Friday, August 4, 2006

More Satisfying Snickers Almond?

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This is breaking news. Or at least it was breaking news to me: the Snickers Almond bar now contains peanuts ... I’m not talking about “processed in a facility and equipment along with peanuts” kind of thing. I’m talking about a main ingredient. (Click on the photos for more readable versions.)

I don’t know if I would have noticed, except that the Sav-on had both the old version of the bar (sans peanuts) and the new one side by side and I was curious why the packaging was suddenly different and what made the new one “more satisfying.”

So I purchased both and went off to the Candy Blog labs to do some analyses. First, the bars say they weigh the same, but when placed on the trusty postal scale the More Satisfying with Peanuts version came in at exactly 2.0 ounces and the Less Satisfying with just Almonds clocked in at 1.9 ounces. What’s even more puzzling about this is that the label says that they weigh 1.76 ounces ... at least Mars is generous.

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The original version shown above was easier to slice and seemed more “solid”. There weren’t copious amounts of almonds, but a fair amount. The bar was rather bland, as I mentioned in my review before. But there is something missing here, a toastiness, some sort of flavor.

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So the big thing I noticed right away was how difficult it was to slice this bar easily. It was kind of mucky ... not melted or anything, just not as structural. I think there may be more caramel now. Instead of just going back to a better tasting nougat, the Mars folks created the hybrid Snickers/Mars Frankenbar. It’s a Mars bar that tastes like a Snickers. Really, why buy this? It doesn’t taste like almonds ... if anything, it’s just a Snickers bar that’s a little smaller.

As a touchstone I went out and bought/consumed a standard Snickers bar. It really tasted no different except the Snickers Almond was a little crunchier because almonds are bigger than peanuts.

This got me to thinking about the ingredients, so here’s a run down of the top contents of the Less Satisfying Snickers Almond, More Satisfying Snickers Almond and the Satisfying Snickers (Peanut):

LS Snickers Almond…...MS Snickers Almond…..Plain Old Snickers
Milk Chocolate….........Milk Chocolate…......Milk Chocolate
Almonds….................Corn Syrup…................Peanuts
Corn Syrup…...............Almonds…...............Corn Syrup
Sugar….....................Sugar….....................Sugar
Skim Milk…................Peanuts….................Milk Fat
Hydr’ted Palm Kernel Oil….Milkfat…................Skim Milk

But let’s go back to that statement on the new Snickers Almond bar ... what exactly makes satisfaction?

Less Satisfying Snickers Almond: 230 Calories & 1.76 ounces (that’s 131 calories per ounce)
More Satisfying Snickers Almond: 240 Calories & 1.76 ounces (that’s 136 calories per ounce)
Snickers: 280 calories & 2.07 ounces (that’s 135 calories per ounce)

Could satisfaction be another word for caloric density?

While I find the More Satisfying Snickers Almond a little more tasty than before, its resemblance to the classic Snickers Peanut makes it superfluous. There are so few almond choices out there, why take this one away? I’m giving the Now More Satisfying Snickers Almond bar the same rating I gave the original.

(I’m also a little miffed that I consumed about 750 calories for this one review! I just hope none of them contained mouse droppings.)

Note: I looked at the Snickers website and they still list the old ingredients for the Snickers Almond bar.

UPDATE 9/2/2008: Well, the old new Snickers Almond is back. Here’s a brief revisit with the bar:

Snickers Almond

I like the bar (though I prefer the dark chocolate version) and I’m glad they brought it back.

Product: Mars Snickers Almond
Previous Review: 12/28/2005
Change: reverting to old recipe (eliminating peanut ingredients from previous version)
Result: A great bar with a long history and I’m glad that it’s back to a more classic formulation so it bumps up a notch. 6 out of 10

Related Candies

  1. Revisit: Take 5, Sunkist Fruit Gems & Snickers Almond
  2. Snickers Rockin’ Nut Road Bar
  3. Snickers Nut ‘n Butter Crunch
  4. Snickers Almond Dark
  5. Snickers Dark
  6. Snickers Xtreme
Name: Now More Satisfying Snickers Almond
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Mars
Place Purchased: Savon (Hollywood)
Price: $.65
Size: 1.76 ounces
Calories per ounce: 136
Categories: Chocolate, Nuts, Nougat, Caramel, Peanuts, United States, Mars

POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:29 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. It sure looks like it’s got more caramel than the previous incarnation.  Too bad!  If it had a good almond & peanut ratio I’d be all over this.  But instead it kind of looks like a mess.

    Comment by Julilla on 8/04/06 at 7:58 am #
  2. It does look like a mess!  Why they would add peanuts to an “almond” bar is beyond me.

    Comment by April on 8/04/06 at 8:21 am #
  3. Lol, I got the same sense from your other review, you have a serious issue with Almond Snickers.

    I think it’s Belgium that has it, but I’ve seen also a Hazelnut Snickers.

    Comment by GTO on 8/04/06 at 8:46 am #
  4. I know this is TOTALLY off topic, but I went into my local Eckerd pharmacy today and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw what they had on their candy shelves….

    HALLOWEEN CANDY!

    I kid you not.

    AHEM! A bit early, aren’t we?

    It especially made me angry because I STILL haven’t seen hide nor hair of the Orange Mounds OR the Tropical Tootsie pops. :-(

    Comment by Sera on 8/04/06 at 6:24 pm #
  5. I haven’t had a “mars bar” since forever ago.  It was probably my favorite candy bar.  The “snickers with almonds” was a poor imitation.  Why they changed the recipie, I don’t know.  Anyhow, I’ve only consumed one of the new ones.  I rather enjoyed the new “more satisfying one”.  Maybe it’s closer to the original.

    I noticed the “contains peanuts” and found that to be odd.  I didn’t look where peanuts was among the ingredients list, but I didn’t notice peanuts while eating it.

    Perhaps their nut-control is so poor there’s more than a chance of a “trace amount”.  smile

    Comment by Brad Kent on 8/05/06 at 2:08 am #
  6. so here’s my theory.  a) the addition of peanuts make it seem heavier/greasier than just the almonds, BUT - and here’s the kicker - b) it may seem more satisfying because it actually weighs a little more than the weight at which it’s advertised.  that’d be more satisfying, yes?  just an idea. i looove your blog.

    Comment by Elizabeth Superfantastisch on 8/05/06 at 5:02 am #
  7. Wait, i’m confused. Do snickers in USA usually have nuts in them? Or are they like the mars bars here (caramel and nougat) I know the mars bars in USA don’t have the caramel but i’m not sure about the snickers.
    So confusing, why did they have to change the names!

    Comment by Leigh on 8/05/06 at 5:23 pm #
  8. Cybele's avatar

    Leigh - I tried to describe the current Mars manufactured bars in that first review (but if you have any additions or corrections, let me know). See that here.

    Julilla - yeah, sorry about the messy photo of that!

    GTO - shall we take bets as to how long it takes before the put peanuts in the hazelnut bar?

    Sera - I saw some too at the RiteAid ... but then again I also saw some Easter candies, which might have been leftovers, not early appearances.

    Brad - I saw you have the new wrapper up on your site already too!

    Elizabeth - I was thinking that the peanuts were actually peanut butter added to the nougat to give it a more pleasant mouthfeel ... but I didn’t quite get around to dissecting the bar.

    Comment by Cybele on 8/05/06 at 6:11 pm #
  9. I’ll bet they include peanuts simply through necessity, after feeling that they are what gives Snickers it’s famously satisfying edge and to remove them entirely in favour of 100% almond would just dampen it’s flame.

    Comment by GTO on 8/06/06 at 8:25 am #
  10. I love the original almond snickers….I’m not so sure about this new thing..lol…Almonds AND peanuts….I don’t get it….Why do they always have to mess with a good thing???

    Comment by Amy on 8/06/06 at 6:02 pm #
  11. I liked the old Mars bar.  Didn’t taste like peanuts and had a much classier wrapper than Snickers.  Mars won’t leave anything alone right now.

    Comment by Dave on 8/07/06 at 1:45 am #
  12. I seem to remember hearing that almond crops are low and CA might have trouble keeping up with high demand. Perhaps they needed to “pad” the bar to keep costs lower?

    Comment by Kate on 8/11/06 at 10:07 am #
  13. According to Wikipedia, the Snickers Hazelnut bar is only in Australia. However, I had one in New Zealand (it was yummy - but then again I love love love hazelnuts).

    Comment by Mahina on 9/26/06 at 8:12 am #
  14. To me, the original non peanut version tasted just like a Mars bar. It was almost like the company devised a scheme to move Mars bars in a Snickers package.

    I can rarely find a Mars bar, so I was thrilled with the Snickers Almond. The nugget was brighter, with a better flavor and the almond taste was great. I just had (like 2 minutes ago) the new version with peanuts and I’m disappointed! If I wanted a regular Snickers, I would have purchased one! I hope the company takes the peanuts out and reconsiders the caramel.

    Comment by ThinkZinc on 12/02/06 at 4:13 am #
  15. As I understand it, they changed the nougat to peanut based… the same as snickers.

    fyi—The American Mars bar is not the same as Snickers Almond. Snickers has peanut nougat, where the Amnerican Mars bar had plain, the American Mars Bar version had whole Almonds, where snickers has little pieces, and the American Mars bar had relatively more caramel for it’s size (it was a smaller bar).

    Comment by aaaadfsd on 2/19/07 at 10:56 am #
  16. Cybele's avatar

    Aaaadfsd (I’m not sure why you can’t use some sort of screename while commenting here) - I think I covered this issue. This review covers the slow mutation of the bar from its original form to the present Snickers bar with Almonds. I call it a replacement, not just a renaming.

    Here’s the original review you may have missed.

    Comment by Cybele on 2/19/07 at 11:04 am #
  17. The original mars bar was the next best thing to the snickers since I am allergic to peanut products. I was devastated when the Mars bar was discontinued. I have never tried the snickers with almonds due to the fact it was processed on the same equipment as the peanut version. Please bring back the original Mars bar. I no longer have a favorite candy that I can eat with nuts, except the turtle and now Nestle has gone and mucked that up.

    Comment by Sonny on 4/04/07 at 6:04 pm #
  18. Who does Mars think they’re fooling?  I can no longer find my beloved Mars Bar anywhere.  For those of you who remember this delicious little bar of nougat, almonds, a ribbon of caramel all drenched in milk chocolate, then you know that this is the same makeup of the Snicker’s Almond bar.  Since I have not been able to find the original Mars Bar anywhere, I have come to substitute the Snicker’s Almond as “the new Mars Bar.”  But now I find out that Mars is tinkering with that too by adding peanuts!  I’m so NOT “more satisfied!”  If I wanted a Snicker’s, I’d buy one!

    Comment by Madge on 5/06/07 at 12:10 pm #
  19. I really missed the old Mars bar, and then suddenly discovered a few years ago that the new Snickers Almond was a Mars bar with a new name.  I called the company, and they admitted that the name had been changed.  I think that was a good marketing decision since Snickers are so popular. I was calling to tell them that they only had a couple pieces of Almond in the bar I purchased and I recommended they add more.  Would you believe that they did?  I am thrilled and I absolutely love them.  They are my favorite candy and are so delicious!  I didn’t know that they are also adding peanuts now.  I wanted just Almonds because Almonds are better for you than peanuts.  Oh well, maybe that’s why the last one I had was extra special!

    Comment by Judy on 9/21/07 at 7:27 am #
  20. The American Mars bar did NOT, I repeat DID NOT HAVE CARAMEL!!!

    It is one of the reasons I loved it. It was the only
    candy bar I would eat and now it’s gone.

    Does anyone know how to make the nougat?

    Comment by Mary on 2/08/08 at 1:22 pm #
  21. Cybele's avatar

    Mary - the more recent version of Mars did have caramel. Here’s a commercial:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=uDr9vjc1w50

    However, the original didn’t, it was just an almond nougat covered in chocolate.

    Comment by Cybele on 2/08/08 at 1:34 pm #
  22. Weirdly, I have just eaten a Snickers Almond that has the LS ingredients, but the MS pacakging- without the “more satisfying” label.  They are most probably seconds, and are pretty beat up (the caramel is all over the inside of the wrapper).  I’m in Bolivia, South America for the moment.

    The reason I love these bars is because while I love chocolate, I hate the ARGH RICH reaction from too much sugar/richness in my mouth.  These are sweet but not too much- nutty, but not peanutty.  The chocolate is good- some bars have nasty chocolate. My favourite- I’m devastated to find they’ve been “adjusted”.

    Comment by Alison on 2/16/08 at 6:31 am #
  23. Best candy bar ever!! A great addition to the snickers family.  At first I wasn’t too crazy about it, but the second time around was a totally different experience. I’m hooked!!!

    Comment by jeff on 11/17/08 at 10:31 am #
  24. Have you seen the return of the Mars bar yet. I found them at Walmart.

    Comment by whotony on 2/08/10 at 9:22 pm #
  25. Heck yes. I buy a couple every week. I’m a bit worried because Wal-mart seems to be the only place that sells them. Could be just a test to see if there are still alot of fans. I emailed Mars to let them know I love that it is back.

    Comment by Vince on 3/25/10 at 8:26 pm #
  26. Cybele's avatar

    Vince - I talked to a PR rep for Mars and they confirmed that they’re selling the Snickers Almond at WalMart in the original Mars packaging.

    Comment by Cybele on 3/25/10 at 8:41 pm #
  27. Not that I don’t believe you…but if you check the nutritional info for the Mars Almond and Snickers Almond they are different, and not just proportionally because the Mars Almond is smaller. Found that out when I was trying to enter the snack in my online calorie counter and the Snicker Almond kept popping up. I think the PR person was just lazy/misinformed. Also these have a distinct taste that 1) doesn’t taste like the Snickers and 2) Does taste like the bars from a decade ago.

    Comment by Vince on 3/25/10 at 10:01 pm #
  28. Cybele's avatar

    Okay, Vince. I’m just reporting the information that I have. I’m glad you like it, perhaps you should contact Mars directly to tell them.

    Comment by Cybele on 3/25/10 at 10:07 pm #
  29. I’m disappointed with these new Mars bars.
    they are very thin and don’t have many almonds in there.
    The snickers almond is a little bigger and tastes better.
    I also noticed the snicker almond twin pack is almost twice as thick as the mars bar.
    I’m glad it’s available, but it’s just too small.

    Comment by Whotony on 3/25/10 at 10:26 pm #
  30. why is it so hard to find the snickers almond candy bars?

    Comment by velva novak on 12/02/12 at 5:16 am #
  31. Our Mars bar chronology:
    1936-1980: vanilla nougat, six whole almonds, caramel coating, milk chocolate top coating.

    1980-2002: vanilla nougat with chopped almonds mixed in, caramel coating, milk chocolate top coating.

    ~Ben

    Comment by Benjamin Edge on 12/31/15 at 8:55 pm #
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