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.