Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Head-to-Head: Butterfinger vs. 5th Avenue

I know that the 5th Avenue is a lesser known bar, but it’s quite similar to the Butterfinger. Though they’re both a peanutbutter crunch center with a chocolate(y) coating, they do have some differences. I’m doing this head-to-head in part to introduce Butterfinger fans to what I think is an exceptional bar. But in order to do that, I had to see them side by side again:

Both are massive bars. The 5th Avenue rings in at exactly 2 ounces and the Butterfinger at 2.1 ounces. The main difference, as far as I can tell between the two is that the Butterfinger coating is not chocolate but a chocolate-like substance where the 5th Avenue has a creamy milk chocolate enrobement.

 

The 5th Avenue bar of my childhood was not a Hershey product but made by Ludens (yes, the cough drop people). Also made in Pennsylvania, the 5th Avenue bar may not have had the wide distribution of the more well-known Butterfinger. When I first got to college I was forced to eat Butterfingers and developed a taste for them, but now that I’m back in an area that offers both, I’m a 5th Avenue girl. Of course, I seem to have a vague recollection of there being a couple of almonds on top. Does anyone else remember that?

The center is a crispy, crunchy peanutbutter crisp. Kind of like a flaky toffee. It has some peanutbutter between the layers, as far as I can tell. It also has a distinct molasses flavor to it, which brings out the roasted flavors of the nuts.

 

The Butterfinger bar was also not originally made by its current owner, Nestle. It was invented by the Curtiss Candy Company based in Chicago (a great candy town) that also made the Baby Ruth (also made by Nestle now). It predates the 5th Avenue, and frankly, has a much better name. It’s buttery and resembles a big finger and of course the play on words of being a clumsy person is kind of fun. The Butterfinger was always known as a great candy buy when I was a kid. Because the bar was so huge, you were sure to be satisfied. The center has similar crunch peanutbutter toffee-like layers that seem a bit crumblier (in a good way) than the 5th Avenue. The overwhelming taste in this center is buttery. A good hit of peanuts and a smooth, sweet and salty buttery taste. I’ve always loved the inside of Butterfingers ... it’s the fake chocolate coating that’s always bugged me. It’s waxy, overly sweet and just not milk chocolate.

So, if the fake chocolate doesn’t bother you and you’re looking for flaky, crunch buttery experience, pick up a Butterfinger. If you like your crunchy peanut flakes with real chocolate and a good robust hit of molasses, 5th Avenue is for you.

UPDATE 2/21/2007: I just found out via the comments that 5th Avenue no longer uses real chocolate ... such a shame. It was such a good bar, it’s sad that Hershey’s has now taken away the unique position it had in the market as the only chocolate covered peanut crispy bar. They have, however, introduced the Reese’s Crispy Crunchy bar, which has peanut butter and crushed peanuts in it. Not the same, but at least real chocolate.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:37 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     ReviewHershey'sNestleChocolateMockolatePeanutsUnited StatesHead to Head

Comments
  1. Great, I think you made the right decision, but how do they stack up against the Clark bar, yet another chocolate covered peanut crunch bar?

    Comment by Anonymous on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  2. Cybele's avatar

    I really have to find a local source for the Clark bar - I tried a couple of places over the weekend.

    When I get a hold of one I’ll be sure to do a Short & Sweet entry on it. Really a favorite of mine growing up too (and the Zagnut).

    My neighbor just gave me a chik-o-stik last night, so that’ll have to go up too!

    Comment by Cybele on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  3. Your blog is the best. I’ve discussed reviewing candy professionally, but I was just ridiculed! Now I have inspiration!

    PS. You might want to try the Caramel Junior Mints.  Perhaps it’s time for a bad review…

    Comment by Jeremy on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  4. Cybele's avatar

    Jeremy - you mean I could get paid for this?

    Oh - I did the Junior Caramels back in July - check them out here. I gave them a 6 ... just okay.

    Comment by Cybele on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  5. I’ve never been a big fan of the butterfinger type bars… not because of the taste which is delicious, but because the insides tends to get stuck in your molars. I guess the solution is to swallow without chewing, hehe.

    Cybele, when you’re handling non-coated chocolate candy to get ready to photograph, do you have problems with it melting in your hand? Our house is already super warm, and me breaking the candy in half to get good shots like you do is tough as the chocolate starts to melt off in my hands. I almost feel like i need to freeze the candy for a bit first. Or wear gloves. =)

    Comment by Bryan on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  6. I have always been afraid of the 5th Avenue bar, I guess I thought it was more nougat with nuts for some reason!  (I don’t like nuts in my candy.)  You have convinced me to give it a try!!

    Comment by anna on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  7. I’m with Anna. I’m a huge, lifelong fan of the Butterfinger and can’t remember ever eating a 5th Avenue. It may have been the almonds that threw me off, or maybe I confused it with some other bar that had coconut, which I detest.

    Then again, I never noticed the chocolate as being waxy, so my tastes aren’t very refined.

    Comment by russ on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  8. I remember an old, old, commercial for 5th Avenue that claimed it had “honeycomb candy, yes indeed” in the center. I always loved that description.

    they are a better choice than Butterfinger, but the Clark bar is even better.

    I usually prefer non-chocolate candy, so the Chick-o-Stick (and its cousins w/out the coconut) are my absolute preference.  Plus, Atkinson is an underdog—I almost always prefer to support the little guy over the big guy.

    Comment by Jim Kosmicki on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  9. Cybele's avatar

    Anna & Russ - so I’m not alone in thinking that the 5th Avenue used to have an almond on top?

    jim - I like underdogs and all, but I’m finding that some of the nostalgia and small-maker candy bars don’t use the best ingredients (hydrogenated oils and fake chocolate). Not all of them, of course. But then sometimes I really dig them like Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews which don’t use real chocolate but I eat them anyway because no one else does a molasses peanut chew.

    Bryan - the photo stuff is tough.

    First, I take most photos in the morning while it’s still cool. Second, wash your hands in really cold water before starting, just a few degrees cooler and your hands won’t melt the chocolate as quickly.

    I try to break the candy while it’s still inside the package, it cuts down on the mess and if I have melted it, it’s not as likely to look like a fingerprint (which are about as appealing as a hair in your food).

    I have debated using gloves. But then again, I’m taking photos at the office (on my own time of course, either morning or lunch break) and if someone came into my office they’d be truly puzzled.

    When I redo the site, I’ll try to put up some candy styling tips for other folks who like to take pictures of food.

    Comment by Cybele on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  10. I definitely remember two almonds on top of my 5th Avenues when I was younger.  I also grew up on Clark Bars and love them equally with 5th Avenues, when I can find them.  Butterfinger is a 3rd choice.

    Comment by Becky from Florida on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  11. Butterfinger bars were long one of my favorites, but in recent years I noticed the waxy element of the Butterfinger chocolate - and became aware of the Nestle boycott. So thanks for reminding me of the similar taste of a 5th Avenue bar!

    Comment by Tricia on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  12. Why dont you have whats in the candy bars on this website? Yes you have the Nutrition facts, but i want to know whats IN the bar. like the ingredients. not nutrition facts. you need to have both.

    Comment by Jill on 2/08/06 at 3:18 pm #
  13. Cybele's avatar

    Thanks for your feedback, Jill. I don’t plan on putting the ingredients on the site anytime soon. Candy manufacturers often change those details and much of that information is readily available on the company’s own website.

    There are also quite a few sites that have scans of the entire candy wrapper that include the ingredients.

    Give this one a try:
    http://www.mikescandywrappers.com

    Comment by Cybele on 2/08/06 at 3:23 pm #
  14. My father grew up in Reading, PA, former home of the 5th Avenue bar and Luden’s cough drops.  He told me about how the 5th Avenue bar was named after the street where the bar was made: Reading’s 5th Street.  There also used to be almonds on top of the bar until Hershey bought it out.  I was told that up until Hershey bought Luden’s out thet “Butterfinger” and “Clark bar” were essentially curse words in th city.

    Comment by Nick on 3/29/06 at 4:35 pm #
  15. I’m trying to find some bite size 5th Avenue bars for my Mother who will be 81 in April. She says the regular size ones don’t have the same taste/flavor. 

    Do you know ‘where’ I can find some?

    Comment by Sam on 4/02/06 at 9:47 am #
  16. Cybele's avatar

    Hi Sam - I don’t know if I see the snack size ones regularly anymore. I’ve seen them around Halloween and you may have luck finding the junior sized ones at a 99 Cent Only or Dollar General store.

    Comment by Cybele on 4/03/06 at 5:04 pm #
  17. 5th Avenue bars used to have 2 BRAZIL nuts on top of them.

    Comment by Pawl on 6/14/06 at 4:20 am #
  18. I had a craving for a sugar rush yesterday and bought a Butterfinger from the vending machine at work. I love Butterfingers but, Oh My GOD! It was HORRIBLE!  Nestle has changed the formula of the ‘crispity, crunchity’ center to some slab of non-descript, tooth defying matter. Maybe they just had a bad batch but I don’t think so. I will not be eating (or buying) anymore of those and I don’t care if Bart Simpson IS the spokesman!

    Comment by Pengrath on 7/26/06 at 9:50 am #
  19. For my money, 5th Avenue is a much better bar than Butterfinger.  They’re similar in makeup and basic ingredients but the “Avenue” just has better flavor.  Also, if you don’t get a Butterfinger when it’s nice and fresh, it’a almost inedible - the inside becomes hard as a rock, and tastless.

    Comment by Harold on 10/18/06 at 8:01 am #
  20. It was definitely almonds, NOT Brazil nuts. They went away when Hershey’s took over twenty years back. That’s the bad news (I still miss those almonds). The good news was that the quality control went up with a more consistent texture and improved chocolate. I ate Butterfinger as a kid but, by the time I was ten, 5th Avenue was IT! I like the “darker” flavor and more peanut butter flavor over the cloying sweetness of Butterfinger. Clark Bars are okay, but can’t hold a candle to a 5th Avenue.

    Comment by HatCat on 11/01/06 at 4:15 pm #
  21. Butterfinger’s fake chocolate is a bit annoying, but I can bite in a perfect way to make it come off in big planks.  I tried 5th Avenue, but the filling was a bit off.  I did want to like it, but I could only finish half.

    Comment by Sophia on 11/12/06 at 9:02 am #
  22. You are remembering correctly.  5th Avenue Bars did indeed have almonds on the top.  I was very upset when the company decided to discontinue the almond.

    I love 5th Avenue Bar. I also love a Clark Bar.

    Butterfinger just doesn’t have the same intensity of peanutbutter flavor.  And I find that the Butterfinger bar is stickier when I chew it up.  The other two are dryer and crunchier, somehow.

    Comment by Kristie on 11/25/06 at 5:47 pm #
  23. 5th Avenue all the way! I just bit into it’s crunchy peanut-buttery goodness and thought i’d do a search to find out more about it, so as i enjoyed the last little bit of it, i’m typing this entry, and enjoying the blissfulness of it’s lingering deluctibleness! yum, can i have another?  no waxy crappy chocolaty “substance” on this bar!

    Comment by Brad Hill on 1/30/07 at 1:33 pm #
  24. I definitely remember the almonds in the 5th Avenue which in my opinion made it better. Wish they would start making it this way again. Maybe if enough people sent an e-mail to Hersheys they would. I already have started the ball rolling by sending mine. There is also a toll-free number you can call to suggest it.I also have tried the Clark Bar and love it as well.

    Comment by Robert From Tennessee on 3/12/07 at 12:02 pm #
  25. Just an observation on my part about the Butterfinger, If you get them while they are fresh they are nice and soft & a pleasure to eat, but after sitting for a while the inside seems to really get very hard. However, (and this is the interesting part) I have yet to bite into a Butterfinger Mini that was hard? Maybe something about the size. Not sure?

    Comment by Robert From Tennessee on 3/12/07 at 12:20 pm #
  26. Came across this site when trying to find a supplier of 5th avenue bars here in the Netherlands.  I can get them at one of the expat grocery stores but they are quite expensive.  I was hoping buy (and subsequently consume) them in bulk.

    Indeed, the Fifth Avenue bar of my childhood was actually two smaller bars (like Mounds and Almond Joy), each with a sliver of almond.

    Although the Fifth Avenue bar of today is still my favorite, I consider the day they stopped putting the almond slivers on top one the darkest days in American history—right up there with election day 2000.

    Comment by Rich Gillooly on 3/23/07 at 5:45 am #
  27. Cybele's avatar

    Rich - as you may have noticed from update I did here that the 5th Avenue no longer has real chocolate. It’s quite disappointing ... I don’t know if it’s worth importing in bulk.

    Comment by Cybele on 3/23/07 at 6:19 am #
  28. yes the 5th Avenue used to be a 2 piece bar with the Almonds and made in Reading. I know that the Clark Bar plant was in Pittsburgh for years so I am sure there was a battle between the 2 Pennsylvania rivals. Looks like Pennsylvania is like the the Hollywood of the chocolate world here is the United States.
      Hershey’s has recently introduced the Reese’s Crispy Crunchy which is very similar and tasty. Same as the 5th Ave but with peanuts. Yummy!

    Comment by Joe on 5/22/07 at 6:48 am #
  29. i’m a huge supporter of the 5th avenue!  i eat one at least once a week. i know i’m not the healthiest, but they’re too delicious to stay away from.  the flaky crunchiness in the middle with the soft chocolate stuff on the outside is the perfect combination. i agree the butterfinger has a waxiness to it, and it just doesn’t have the same flavor.

    Comment by meems on 6/23/07 at 4:40 am #
  30. I have always loved the 5th Avenue.  It is way different than the Butterfinger, or the Canadian Crispy Crunch.  To me, it tastes more “peanut buttery”.

    Comment by MG on 7/22/07 at 7:09 pm #
  31. I know the old 5th Avenue candy bar quite well.  My grandmother worked at the old Luden’s plant in Reading, PA back in the 60s and 70s.  There where 2 almonds on top of these original versions and they where then removed when Hershey’s foods took over.  My grandmother would always come home with a gigantic big plastic container will with “broken” 5th Avenue bars.  I also remember that they where even better when put in the freezer and frozen rock solid.  It’s a shame that the 5th avenue has changed so much, and to be honest I always thought that it tasted better than a Butterfinger.  I think nationwide the Butterfinger is more well known only due to it having better marketing.  The 5th Avenue brand has all but been abandoned which is probably a mistake on the part of Hershey foods.

    Comment by Rich on 9/30/07 at 6:40 am #
  32. I also wanted to mention, the if you drive through Reading, PA today and you drive through the city you will notice that 5th Street has street signs which proudly display the 5th Avenue candy bar.  Every time I drive past the old Luden’s plant, it brings back alot of memories.  The building still exists, however I’m not sure who owns the building or what is actually done there anymore.

    Comment by Rich on 9/30/07 at 6:55 am #
  33. Butterfinger and 5th Avenue are very similar candy bars, with Butterfinger having a much larger profile (easier to find; 5th Avenue can be elusive).  But for my money, 5th Avenue has the superior taste.  Butterfinger somehow doesn’t live up to the promise of its appearance.  In your heart, you wish it were a 5th Avenue.  And yes, I remember the Clark bar, also very good, and more like a 5th Avenue bar.

    Comment by Harold on 10/01/07 at 7:08 am #
  34. I grew up near Cleveland, Ohio in the 50’s and Clark was (and is) my candy bar of choice. 5th Avenue was a close second with Butterfinger not on the list at all. I find the Butterfinger too sweet and chewy. A good, fresh Clark or 5th Avenue bar will melt in one’s mouth even though the coating on the Clark is not what I would call the best chocolate around. Where I live the only Clark bars I can get are the miniatures that are only available near Halloween. I never see a regular size (of course much smaller than the ones I bought for a nickel in the 50’s) is never seen in central Virginia. And, yes, when ate 5th Avenues there were most definately two almonds on them.

    Comment by Dennis Strong on 11/21/07 at 3:32 am #
  35. i cant understand how everyone is duped by the 5th vs butterfinger comparison.  very different, butterfingers are very buttery compared to the peanut heavy 5th avenue.  the middle texture is also different.

    im a butterfinger guy (crisps #1 altime)

    Comment by jk on 11/24/07 at 10:15 am #
  36. I have been having a running discussion at work.  One of my co workers remembers a white chocolate bar made by Ludens’ and call a Frosty Bar.  It had krispies, and peanut butter (possibly, the hard peanut stuff you find in 5th Ave. bars)  I think he’s delusional!  Have you heard of this bar?  Thanks.  Liz, Reading, pa

    Comment by Liz from Reading , Pa on 12/14/07 at 6:16 pm #
  37. The Butterfingers are not the same as in my youth.  They used to be thicker and the insides would get stuck in your teeth.  Half the fun was picking the molten orange stuff out of your choppers.  Now they are thinner and not as good.  Oh the Butterfingers of yesteryore.

    Comment by Red Icculus on 1/21/08 at 11:19 am #
  38. Can someone please tell me where I can order/purchase 5th Ave candy bar snack size?  I don’t want the 2 oz…..I’m trying to find the “mini” version.  Thanks!

    Comment by KC on 3/13/08 at 5:34 pm #
  39. As a kid I loved the butterfingers, but it was so hard to find one that was flakey. I would get hard ones and was disappointed. I began to get the 5th Avenue and it was much better. Try this if you like your coffee Black. Get a big cup of hot black coffee and start in on your 5th Avenue. now drink a large gulp of the coffee. It is not hot anymore. I can drink a cup of coffee by the time I am finished with the bar. Great together. Although that was my power breakfast for those hard working days.

    Comment by Joe Dooley on 5/27/08 at 4:22 pm #
  40. Hey, I just heard they stopped making %th Avenue bars because they closed down Ludens in Reading—-is that true?

    Comment by beth on 6/01/08 at 12:33 pm #
  41. That is untrue.  The Ludens factory in Reading has been closed quite a few years now, however Hershey’s now makes the 5th Avenue.  They have removed the nuts and have started using a cheaper chocolate than the original that was made in Reading.  As far as I know however, Hershey’s is still making them.

    Comment by Rich on 6/01/08 at 3:58 pm #
  42. Does any body know if there is a place in Florida where you can buy snack size Zero Bars. I have been looking for a couple of years now.

    Comment by Carol on 7/19/08 at 5:11 pm #
  43. The 5th Avenue bar is not the same as years ago (I’m 59).  Of course it had at least two almonds on top and the inside had a much different consistancy than it does now.  It was much softer.  I don’t like the 5th Ave. anymore.  I haven’t bought it in years.  It is just plain and simple not made the same as it used to be.  On the other hand, the Butterfinger is still fantastic.  I am not even supposed to eat them because of health issues but I do anyway every so often.  Probably when I die they will find me with a half eaten Butterfinger in my hand.  I could only hope.  Anyway that’s my 2 cents.

    Comment by Ted on 8/14/08 at 4:41 am #
  44. Yep the 5th Ave. used to have to almonds on top.
    I thought maybe the Russian’s had bought out Hershey’s and had taken the almonds off. I called Hershey’s in 1997 to see if this were true. They said NO. Then I said the only possible solution was INFLATION. I used to by a 5th Ave. for a nickel or two for a SILVER dime and it had two almonds on it. Now one 5th Ave. is .99c and that is without the TWO ALMONDS. My standard of living has gone down. I say abolish the Federal Reserve Bank in America and put Ron Paul in the White House and put the almonds back on the 5th Ave. How about YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by William Staples on 9/02/08 at 11:05 am #
  45. I absolutely love peanut butter crunch candy.  I’ve sampled about all of the popular kinds so here are my rankings:
      1. Clark Bar
      2. Zagnut
      3. Chik-o-Stiks
      4. Atkinson’s peanut butter bars
      5. 5th Avenue
      6. Butterfinger
    When I can find fun size 5th Avenues and miniature Butterfinger bars (or Butterfinger BBs if they still make them), that bumps them up to maybe 3 and 4, respectively.  My main qualm with the Butterfinger is that the chocolate (or mockolate as the case may be) is just so unflavorful.  Plus, it just doesn’t have the same layered goodness of some of its competitors.  In this crunchy peanut butter battle, the Clark bar definitely reigns supreme!

    Comment by Heather on 9/02/08 at 5:00 pm #
  46. I absolutely love 5th Avenue.  It is and has always been my first love in candy.  I don’t have a second choice.  I didn’t know they came in
    smaller sizes.  If they do, I’d love to get some
    for work and to keep around the house.  Pleae let me know.  thanks Sandy

    Comment by Sandy on 9/24/08 at 6:00 am #
  47. I’m signing in as a Definite 5th Avenure preferer (and I do love BF) AND

    One who remembers the two Almonds AND

    One who thinks it’s not as good as it used to be

    BUT

    Who still likes it best. . .

    I’m a 5th Avenue Girl too!

    Comment by Val Adam on 10/06/08 at 6:22 am #
  48. Did they discontinue Butterfinger BB’s?? I have been searching for months and cannot find them anywhere.

    Comment by Lover on 10/19/08 at 12:34 pm #
  49. I remember the almonds on top - hershey used the ludens factory for a couple years after the bought it but i think its closed now

    Comment by shan on 8/13/09 at 4:57 pm #
  50. 1959 (my 1st “5th”)- Almonds on top. (5th Ave was born 1936 or ‘38?  Enrobed in real chocolate. The inner brittles unique peanut + ? taste came from molasses or the molasses in the brown sugar. This brittle was made, set, and cooled the old fashioned way; resulting in delectable but fragile bars. (Hence 2 small bars per wrapped cardboard tray).——Alas! Luden sells out to Hershey. I try a bar that they have revamped ! No almonds ,Thinner chocolate, and a much diminished brittle both taste and texturewise. Hershey had changed ingrediants and production methodology to enhance profits. it seemed that the brittle was now bulk set, crushed, and then compressesd into bar-shaped portions. Nor was it as good as before.—- I called hershey to complain as to their almondless, brittle reconstituted 5th Ave ? I was cavalierly told that people had preferred the new version in a taste test (RIGHT!) Butterfinger has also undergone some “profit enhancements”—- If one were to re-create the 1938 5th Ave bar, he’d have a wonderful product. comment by Paul 11/29/09 at 4:00 AM

    Comment by paul on 11/28/09 at 1:57 am #
  51. Butterfinger tends to crumble all over you with every bite.  5th avenue fan.

    Comment by neil on 12/28/09 at 3:53 am #
  52. I hate it when big corporations take over and mess up candy bars! I miss the taste of 5th Ave. with almonds on top. And Kit Kat used to be made with crushed hazel nuts between those wafers, but not since Roantree sold out.

    Comment by Cindy Who on 1/19/10 at 10:45 am #
  53. 5th avenue is just better. That’s all there is to it.

    Comment by Amy Boyter on 2/06/10 at 6:22 am #
  54. So I got here from you entry today and ended up at Walgreens buying 4 different candy bars. Right now I’m trying the Butterfinger vs. the 5th Avenue. I gotta say I think I prefer the Butterfinger better. I grew up on them (so maybe that’s one reason), but it’s the first time I’ve ever had a 5th Ave. bar. Not bad, but there’s something about the consistency of Butterfinger I prefer. My next head to head: Skor vs. Heath

    Comment by Callie on 4/19/10 at 6:56 pm #
  55. soooo i like ur website i think its kewl… anyway whats up with gummie bears these days???? i miss them…. just because of my name does not mean i am not a girl…

    Comment by charlie on 7/09/10 at 7:58 am #
  56. Walgreens had 5th ave bars on blowout near me, .22 cents a bar, never had one before but could’t pass that up.  1st thought, wow, this is just like a butterfinger ! <G>.  I’d say butterfingers insides are more crumbly.  As far as which one, can’t decide, .22 cents is clouding my mind, money always wins out ! <G>.

    Comment by Mike on 9/24/10 at 12:24 pm #
  57. totally, totally remember the two almonds!  i’ve been looking for these all over the place, so the almonds are gone?  bummer

    Comment by brad on 10/02/10 at 5:06 am #
  58. I like them both, but I’ll take the Fifth Avenue, first. The Butterfinger is a good candy bar, just a bit too sweet.

    The Fifth Avenue, did have 3 almonds on top, not 2!

    Comment by Richard Lee on 10/07/10 at 5:29 am #
  59. Does anybody remember the Fifth Avenue candy bar commercial, with the theme of a 1950’s era. The commerical had a “tough guy” who resembled maybe Danny Zukko and Sandy, of Grease?

    Lyrics: Background singers: Is it the creamy middle chocolate

    The Danny character would say: No No No

    Background singers: Is it the crunchy peanut butter

    Danny: No No No

    Singers: Then why do you like, Fifth Avenue candy bars, Rocky

    Danny: Because its the bite, that’s right

    Singers: It’s the bite that’s right

    Danny: New Fifth Avenue (in a Bowser deep voice, is sings Candy Barrrrrrr) LMAO

    Comment by Richard Lee on 10/07/10 at 5:40 am #
  60. I love Butterfinger but have noticed they have changed over the years FOR THE WORSE

    Nothing beats the Willy Wonka Scrunch Bar from the 1970s….I wish they would bring those back!

    Comment by Todd S on 11/02/10 at 9:16 pm #
  61. To Richard Lee - I, too, remember the 50s-era 5th Avenue commercial.  In fact, that’s the only one I DO remember, and in fact I’ve been searching in vain for a downloadable video of it, which is how I found this page in the first place (no video, but a match on the lyrics of the song).  My buddies and I used to sing it, in its proper multi-part arrangement, around our fire on Boy Scout camping trips!  Oh, and this would have to have been in the late 70s or VERY EARLY 80s.

    Comment by Chris on 2/10/11 at 10:51 am #
  62. I would like to know the real reason why Fifth Ave bars took out the almonds.  I’ll bet I already know the answer: “austerity measure” “cutbacks” “cost savings” or some such nonsense.  The Fifth Avenue bar is NOT a Fifth Ave bar without the almonds.  Once they took out the almonds, I never bought another one again.  That was far and away, the finest candy bar ever made.

    Comment by John Kenny on 2/17/11 at 10:08 pm #
  63. FIFTH AVENUE by far out beats the butterfinger and clark bars. Clark bar is 4th because don’t forget ther Reeces Peanutbutter Cup! Which now also has a crisp bar. However, I have been hankering for a Fifth Avenue and none of the stores around me are caring them any more. I went all over town tonight trying to buy one. Every store said they don’t know what happenend but they aren’t carrying them any longer. I WANT my FIFTH AVENUE people!!!

    Comment by DonnaLee on 3/29/11 at 6:43 pm #
  64. Oh yes, I forgot to comment on the Fifth Avenue having almonds on top. Yes they did and I was disppointed when they removed them but did get used to enjoying them without. Now you just have to get an Almond Joy!

    Comment by DonnaLee on 3/29/11 at 6:47 pm #
  65. Actually they were not almonds on top the 5th Avenue bar but pecans.  About 15 years ago I called Hersey to find out what happened to the beloved nuts that crowed the lovely candy bar.  Quite an interesting story.  Apparently two ladies hand placed them atop the bars, much like the Lucy and Ethel episode of I Love Lucy.  Heresy employed them for this task until they were ready to retire.  Once that time came the decision was made; No more pecans… :(  it was a very sad day indeed!

    Comment by Miss D on 4/15/11 at 11:39 am #
  66. Sorry, Miss D but they were almonds. Check out other sites and you can even see old advertising for 5th Avenue that mentions the almonds. If someone at Hershey’s told you they were pecans it should be remembered that Hershey dropped the nuts when they took over producing 5th Avenue and that was a number of years back now. Therefore, someone at Hershey now shouldn’t be automatically trusted to know “what was what” before they arrived on the scene.

    Comment by JeromeD on 4/15/11 at 11:54 am #
  67. I found this comment on a candy site and thought you might be interested.  It seems there were 2 almonds on the 5th avenue bar.

    “The 5th Avenue candy bar was my favorite because it also had two almond quarters across the top; this was a treat within it self. I would eat the nuts first then the candy bar. I would get mad if the nuts were crooked on top or if it was missing a nut. Sometimes I would allow the chocolate to melt and then I could slide the nut off easily. I would also lick the melted chocolate off the candy bar. Dissembling this bar was a good and taste thing to do. I would make it a project. ~ Debra from New Jersey”

    Comment by Thomas Howard on 6/11/11 at 10:56 am #
  68. I love Fifth Avenue candy bars and prefer them to Butterfinger.  I thought I was imagining things, remembering them with almonds on the top, but I’m glad to see that I was remembering correctly!  I miss them.

    Comment by Hope on 7/24/11 at 6:45 pm #
  69. Fifth Avenue used to have two halves of a BRAZIL NUT on top…never more. Fifth Avenue, however, remains superior to Butterfinger for one reason other than 5A’s rich chocolate…Butterfinger’s FILLING turns into a sticky, taffy-like substance that gets stuck in dental work. So don’t let Butterfinger melt in your mouth. There is no such issue with 5A.

    Comment by Pete on 9/16/11 at 11:06 am #
  70. Again with the Brazil nuts? Check out the YouTube video of a 5th Avenue commercial from 1962 - Right on the wrapper it says in large script letters: “with Almonds”! Doing a Google search you can find many images of the old wrappers and boxes (going back many decades) and they all plainly read “almonds”. C’mon, folks - let’s put this old mis-remembered memory to bed!

    Comment by HatCat on 9/16/11 at 11:32 am #
  71. Yep, that proves it.  The vintage 5th Avenue commercial from 1962 states they have toasted almonds.  It can be found on youtube as mentioned previously.  It also has almonds written on the wrapper.

    Comment by Rich on 9/16/11 at 6:28 pm #
  72. Also if you click on my name in the comment, it shows the 1962 vintage 5th Avenue video.  Enjoy!

    Comment by Rich on 9/16/11 at 6:32 pm #
  73. Could somebody please tell me where I can buy the fifth avenue fun/snack size candy bars… I have been looking everywhere to get a bunch for a friend who just loves them.  He says the full size just does not taste the same.  I cannot find them anywhere.  I was even looking to buy them online.  Any help would be appreciated greatly!

    Comment by Tonya on 11/19/11 at 11:39 pm #
  74. This might be in the comments above, but I can’t find it.  The 5th Avenue now contains cocoa butter so doesn’t that make it chocolate?

    Comment by Ralph on 12/31/11 at 1:43 pm #
  75. After having sampled these 2 candy bars side by side for the umpteenth time I’ve finally decided that I prefer 5th Ave over Butterfinger. It’s a little less crunchy but there’s more peanut butter taste. If only they would sell these in Europe so I wouldn’t have to pay top dollars for them on eBay :(

    Comment by Nisei on 1/21/12 at 1:00 pm #
  76. I just wanted to say I noticed a long time ago that both the Butter Finger and the 5th Avenue candy bars don’t taste the way they use to when I was little. They are just plain nasty tasting now. I thought I would try another 5th Avenue today and boy was it bad. Getting cheaper and cheaper with the ingredients. I will never buy another one of either. Right now my favorite candy bar is the Reese’s Crispy Crunch. Yummy! Just a matter of time before they screw that one up too.

    Comment by Amy on 1/22/12 at 11:19 am #
  77. while munching on a 5th ave bar that i had been looking for for 2 weeks i came across this site.  i like butterfingers but prefer 5th ave.  one thing i notice is that the inside of the butterfingers is much brighter orange.  so while considering the flavor of the 5th ave while eating one it dawned on me that it tasted like a melted bit o honey was mixed with the peanut butter.  then i looked at the color of the inside of the 5th ave and realized it was just about the color of the bit o honey candy.  a comment above mentions old advertising stating 5th ave is the honeycomb candy.  i think this is what distinguishes 5th ave from butterfingers.  i’ve been eating 5th ave for years and never realized- i also eat bit o honey’s from time to time!  it’s been so long since i had a clark bar i don’t remember what they are like- but based on comments here will be buying the next one i see- thanks!

    Comment by joanna on 5/20/12 at 10:29 pm #
  78. The 5th Avenue candy bar did, in fact, have ALMONDS on top.  It was the BEST! Does anyone remember the SMOOTH SALIN candy bar from the late 50’s and early 60’s?  It was a DARK chocolate, white nugget center with WALNUTS! Never has there been a candy bar like this since then.  Where do all the “great” candy bars go????????

    Comment by Fritzie on 10/30/12 at 7:27 am #
  79. Cont.  Hershey bought that company under the lie they wanted the cough drops…..but what they wanted was to topple the chocolate bunnys ect.. They immediatly treated workers like shit…. I quit a few years later in work in a copper mill for the last 25 years… Still do..and still hate it…..william H Luden waz a hero.  Bought by the dietrick family years ago.. Had many issues with the union. ...same union as hostes twinkies..fucked them also….
    Lool up on line Ludens vsUnited states of America in 1961 .
    Hershey tried to sell the Hershey name… Wild retarded company men….they all got fired..  I have much much knowledge of the old factory…...
    Hershey demolished as fast as they could the old historic building….so nobody could restart any candy bussiness…
    Now the main place is gone…..and a bad kids school is there…..in my younger day..early 80s ...if you couldnt do school…. You worked in a factory….  Now…its everywhere..communist rule..hiding behind capitalism

    I still see many many people that usta work there….now at food stores… They aint so happy as the old factory. That smeklrd like candy….cocca. Gum candy. Hard candy….

    Hershey…was taking over by greedy communist…..
    Took over our small town candy factory….
    And leveled the 100 years of competititon…..leaving 800 to 1,100 workers with no jobs….. Local #6.. Screwed twinkies. Too…..... Look kids!!!  These things will not be found in any history book…. They will be squashed be even the local bews paper… And noone will ever know…. How much Ludens inc. saved Reading pa.. For as long as it could….
    If I hit the lotto….. Wouldnt matter…..bulk sugar is lots of money…. In this world sugar is a bad word….causes diabetis and obesity…..  Not jobs and happy faces….  Ludens made white chocolate too…  So that spanish and black kids could have messy faces too….. But they will never have a job there…and thats the sad sad story of William H Luden.
    .those almonds on the top were done in 1986 sometime early summer…..  I know….it bothered me. Theyd fire two extreamly old ladies…in the name of money??? .to a trillion dollar corporation….  Is sad….  Now??... Your eating Mexican food…......not original from original workers. In the original building…..  America has been broken for 30 years…....
    And untill everyone says…..enough!!..  We will continue to be ducked….. You liked bill clinton?..  Nafta cafta.  Free trade??
    For who you better ask yourselfs…... Because working for 40 years in one place…..is long gone….

    Comment by Patrick Hummel ex candy maker extrodinaier on 2/03/13 at 7:17 am #
  80. Luden’s Yes the cough drop people, as one person said was previously owned by Hershey. I think 5th Avenue is much better than Butterfinger, that is more sweet & has a peanut butter only taste. 5th Avenue is richer with a better chocolate.

    Comment by CeeCee on 2/27/13 at 6:23 pm #
  81. I believe that you should compare the butterfinger with the clark bar or is it the clark bar with the much missed almondless 5th Avenue.  I seem to remember that the 5th avenue had a different texture to it then the butterfinger.

    Comment by Linda on 5/09/13 at 1:09 pm #
  82. Today’s 5th Avenue Bar is NOT a 5th Avenue Bar. Hershey’s in a display of corporate cheapness does not include the almonds anymore. That’s like calling a scoop of vanilla ice cream a sundae. No, it’s not a sundae. It’s a scoop of ice cream without whipped cream. Almonds were the crowning jewel which separated this bar from the kid’s stuff. Shame on Hershey’s!

    Comment by Richard on 6/03/13 at 10:24 am #
  83. They sold butterfingers with almonds for a short while.  I used to buy them out of the vending machine at work.  I was hooked on them. I say it was in the early 90’s.
    Never much liked 5th avenue. I’m sure they were butterfingers.

    Comment by Mary Miller on 12/30/13 at 5:29 pm #
  84. I have compared the two candy bars also. And I prefer the 5th Avenue over the Butterfinger because usually the center of all the Butterfingers that I have tried lately seem to have sections in them that are very hard and not crunchy. The 5th Avenue is always crunchy with no hard areas. If you want about the same thing which still has real chocolate in it try the Clark Bar.

    Comment by Jerry Turner on 7/02/14 at 9:59 am #
  85. YOU GOT BAD INFO!  I just went to the plant that makes 5th Ave bars and they ABSOLUTELY made with Hershey’s chocolate.  Someone gave you some bad info !

    Comment by Alex on 7/04/14 at 10:33 am #
  86. Yeah, I few weeks ago I was driving home and heared on the news Hershey was bringing back the regular sized Crackel Bar.,, they said they still made the Lil ones .. But were reintroducing The large ones again ..,,  and I never read on this blog they would use fake chocolate .. I mean it is Hershey they do have the Cocoa connection .,

    Comment by Fryingpan2005 on 7/05/14 at 5:12 am #
  87. I remember 5th Avenue Candy bars from when I was little and I am now 62 years old.  The candy bar was thinner and tapered down on the ends and had two almonds on top of the bar each one near the end of the bar.  My dad and grandfather like them also, so every time we visited my grandfather we took three 5th Avenue bars.  One for grandpa, one for dad and one for me.

    Comment by Anthony J. Colone, Jr. on 7/22/14 at 5:26 pm #
  88. Interesting comments about the almonds on top. I ate 5th Avenue bars in the 70s, and I’m 100% sure they had two Pecans on top. I checked with friends and family, and all confirmed this. Is it possible that they used different nuts regionally?

    Comment by Ronald M on 10/16/14 at 3:37 am #
  89. I highly doubt that they would use different nuts in different geographical areas.  I do know they were not pecans on the 5th Avenues I had as a boy, they were definitely almonds.  I am 100% sure of that.

    Comment by Anthony J. Colone, Jr. on 10/18/14 at 1:15 pm #
  90. The 5th Avenue is by far the healthier choice.  Hydrogenated oil in Butterfinger, none in the 5th
    Avenue bar.

    Comment by alicia steffy on 11/12/14 at 10:06 am #
  91. Surfing the net on my all time favorite candy bar, 5th Avenue, and swerved onto this site.  For me, 5th Avenue is a hands-down, better bar.  The chocolate (real) tastes better, but it is the center that crushes Butterfinger.  The 5th Avenue is slightly softer, and richer texture, but there is a demonstrable explosion of peanut buttery goodness when you chomp into it.  The bar is hard to find, but locally CVS stores carry it.  To be fair, the Butterfinger is no slouch.  A close second to 5th Avenue and ranks high for me in the category of candy bars in general.  I will have to take a tip from the blog and taste the Clark’s bar.  I and certain I have had it, but have not clear taste in my mind.  Happy munching!

    Comment by Roy Cotterill on 11/14/14 at 1:59 pm #
  92. I was looking for 5th Ave bars for someone and mistakenly bought Clark bars at Cracker Barrel, for those of you searching out Clark bars. 2.1 oz for $1.49

    Comment by Julie Hannon on 1/02/15 at 3:29 pm #
  93. To straighten out some of the misconceptions about the 5th Avenue bar.
    1.The 5th avenue bar had 2 almonds.
    2.The bar was made in Reading,PA. Reading has claimed that the bar was named for it’s 5th street.(5th Street is not the same as 5th Avenue?)  Now brace yourselves people of Reading,the name for the candy bar can be traced to H. Earl Erb, a Luden’s secretary-treasurer who helped develop the bar and who lived at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Chestnut Street. In West Reading. I lived down the street form Mr. Erb. As a child we would meet me when I got off the school bus, he would be on his health walk with his cane and I would slow down or speed up so that I could walk with him to my house. He felt like a grandfather to me and was a lovely man.

    Comment by Pitunia Chops on 6/14/15 at 11:44 am #
  94. I grew up outside Reading, PA. home of the 5th Avenue bar. Birthplace of Ludens. The street signs still have the 5th Ave along 5th street (a bit misplaed).  The original with nuts on top was the best bar around! Hershey kinda ruined it but at least it’s still being made… I reamember the best part was being able to go to the local outlet and buy a big bag of broken pieces(seconds)for a few bucks. Hands down the better bar.

    Comment by Kevin Weller on 10/08/15 at 11:05 pm #
  95. I recall walking home from high school in the early 80s and stopping off at the local liquor store for a Butterfinger and an ice cold, 12 oz bottle of Coke. I remember it was a bit of a gamble with when selecting a Butterfinger, if was fresh, the texture was crisp and flakey on the inside, a heavenly experience. If it was stale, it was hard and chewy on the inside and I would spend the next half hour cleaning the crap off my molars. (As mentioned in an earlier post)
    What eventually turned me off of Butterfingers, and most all candy bars for that matter, was the transition from real milk chocolate to the fake, flavorless, waxy substitute. It seems to me that Coke too transitioned from cane sugar to corn syrup about that time. Near as I can tell, this transition happened in the early to mid 80s and corporate candy has never been satisfying for me since. I now prefer to patronize my local artisanal candy makers. Thanks for this great blog. It’s lots of fun.

    Comment by Joe on 10/31/15 at 10:37 am #
  96. Hershey bought 5th Avenue in 1986 and didn’t remove the almonds until the mid-90s. I remember at the time there were allegations of an almond shortage. Don’t know if that was true, but I miss those almonds. Fifth Avenue is still the best peanut butter crunch chocolate bars.

    Comment by Jude on 11/06/15 at 1:30 pm #
  97. Yeah, I remember the almonds on those!

    Had one today (Rite-Aid, Downtown Los Angeles, Calif., Broadway and 5th street! Coincidence…)


    SC

    Comment by SJCarras on 12/20/15 at 10:16 pm #
  98. Ah..Cybele:Thanks for refreshing my memory on Ludens making these. Atkinson’s is the ONLY ONE still doing THEIR peanut butter candy, Chick O Stick, Necco’s doing D.L.Clark’s Clark Bar, Nestle makes the ex-Curtiss Butterfingerr, but Hershey does BOTH D.L.Clark’s OTHER peanut butter bar, the Chick-O-Stick PREDECESSORS (which Atkinsons says coped them), the Zagnut AND Luden’s Fifth Avenue….hard to keep straight!

    Yes, they had two almonds (interesting story that two older ladies were involved with all of them-thanks Miss D).

    JOE DOOLEY..very fascinating on the coffe story..I love mine flavored but sitll will try the Fifth Avenue bar ..and I will say it is the best (Clark is second). Interesting, that Hersheys, besidfes both doing Zagnut and 5th ave, also originally OWNED Luden’s, the orig.maker of Fifth Ave. ALmost all of the comments shared interesting stories and history..

    Comment by SJCarras on 12/20/15 at 10:46 pm #
  99. The thing I like better about 5th Ave is that it’s always tender.  Butterfinger is nice when it’s totally fresh, but it gets really hard to chew over time.  5th Ave never gets like that.

    Comment by Rebecca White on 5/13/16 at 4:22 pm #
  100. I have always bought fifth avenue candy bars. Recently I find the crunchy middle is much more dry and crunchier. Have they changed something?

    Comment by Connie on 8/24/16 at 8:29 am #
  101. My husband just bought me a 5th Avenue bar for Christmas….takes me back to my childhood when my grandma gave me a 5th Ave and a Whatchamacalit for Halloween every year. The only time of the year I got them. I definitely think 5th Ave is superior to Butterfinger (even though they’re so similar). The chocolate is creamier and the inside more toffee flavor and not as sticky. Plus the fake orange center of the Butterfinger is off-putting to me. Thanks for the review!

    Comment by Jessica on 12/29/16 at 11:17 am #
  102. Just found out about the 5th Avenue bar from the movie Stargate (1994). Really want to try it out but they don’t sell it where I live. Looks like I might be able to buy it from Amazon though.

    Thanks for the review!

    Comment by Johann on 1/13/17 at 9:10 pm #
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