Not all candy is created equal. You can’t compare say, Kit Kats to a depressing box of raisins. Candy corn is polarizing. You either love it or want to set it on fire every Halloween — there is no in-between.
While we can all agree that raisins and Necco Wafers are subpar, which candy is the best? Of all the candy bars out there, these are the ones we’re most likely to hijack from our kids. Which one are you stealing?
16. Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Bar
Hershey’s isn’t known for producing the finest chocolate in the world, but they sure have a monopoly on s’mores supplies and cheap, tasty candy bars. Their milk chocolate bar leaves something to be desired, but the Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme combines crunchy cookie pieces with white chocolate. Nine times out of 10, Oreo lovers choose this one over a standard issue Hershey bar.
15. Almond Joy
Almond Joys are only joyful if you love coconut. We happen to like it, but we didn’t rank it higher because of how many people detest it. The Almond Joy ads promise that a single bite will transport you to a blissful tropical island. So far, doing so has only transported us into a food coma, but we’re down to give it another try.
14. Heath
Heath Bars are as close to fine English toffee as you’ll likely find in a 7-Eleven. It was first made by the Heath Brothers Confectionery back in 1928 and it’s still going strong thanks to the layers of almonds and crunchy toffee covered in a creamy milk chocolate shell. The only downside is that eating one is impossible without getting 50 percent of it stuck in your teeth.
13. 3 Musketeers
Candy bars can be heavy even for the biggest chocolate fans and a mini 3 Musketeers bar breaks up the layer of Heath Bar glue nicely. It’s light and fluffy in the middle, comprised of nothing but whipped chocolate with a milk chocolate coating. Not very exciting, but delicious.
12. Crunch
Truth be told, we’d rank the humble Crunch bar much higher if it weren’t so seemingly ordinary. It’s just plain old Hershey’s chocolate with crispy rice pieces — but crispy rice changes everything. If you told us that rice should be smothered in chocolate, we’d have laughed until we took a bite of a Crunch bar. The combination just works.
11. Mr. Goodbar
Mr. Goodbar is well-named. It’s nothing more than a pile of peanuts covered in chocolate and offers about the same experience as eating a clump of chocolate-covered peanuts that melted together at the bottom of the tub. If you’re not into peanuts, Mr. Goodbar might be demoted to Mr. Badbar.
10. Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar
The Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar is a newcomer to the candy bar scene and we’re already in love with it. It’s similar to the Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Bar only better. The decadent chocolate creme inside is a solid upgrade from the Hershey’s version and it’s all enrobed in a layer of milk chocolate.
9. Take 5
Take 5? You don’t have to tell us twice. If you haven’t read up on how food manufacturers maximize the addictiveness of their products, we’ll give you the short version. One of the main elements that makes a food hard to resist is contrast and novelty, like the combination of something sweet and salty, or creamy and crunchy. Take 5 does both, blending gooey caramel, salty peanut butter and crunchy pretzels.
8. Clark Bar
Clark Bars are underrated, in our opinion. They’re like a better Butterfingers and we’ll fight you on that. The original Clark Bar had a caramel center, but it has since been upgraded to a crispy peanut butter core enveloped in milk chocolate.
If you feel like you’re betraying Butterfingers by trying a Clark Bar, this should help: The Clark Bar came first. It was the very first “combination” candy bar that took off in the U.S. in 1917. It has seniority. It’s high time we show Clark some respect.
7. Milky Way
We almost forgot the Milky Way is the name of the galaxy we live in because the candy bar version is so iconic. It’s a dreamy combination if you’re into nougat and caramel. We won’t mention it to your dentist, promise.
6. Snickers
Is it just us, or do candy bar inventors just mix and match the same handful of ingredients on repeat? Snickers is almost exactly like a Milky Way only with peanuts added to the mix. Not very inventive, but Halloween without Snickers isn’t Halloween. It had to be in the top 10.
5. Twix
Now it’s getting interesting. Twix ditches the peanuts and nougat and adds a crunchy, buttery shortbread cookie to the mix. The caramel drizzled on top makes it even better. There are two pieces in every bar, but let’s be real: Sharing a Twix was never an option.
4. 100 Grand
Not everyone is into the 100 Grand Bar, but we’re not sure why. Mixing crisped rice with chocolate and caramel seems like a great idea to us. What’s your take?
3. Caramello
Caramello is the gold standard of caramel candy bars. The caramel in a Caramello bar is miles above the kind you’ll find in a Snickers. Instead of tough and chewy, it’s smooth and melts in your mouth.
2. Reese’s Cups
Whether or not Reese’s Cups count as a candy bar is a matter of opinion. We’re counting it because it has all the makings of a candy bar, just in a different shape. Peanut butter and chocolate is a timeless combination and Reese’s has been delivering the goods since 1928.
The tasty treat was invented by H.B. Reese, a Hershey’s employee, who made the first Reese’s Cup in his basement. Now we’re tempted to try inventing our own basement candy bar.
1. Kit Kat
Kit Kat’s earned our top spot for a few reasons. Firstly, the light wafers are a welcome departure from all the painfully sticky nougat in most candy bars. Secondly, Kit Kats come with variety. They come in so many different flavors beyond plain milk chocolate. Strawberry, matcha, mint, you name it. In Japan, there are even special edition flavors like sweet potato, apple pie and rum raisin. We’ll take one of each.
