clark Bar lists Soy Lecithin as its emulsifier, and BHA, Propyl Gallate, and Citric Acid, as it's current preservative options. Butterfinger now specifically says they use less than 1% of Whey, Hydrogenated Palm Kernal Oil, and Soy Lecithin, and Cornstarch.

Butterfinger also lists their information in Spanish, including a translation of "crispety crunchety, peanut-buttery".











Head To Head















The Butterfinger is a bright butterscotch with a hint of orange. The chocolate also appears to be a bit lighter in color. When I first bit in to the Butterfinger, the most profound taste to me was butter. It has a slick full mouthfeel and sweetness overwhelms the pallette to reveal halfway through a peanut butter taste that stays strong and then lingers in the mouth. Of course it sticks in your gums like crazy. It is definitly crunchy and it is a solid bite, it does not feel layered or flaky, and I believe this is the secret to crispiness. Additional research revealed to me that Butterfingers are Gluten Free.









The Clark Bar has a brown layered look and texture. It is flaky when you bite in to it and the initial taste is a 50/50 mix of chocolate and peanut butter. These flavors linger and die together with a peanuty aftertaste. The peanut taste is a bit more roasted and the bar is less sweet overall. It is crunchy as well, but less aggressive. This cross section image highlights the different Layered for flakiness composition of the Clark Bar compared to the Butterfingers crispy whole block approach. Please disregard the slight gouge mark in the middle of the image, caused by my precision candy cutting device (exacto knife). Clark Bars are also gluten free.


The Verdict

I prefer the Clark Bar for it's more mellow and balanced taste. While I have to respect the aggressive crunch that the Butterfinger delivers I think it is just too sweet to allow the peanutbutteryness through. I also must confess that I like the fact that the Clark Bar does not have any artificial colors.

The Aftermath

About 30 mins after I ate the bars I was editing this story and realized that no matter what I did I couldn't sit still. After some thought I realized I was in the middle of an aggressive sugar high that can only be produced after chowing down 2 full sized candy bars. It's interesting to consciously experience this as an adult. It really puts in to perspective on the effect that candy must have on young kids who chow a king sized candy bar and then get in a car with their younger brother. I really had no control over the energy burst and had no choice but to play Xbox until it subsided, and even then I was standing, yelling at the TV for most of the time (although this is really no different than what usually happens when I play xbox, I did it with way more passion). I did not experience a sugar crash though, in fact I was fairly motivated to cook a nice dinner later in the evening. So I guess i got out clean on that end. For whatever it's worth, I took a fine poo this morning.

Domino's New Hand Tossed Pizza

After decades of awful pizza, the worlds most recognizable pizza chain finally decided to rework their recipe. I sampled their new product this week.


Initial Diagnosis

Certainly an improvement. Visually the pizza looked decent, it's odor was reasonable. It definitely looked like pizza. Worth eating.


The Crust

It's alright. They've cheated by dusting the crust with garlic powder. (more on that later) It looks good but was too soft and chewy. Basically they use real pizza dough, dust it in garlic and probably paint it with a yellow butter substitute. I'm sure it looks great on camera.

The Sauce

Nothing special here. Heavy on the tomato paste, heavy on the garlic. Had a slight metal can flavor to it. Not offensive, not exactly a selling point. If anything, there was too much of it. I think they are overcompensating to distinguish the new pie from the old style.

The Topping

I didn't go crazy here. Pepperoni and cheese. It's pretty hard to muck up pepperoni. They do offer (at least in the Los Angeles market) extra large pepperonis, which I found an interesting novelty. Another attempt to class up the visuals. In theory it's a good idea, but in practice I found the large pepperoni a little difficult to bite through without getting molten hot cheese and sauce all over my chin. Next time I'll stick with the normal sized pepperoni. Yum. Pepperoni.

The Cheese


Largely a non factor. The overbearing sauce really wiped out any chance of tasting the nuances of the cheese, which they claim is mozzarella with a hint of provolone. Not bad though, when you consider how poor pizza cheese can be. Better to be overshadowed than disappoint.


The Sides

I ordered a side of the Buffalo Kickers. They're a little nugget of white meat coated in a buffalo style sauce. You dip them in ranch dressing and eat in one or two bites. Not too shabby. I'd go so far as to say they were good. The ranch dressing portion is scientifically measured to give you exactly the right amount of sauce if you use the dip and coat method. I had trace amounts left over for pizza dipping. If you're a ranch enthusiast, I would suggest ordering an extra side. The hot sauce was not very hot and tasted like crap.


The Intangibles

I ordered online, found their interface easy enough to navigate, and was impressed with their delivery tracker system. Nice little gimmick, but it has a practical purpose. It shows you when the pizza is going into the oven, when it leaves the store, when it's in transit. Unfortunately I was unable to really use it because the driver came with the pizza 15 minutes after I ordered. A pretty good problem to have on my end.


The Aftermath

Shortly after eating the pizza, I started to feel the effects of garlic powder overdose. I had burps developing deep inside me that could clear a room with their odor. I was out with friends and had to turn my head and burp, blowing it into the air away from the crowd. I'm sure some unlucky passerbys caught a whiff or two, probably causing some watery eyes. My gas was a little more active than usual, with a bouquet that registered my recent food consumption. Day one I had the kickers in the mix, and that definitely created a little more gastrointestinal activity. Day two was just pizza, so the flatulence was less of a factor. My stool was a little soft but regular.


The Price

Reasonable. I used a door hanger coupon and ordered 2 10'' pizzas for ten bucks. The kickers were $5.99. There was a delivery charge, which I was surprised and disappointed by, two dollars I think. I would be sure to check for online coupons before ordering.

The Verdict

All in all, not a horrible experience. They set the bar so low with their old recipe that anything would be an improvement. I'd say they took their pizza up from a D to a C+. Better than the stuff they sell at the public pool snack bar, worse than almost any mom and pop. A serviceable, convenient option in a crowded landscape of chain pizza. Domino's is no longer just a punchline. My guess is that once the promotions die down about the new pizza, they will trim the amount of sauce. It will help the bigger picture but not change my grade.

C+