Well aren’t I the lucky one? I have received another tasty parcel from the lovely people at True Treats Candy – America’s only researched-based sweet shop! This time they’ve asked me and their other tasters to review a small selection of ‘vintage’ American chocolate bars (all in miniature); ‘Big Hunk’, vanilla ‘Charleston Chew’, ‘Peanut Chews’ and ‘Butterscotch Smoothie’ peanut butter cup.
Now, I have had the pleasure of sampling all but one of these candies before, but lets see how they compare side by side…
First up is the vanilla ‘Charleston Chew’. Created during the roaring ’20’s, this chocolate enrobed nougat, taffy-like bar was created around 1922 (some sources say 1925) and took its name from the popular dance craze at the time – the Charleston. It is chewy, sweet and ever so slightly chocolaty. This bite-sized piece is just the right portion if you don’t like picking out toffee from between your teeth!
But if you like a good chew, or a piece of candy to gnaw away the afternoon on, the regular sized Chews are best left in the fridge or freezer first before consumption – that way you end up with a treat that tastes like ice cream and gives a satisfying chewy chomp.
‘Big Hunk’ (or ‘Little Hunk’ in this case) is also a nougat based candy bar, sweetened with honey and includes peanuts. Produced by the Annabelle Candy Company, who also make ‘Look!’ ‘Rocky Road’ and ‘Abba Zabba’ confectioneries, the ‘Big Hunk’ has been around since the 1950’s.
The taste of the honey nougat is very strong and naturally sweet. And even though this fun-sized piece is naught but a mouthful, the taste of roasted peanuts comes through and offers a small change in texture when eaten. This flavour profile reminds me of my seaside home back in the UK (I now live in Wichita, KS) as nougat bars are a seaside staple in all souvenir shops.
Both this and ‘Charleston Chew’ are extremely…chewy! And they’re a lot of fun to eat.
Goldenberg ‘Peanut Chews’ are a regional favourite in and around Philadelphia. It is a bar that consists of roasted peanuts, formed together with sticky molasses and coated in dark chocolate. Created in 1917 it one of America’s oldest candy bars. This small piece is chock full of big peanut pieces and although the molasses gives it a good chew also, the nuts give ample crunch and it’s a great combination of textures. The smooth, rich dark chocolate compliments the earthy sweetness of the molasses (something that I do not enjoy in my sweet treats).
Having also previously tried the full sized Peanut Chew, I much prefer this little Halloween-sized portion as the molasses profile develops much later in the mouth…and then it’s gone!
I have eaten my fair share of peanut butter cups in my time: in my late teens there was an influx of American candy imports to the UK and Reese’s was one of the most obtainable treats. But even though I’ve lived in the US for over a year now, I’ve still not tried a ‘butterscotch peanut butter cup’…until now!
Boyer were the first candy company to create a ‘cup’ candy treat in the 1930’s with the ‘Mallo Cup’. Instead of a chocolate topping, Boyer’s butterscotch peanut butter cups are made with a buttery, caramel-like golden candy. Butterscotch itself is traditionally made with sugar, butter and cream and is a cousin of the fudge and toffee family – the Boyer Smoothie cup definitely is reminiscant of these flavours.
Much sweeter than chocolate, the butterscotch cup would be borderline sickly if any larger, yet is oddly morish and reminds me a little of the golden chocolate bar ‘Caramac‘. It is a delightfully different take on the American candy staple of a peanut butter cup.
In summary, what a great little selection to showcase some of America’s long-running candy bars! Most of these sweets are still produced by the original company – and unless we continue to buy and eat regional treats such as ‘Boyer Butterscotch Smoothie‘ cups and ‘Big Hunk‘s, they are at risk of eventually being squashed by the Big Three (Mars, Nestle and Hershey)!
Save America’s candy history…eat a ‘Charleston Chew’!
You can learn more about True Treats candy store here: https://truetreatscandy.com/
The British Candy Connoisseur 