Planters Peanut Bar vs Pay Day
What do you do when you want some peanuts but it’s just not convenient to open a jar? Of course you grab a candy bar that’s made of peanuts stuck together with some goop. Okay maybe that wasn’t the idea behind these bars, but they certainly would be handy for peanut lovers to eat while swinging on a trapeze or reeling in a Great White or some other task that allows limited use of you hands. I like peanuts just lightly roasted and salted, but never enjoyed them in food. I was thinking maybe these would be good since peanuts are the headliner and just a little sugar (or “binder”) would compliment the star of the show and I’d find a new way to enjoy peanuts.
Planters Peanut Bar:
This is a very stiff, hard and brittle bar. Biting into this was not enjoyable at all. It felt like I was biting into a candy bar made of teeth, which was pretty gross. The glaze/peanut binder did not provide any flavor and it seemed like the peanuts themselves didn’t taste like anything either. Ethan said he’d rather just eat some peanuts from a jar.
Pay Day:
The binder in Pay Day is more like a soft caramel. In that way the texture was much different but I’m not sure I’d say it was more appealing. The taste wasn’t much better. We found this to be very salty and between the “flavor” of the binder and the overly generous amount of salt, neither of us could finish it.
Wrap up:
No and no. Planter’s “teeth bar” is totally bland and gross, and Pay Day is a soft, tasteless putty with the mis-matched texture/taste of peanuts. Even splitting these bars, we couldn’t finish them. Obviously people must like them (and nothing against these people) or they wouldn’t be on the candy shelves, but I guess these just aren’t our thing, at all.
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December 10th, 2008 at 3:25 am
That’s so strange, I hadn’t ever seen this Planters bar until 2 days ago and lo-and-behold here it is again. Good thing I read this now I don’t have to venture our to try it
December 10th, 2008 at 5:33 am
I agree that neither is good. I do wonder, though,
” It felt like I was biting into a candy bar made of teeth, which was pretty gross.”
if you have ever tried peanut brittle - carmelized sugar/butter with some (usually about one per bite, which is silly but apparently a standard) peanuts. Or the more expensive cashew brittle? Not that good either, but as a once-a-year “treat” better than these.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:44 am
You need a “neither” and both option in your polls. For this particular..I would choose NEITHER! ICK
December 10th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Ah yes of course! I have added a “Neither” option.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I love PayDays. They were actually voted “Most healthy candy bar” by Mens Health last year.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:11 am
I love peanut brittle! It’s so yummy! I wouldn’t eat these either. We have natural bars that are made out of peanuts but they have choc-coated on the bottom, i put them in hubby’s lunch as he loves them.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:31 am
I actually like both of these. My issue, though, is this doesn’t feel like a true Second Rate Snack, as the two candy bars are so much different. Planter’s Peanut Bar vs. Munch would have made more sense.
December 11th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Hi Malcom,
Thanks for the suggestion. I just work with what’s available (or what people send me) I haven’t seen any Munch bars where I live. I’ll keep a look out next time I travel though.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Splitting hairs here, but could have been Pearsons Nut Roll v. Payday if it were available.
Still, both Planters and Payday have lots of nuts and sugar. I’d go for the Payday.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
This should really be between Payday and Pearson’s Nut Roll. Planter’s Nut Bar is more like peanut brittle and really doesn’t compare. -Craig
December 14th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I agree with Craig and Justin. While these’re both made of peanuts, they feel like comparing apples to oranges to me. Lol.
December 25th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I like both of these and agree that they are really not comparable products. But best of all is the Pearson’s nut roll. I just avoid the chocolate covered Pearson’s.
February 10th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Call me a junk-food junkie, but I LOVE PAY DAY bars!!!! I thought your description of Pay Day was right on target, and with all that salty-sweet goodness that you described I was surprised to see that you ultimately don’t like it. I love them! Fortunately I buy only about one per year, because they’re really, really fattening. But I love them and think of a Pay Day as a special treat.
March 11th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
oh! surprised I found this here. These bars remind me of a very popular snack in India called ‘chikki’ it’s peanuts bonded together in thick wafer format with caramelized brown sugar. It’s made in homes, and some people sell these at local stores. I really like it when it’s made a certain way. Can’t say I will like these mass produced preservative infused packaged bars.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
i love pay days so much yummyness
November 16th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Try the Payday avalance bar. They are hard to find but essentially a payday covered in chocolate. Yummy!
December 9th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I LOVE the planter’s peanut bar…it was always one of my favorite treats when I was a kid. You don’t see them that often, but I do pick one up on the rare occasion I see one. They are AWESOME!!!
January 28th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Wow, that’s weird. I went through a Payday craze back in jr. high and remember loving the hell out of those bars. I haven’t had one in a few years, though. Did they change the formula for the binder? I remember it being a slightly salty caramel.