Friday, September 17, 2010
Clark Bar Wicked MixEarlier this year I reviewed the resurrection of the Clark Bar from its zombie status as a neglected and poor quality peanut butter crunch bar. The extension of that is that Necco is also making the bars in snack size and are bringing back their Clark Bar Wicked Mix for Halloween in their new and improved recipes. Necco sent this bag to me a few months back as I’ve had particular trouble finding Necco products for the Halloween. It’s pretty big and perfect for houses that get a lot of kids; it holds 24 ounces (about 68 pieces). The mix is Real Milk Chocolate Clark Bar, Dark Chocolate Clark and the very hard to find Coconut Clark. The little bars are easy to distinguish and seemed to be properly randomized in my bag so that I had nearly equal amounts of each. Each piece is about .35 ounces, barely two bites (45 calories). The classic Milk Chocolate Clark Bar fun size is in an easy to spot red wrapper. I loved them, I ate them. They were flaky and crispy with a good balance of peanut flavor, molasses and creamy sweet milk chocolate. The only weird thing I noticed was a smoke flavor in all the milk chocolate ones; I didn’t like it. I also noticed this with some of my full size bars earlier this summer and I can’t explain it. For a while the Clark Dark was the one I was picking out of the mix. The bittersweet note of the chocolate coating played well with the toffee notes of the molasses. They seemed crispier for the most part (I know that all depends on how the folds are thick or thin). The new part of the mix for me was the Clark Coconut. This is the weird part. Clark, when it was based in Pittsburgh, PA also used to make a coconut coated version of their bar called Zagnut. That’s been made by Hershey’s since 1996. They’re pretty hard to find here on the West Coast, so I usually go with a Chick-O-Stick, which is similar but doesn’t have that white chocolatey sweet coating that holds the coconut on. The Clark Coconut is, to the best of my recollection, the Zagnut. The center is the classic Clark bar but the coating on the outside is a thin cream like a white chocolate but a little more caramel flavored. The little bits of coated and crispy coconut stick to that. You’d think that it’d be messy, but the coconut stays put. The coconut and peanut butter mixture is good. The coconut brings a tropical creamy nutty note and the peanut butter has that earthy, roasted legume note that really fills me up. I don’t know if the Clark name has the recognition needed to impress Trick-or-Treaters but I’m pretty sure parents would be happy to relieve their kids of this fringe looking candy bar. It’s a classic and this mix of variations hits the spot. The packaging is spare and does a good job of keeping the little bars fresh and design is sharp and clear. The candy contains all sorts of allergens: soy, milk, peanuts, wheat and barley. Also processed on equipment with eggs and tree nuts. No Kosher status mentioned. Though the large Clark Bar and Clark Dark are considered all natural, this is not (I’m guessing there’s some artificial flavors in the Coconut, and BHA is added as a preservative). That’s to bad, because an all natural option for Halloween from a major candy maker would be quite a find. (I guess you can always give out the full size ones!) Related Candies
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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Ooo, sounds delicious, but Necco candies seem a bit difficult to find.
Clark bars always fly under my radar. Everytime I see one, I think “Oh yea, Clark bars are a thing.” I’ve never had the Dark Chocolate or Coconut ones. i havent perused the halloween shelves yet. I’ll keep an eye out.
I really hope I can find these. I’m dying to try the coconut.
I’d love to find these clark bars…any idea where to look for them ?
I can’t find these either, and the people at Necco were agressively unhelpful.
Please let me know if you find these anywhere. You can purchase them Candy Warehouse, but they want $9.45 for 65 bars—and that’s without shipping.
I know you can find them at Ricky’s in New York, though.
Wonder if Walmart or Target carries them?
Checked the local Target. No dice. I don’t go to Wal-Mart - ever. For anything!
No luck at Wal-Mart or Target. Maybe RiteAid?
These never appeared in and around Philly.
I would have loved to try them.
If you’re in Michigan, you can find Clark’s Wicked Mix at all ACO Hardware Stores. I just picked up a 9 oz. bag for $2.69. They also have the Mary Jane Wicked Mix for $1.66.
To add the latest comment, in just five years to this:
Clark Coconut? Yummy…and it’s that time of year again.(They seem like a Chic-o-Stick or Zagnut with chocolate..)
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