By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Every Sunday Marsha Jones, Ridgegrove Church of Christ “Candy Lady”, brings treats like Twix and Milky Way for Sellers and others to enjoy. 
During halftime of the Millington vs. Fayette-Ware game, Sellers bites into a Snickers to refuel for second half coverage.
Children of all ages love a delicious candy bar.
Just the name itself should bring joy to all hearts — a bar of candy. Somebody invented a way to condense various ingredients of sweetness and salty goodness for our convenience. Candy bars are good on the go, as a quick snack after lunch or dessert when dinner is complete.
Candy bars look natural in the hands of a 6-year-old girl losing her baby teeth and even a 66-year-old man who still has a few choppers left.
Candy bars are a great gift on Valentine’s Day, a birthday or just because. And they are the foundation of a fantastic Halloween bucket full of treats.
According to Everyday Health, the history of candy bars actually began back in 1847. The first chocolate bar was made in Britain by Joseph Fry and his son.
The duo pressed a paste made of cocoa powder and sugar into a bar shape. The chocolate bar was further developed in 1849 by John Cadbury. We think about him around Easter time with those eggs. Fry and Cadbury later joined forces to become great chocolate confectioners.
The chocolate bar we have grown to love today was made by Henri Nestlé and Daniel Peter by adding milk to the classic recipe.
Now we have dozens and dozens of candy bar recipes to choose from on the market. And before this Best Sellers’ List notes the good, I must first address the bad.
For those who are planning to share sugary joy with children in a week for trick-or-treat, do not place Heath, Butterfinger or Clark bars in their bags. Chocolate-covered toffee is simply gross.
You either love or hate those types of candy bars. The hard crunch is not very tasty, and all that toffee gets stuck in your teeth. I shouldn’t have to snap a candy bar to eat it.
But these honorable mentions are my way of pointing consumers in the right direction: Hershey Bar with almonds, Mr. Goodbar, Crunch, Zero, Mars, Oh, Henry!, Take 5, Almond Joy, Mounds, Whatchamacallit, Krackel, 3 Musketeers, NutRageous, 5th Avenue, Caramello, Nut Roll, Oreo Chocolate, Andes Chocolate Mints and Reese’s Cups.
10. Charleston Chew
Sometimes basic can be so awesome. There’s nothing fancy about the Charleston Chew. It’s a candy bar featuring nougat wrapped in a chocolate coat. Created in 1925, the Charleston Chew has staying power on the market because it’s easy to eat and hits the spot with chewy greatness.
Now it comes in different flavors of vanilla and strawberry. There is banana on the market and the candy comes in a “mini” version.
Almost 100 years old, the creator of the Charleston Chew should be proud of creating an American candy legend.
Like most U.S. American classics, the Chew had to make some changes to reach legendary status. Nathan Sloane, who is not the inventor of the Charleston Chew, changed the candy’s original blueprint from chocolate-covered vanilla taffy to what we enjoy today.
9. PayDay
Who doesn’t love PayDay? You work so hard and then it’s time to receive a reward or compensation. In 1932, The F.A. Martoccio Macaroni Company figured out a way to give us a PayDay seven days a week. Frank Martoccio invented a candy bar consisting of salted peanuts rolled in caramel.
PayDay has a unique look from most candy bars on the market. Its only competition is the Salted Nut Roll. The Nut Roll employs cream in the center. That’s delicious but the PayDay’s simple approach makes you grab two for a quick snack.
Salty and sweet is a great formula that popcorn and chips have finally adopted. I like to think PayDay paved the way.
8. Kit Kat
One of the best jingles of all time is “Gimme a Break” from Kit Kat. Since the late 1980s, people of all ages have been singing the song leading to the purchase of several chocolate-covered wafers by the fours.
Created by Rowntree’s of York, United Kingdom, the candy bar is a global success. Now under the Hershey’s umbrella, Kit Kat is expanding in flavors with classic milk chocolate being joined by dark chocolate, pumpkin pie, white chocolate, mini versions and giant size.
Normally chocolate-covered wafers are not very appetizing. But what separates Kit Kat is condensing the wafers and coating them with a thick layer of savory chocolate.
If you don’t watch out, you will end up eating a whole bowl of Kit Kats and not feel full.
7. Twix
The Mars Company won’t be left out of the candy bar wars. It has a home run hitter with Twix. Let’s take cookie biscuit and apply a topping of caramel and milk chocolate. And let’s give consumers two of them per purchase. Mars, you have a winner.
And thank you, Mars, for not just stopping at the original Twix. Now we have additions like Twix McFlurry, Gingerbread Twix, Twix PB, Chocolate Fudge Twix, Cookie-n-Creme Twix and Twix Mint all over the world. There is even an Orange Twix on the market.
Now we U.S. Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the United Kingdom. Twix was also created there in 1967. Then the product was introduced to the States 12 years later. And now Twix are made in Cleveland, Tenn., alongside M&Ms.
6. Baby Ruth
Greatness in the candy bar field does originate in America. One of the most iconic chocolate treats created in the United States was the Baby Ruth, not to be confused with Babe Ruth. Here is the recipe: Milk chocolate-flavored nougat, covered in compound chocolate. It is now distributed by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero.
The combination of nougat, peanuts and tasty chocolate is legendary on its own. But Baby Ruth is accompanied by myths for the name’s origin.
Some people think Baby Ruth is named after baseball great Babe Ruth. I guess hitting 714 home runs throughout the 1920s and ’30s earns you the right to have a delicious candy bar named in your honor.
We do know that in 1920, the Curtiss Candy Company refashioned its Kandy Kake into the Baby Ruth. The bar was a staple of the Chicago-based company for some seven decades and it claims the candy bar was named after then-President Grover Cleveland’s daughter Ruth.
Whether it’s named after the Babe or the president’s daughter, the reason why we still celebrate the Baby Ruth today is simply taste.
5. Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Crème
Hershey’s doesn’t mind putting their name on a product. But when it is this good, you should brag. I’m shocked it took so long for this concept to hit the market in candy bar form. The Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Creme candy bar came to be when I was 13 years old. It took until 1994 for Hershey’s to take cookies ’n’ cream out of the freezer section to the candy stand near checkout.
The Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Creme is a flat, white candy bar containing small cookie bits similar in taste and texture to an Oreo.
That’s all I need to write in order for you to know that is great.
4. Turtles
The smallest candy bar on this list might pack the most flavor. Turtles are a gourmet treat introduced 101 years ago after a salesman came into the Johnson’s Candy Company’s dipping room and showed a candy to one of the dippers. That dipper pointed out that the candy looked like a turtle. Soon after, Johnson’s Candy Company was making the same kind of candy and selling it under the name “Turtles.”
Now Turtles are a favorite on Valentine’s Day for that special somebody. It’s hard not to love a candy made with pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate. And the turtle shape just makes them easier to eat while they are being adorable.
Another cool factor about Turtles is that they can be made at home. While still tasty, they don’t match the box produced by DeMet’s.
3. Milky Way
This might be the most controversial choice on this list to be ranked so high. You either absolutely enjoy the concept of the Milky Way or think it is a pointless candy bar. Those who hate the Milky Way claim it is a nutless version of the Snickers. The combination of nougat and caramel is missing something.
Don’t worry, Mars, I got your back. The candy bar that shares the name of our galaxy is out of this world. OK, I admit that was lame. But Milky Way is packed with flavor and is a great transition dessert. You can chop Milky Way over ice cream or bake them into brownies. Did I mention Milky Way cookies are phenomenal?
To me the best way to enjoy Milky Way is to place them in the refrigerator or leave them in your car during February. Let a cold Memphis night do the rest of the work. Pull the Milky Way out of your glove box and thank me later.
History is recorded that the candy bar was created in 1923 by Frank C. Mars, and the name and taste derived from a then popular malted milk drink (milkshake) of the day, not after the astronomical galaxy.
The worldly recipe of nougat, caramel and milk chocolate allows the Milky Way to be modified with dark chocolate, fudge, caramel apples and more.
2. 100 Grand Bar
I love PayDay. But I love 100 Grand even more. Although my pay days don’t even come close to that amount of cash, I will take a few pennies to buy the treat of 100 Grand candy bars. Formerly known as the $100,000 Bar, it was created by the Ferrara Candy Company in 1964.
I would describe 100 Grand as a Crunch bar on steroids. That juice being caramel in the chocolate and crisped rice. Just imagine a chewy Crunch bar. I love seeing the snack-sized versions appearing throughout a Halloween bowl of candy bars.
I go straight for the 100 Grand like I just hit the jackpot in Tunica. It might be the closest I come to enjoying 100 Grand in my life.
1. Snickers
The Babe Ruth, McDonald’s, Erica Kane, Hulk Hogan and LeBron James of the candy bar is the Snickers. It is simply the best. And the Mars Company is the proud owner of the best concept candy bar to ever grace the market.
Introduced in 1930, Snickers incorporated the delicious taste of nougat topped with a layer of caramel and nuts. Then those ingredients are enrobed in savory milk chocolate.
Great marketing through commercials helps make Snickers No. 1 across the world with $2 billion in sales since 2004.
Alternative versions play a role like Snickers’ almonds, peanut butter, maple and ice cream. Snickers shares characteristics with every other candy bar within the top 10. That makes it No. 1. And the last two factors that place Snickers atop my list are taste and it hits the spot every single time.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Magic Valley Publishing. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
