How does that age-old saying go?
Put peanut butter on anything and it automatically gets better.
Yeah, I think it goes something like that. Or at least, I’m hoping it does.
In 2015 Snickers released the Snickers Crisper, and while it’s still a fine candy it’s actually my least favorite Snickers of all time. Conversely, Snickers Peanut Butter is my second favorite, coming in very close to the classic original bar of perfection.
The Crisper bar omits the signature nougat for a layer of crisped rice, and the newest Snickers follows the same pattern but adds a layer of peanut butter atop of the caramel, all shrouded in sweet milk chocolate. So does the equation of A (anything) + PB (peanut butter) = magic apply here? Fingers crossed.
Good news — it absolutely does.
The fatty, smooth, and salty peanut butter adds the chewy lip-smacking depth that I missed from the original Snickers Crisper, which I thought fell a little flat in terms of sugary crave-ability. The rice crisps in the first crisp bar couldn’t quite hold up to the standard set by the original Snickers’ nougat. But here I don’t miss it at all and I really like the textural crunch that the rice crisps provide in tandem with the pillow of beautiful peanut butter.
The sticky, crackly, sugary mashup of caramel, crisps, peanuts and peanut butter reminds me of the oft-forgotten Whatchamacallit bar, although dare I say, it’s even better? The fun semi-wafery texture also harkens back to my beloved Reese’s Sticks with a bigger, more formidable chomp.
The thickness of PB Crisper allows for a more generous layer of peanut butter that never gets lost from the first bite to the last. It blends perfectly with the caramel to create a lovely sweet and salty bite with just enough reprieve from the crisps to never taste too cloying. The milk chocolate is of usual Mars quality, with just the right amount of creaminess to round out (or square out?) a wonderfully smash-able treat that is very much nut-forward over cocoa.
Snickers Peanut Butter Crisper only makes a minor change to its original version, but it’s one that works incredibly well. Sometimes it’s the littlest of adjustments that can make all the difference, and I’m glad I paid at least a little attention in algebra because for Snickers, A + PB truly does equal taste bud magic.
(Nutrition Facts – 1 square bar – 110 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)
Purchased Price: $2.19
Size: 4 pack
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Perfect balance of sweet and salty. Thick layer of peanut butter. Awesome crispy crunch. Finally gives meaning to algebra.
Cons: Too easy to eat too many. Maybe could be EVEN better with nougat?!