18 Peanut Butter Candies, Ranked

Unless you have a peanut allergy, there's a decent chance you're part of the crowd that delights in any chocolate and peanut butter combination under the sun. Perhaps you prefer to go the gourmet route to get your fix by making some homemade buckeyes, or maybe you have a secret stash of Reese's cups in the back corner of your pantry (where nobody else in the family can get their hands on them). Whatever your peanut butter candy preference, options featuring the savory-sweet item abound, and — surprise, surprise — not all are created equal.

Actually? That revelation was a bit surprising to me. I wasn't super well-versed in peanut butter candies before working on this piece, but I figured they'd all be somewhat similar. While I was woefully wrong about that, it ended up making my task a bit easier. After all, it wasn't hard to rank the following peanut butter candies from worst to best, even if the sugar rush I got from tasting all of them didn't feel justified. The chasm between my top and bottom choices is achingly large, in fact.

Regardless, peanut butter candy fans will no longer need to go on the hunt for the best one. I've ranked the following primarily based on how pure and potent its peanut butter flavor is, and how any other elements of the candy enhance or detract from it. Without further ado, here's my definitive ranking of a whopping 18 different peanut butter candies.

I tend to love anything cookie dough, and am known to make my own edible cookie dough from time to time. Unfortunately, I found this to be a completely underwhelming treat at the end of the day. Since it was a struggle to get through one tiny morsel, it comes in last.

Firstly, the candy is way, way too cloying. It was so sweet I could hardly taste any of its actual components. Moreover, the cookie dough hardly tasted like cookie dough; it tasted more like sweet, vaguely cookie dough flavored powder. The biggest factor landing this candy in the bottom spot, though, was its peanut butter flavor — or, rather, a lack thereof. In addition to the candy tasting overwhelmingly artificial, I truly couldn't parse out any peanut butter notes, meaning it's unlikely to satisfy anyone's peanut butter candy craving.

I'd hoped Clark Cups would be at least a somewhat satisfying dupe for Reese's Cups. The package's promise of "Clark crunch" heightened my anticipation, as well, since I'm all for textural variety. While I thought a crunchy peanut butter cup could be a potentially novel take on the original concept, I couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, I disliked these almost as much as I disliked the aforementioned cookie dough bites, and the only reason this peanut butter candy ranked higher was because of its discernible peanut butter flavor.

Beyond that, I found Clark Cups wholly unsatisfying. For starters, the peanut butter interior was far too thin to hold up to its own chocolate coating, and the peanut butter was also incredibly cloying. Plus, the aforementioned crunch wasn't evenly distributed, and seemed to be concentrated entirely in the center of the cups, leading to very unbalanced bites.

If you enjoy Kit Kats, you might like the brand's take on a peanut butter chocolate treat, but I found these to be a bit of a letdown. In fact, had I been ranking these candies purely based on how much they tasted like peanut butter, I might've ranked Clark's Cups above this one. As it stands, though, I gave this the higher spot because it tasted more cohesive — as a whole candy, that is — than that lower-ranked entry.

My biggest complaint with this bar was that the peanut butter was pretty nondescript. Milk chocolate and wafer took center stage, and the thick layer of peanut butter shown on the front of the package was deceptively thin inside the actual candy bar. While I can't call it the worst treat ever, because I had to search to find any peanut butter flavor, I also can't rank it any higher on this list.

This might be a hot take — as I've heard some consumers prefer this peanut butter candy to comparable options – but I really didn't love 5th Avenue. That was a bummer, because it sounded appealing enough on the package. Now, the bar kind of delivers on the promise of wafer-like crunch and a dark (or "rich," as the company would self-describe it) chocolate coating. And while it tasted more like peanut butter than the previous entries, it was also underwhelming overall.

Though the interior was indeed crunchy, peanut butter once again fell to the background in favor of overly sweet chocolate. Chocolate dominates here, and rather than a rich, dark flavor, it tasted more like milk chocolate. Moreover, the crunchy parts are incredibly sticky and stuck in my teeth. If this had a deeper dark chocolate flavor, it could have ranked a couple spots higher, but ranks near the bottom instead.

Yet another let down was Snickers' take on a peanut butter candy. I was a bit mystified by this one; after all, surely a company with such skin in the game could come up with a better offering than this. Yet compared to higher-ranked candies on this list, it was wholly underwhelming, and only merits the 14th spot as a result.

For starters, this bar was far more cloying than most other peanut butter candies, which really detracted from its overall appeal for me. Nougat and caramel stand front and center, as well, and while peanut butter still comes through, it feels like an afterthought rather than the main event. Additionally, the milk chocolate coating was too sweet, and felt more like a sugar bomb than something that could be savored and enjoyed, though I thought it tasted slightly better than 5th Avenue.

We're entering the realm of "not bad" peanut butter candy bars: The ones I didn't want to spit out immediately upon trying, but wouldn't buy again, either. First up is Wunderbar, a log-shaped offering from Cadbury that promises "creamy peanut butter and chewy caramel." While it certainly delivered on both components, I think it could have done better, hence it's bottom half placement.

The interior of the bar is a thick peanut butter log, with some discernible peanut pieces throughout. It's encased by a thin layer of caramel and the chocolate coating. It's very soft and chewy, which I wouldn't have minded except that the caramel (which just takes like sugar, by the way) stuck in my teeth too much to make this a pleasurable eat. Plus, despite the thick peanut butter center, it was still a little overwhelmed by the chocolate.

I had a very hard time making up my mind when it came to Boyer's Butterscotch Smoothie Peanut Butter Cups. They represent a unique offering in the genre, after all, and not a wholly unwelcome one (which helped it earned a higher spot on this list than several other peanut butter candies). I also appreciated the potency of the peanut butter flavors here, especially in contrast with the last treat. But it didn't pack the punch I'd hoped for, leading to a fairly low placement.

The exterior butterscotch definitely makes this candy quite sweet, though it surprisingly managed to avoid being too saccharine. The plentiful, savory peanut butter interior acted as a good balance. Unfortunately, it's a fairly one-note candy. And while it's not a bad one, it also didn't catch my interest the way the following picks did.

Cadbury's other entry in this list, Crispy Crunch, stands squarely at number 11 — though had it not been so difficult to eat, I'd have debated ranking it higher. The flavors weren't bad, and I appreciated the textural variations. But this simply didn't measure up or offer a pleasant eating experience.

The peanut butter flavor was definitely apparent, and it wasn't overwhelmed by the chocolate coating. The candy had a slight salty appeal that others were lacking, as well. However, the bar completely lost me at the "crunch" aspect. It was very hard to bite through, in fact, and I found some small pieces impossible to chew. If not for the tooth-breaking character of this bar, it may have earned a better spot on this list, and I did appreciate that it had more enjoyable elements than the lower-ranked candies.

Despite its ubiquity, we've previously given Payday a fairly low ranking in comparison to other candies, so I wasn't shocked that it didn't make it higher on this list. The peanut caramel bar is undoubtedly attractive, with peanuts studded all over the top. While that gave this peanut butter candy a slight leg up among competitors (and helped its ranking), I didn't love it as a whole.

I found the caramel came through more than the peanut flavor. Even the peanut pieces on top didn't really help, though they did add a nice texture. I also appreciated that this offered some textural variety without threatening to chip a tooth, like the last candy. This isn't a bad choice, but I thought its peanut flavors could have been more emphasized, and it simply didn't pack the punch I was hoping for to rank higher than tenth.

I'd never heard of Abba-Zaba before hunting down samples for this piece, and I was dubious of it at first (taffy with a peanut butter center?). Even though the retro packaging was delightful, I feared an outdated entry would greet me upon opening it. In that sense, I was surprised to discover I kind of liked this one; but it also didn't offer enough to earn a higher spot. 

This candy was a toss-up. The white taffy exterior had virtually no flavor, merely acting as a vehicle for the peanut butter center. Then again, this wasn't a bad thing, as it allowed the peanut butter flavor to shine. Moreover, the taffy wasn't cloying and the peanut butter didn't taste artificial. It was a fine candy worthy of a middle spot in these rankings, but I found myself wishing it had a little more going on.

I had no clue what to expect from this bag of tiny, Tootsie Roll-shaped logs. It gives an undoubtedly antique appeal and quite stymied me upon trying one. Now, I still haven't totally made up my mind about this peanut butter candy. But they were intriguing enough for me to want to try one again, and proved enough to earn a number eight spot here.

While the candy was very hard to bite into, that was pretty much the only negative. It has that rich, vintage flavor of something sweetened with molasses, and the peanut butter still came through nicely (though not as much as the treats ranked higher). If a candy with a nostalgic appeal sounds like your vibe, you'll probably be happy with this one.

Ah, Reese's peanut butter cups: The unofficial king of Reese's candy lineup and a childhood favorite of countless individuals throughout the years. You may have expected them to get a higher spot on this list, but these tasted different from how I remembered them. Perhaps it was just my palate, but I found them to be underwhelming compared with my fond memories of eating the treat.

The classic Reese's peanut butter flavor was present, but the interior was way more powdery than I recalled. Additionally, the outer chocolate coating was slightly too thick. On the plus side, it's not overly sweet, and this can definitely satisfy the craving for a peanut butter candy. In short, it's a safe choice for those who like the treat, but the higher-ranked peanut butter candies were simply stronger entries.

Had this ranking been based purely on personal preference, the peanut butter & jelly M&Ms would have been a serious contender for first place. Their nostalgic appeal is obvious, and the candy delivers on what it promises. Each piece tastes exactly like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which is quite the feat for any candy.

The jelly flavor is wildly apparent, in fact, resulting in the peanut butter taking a back seat (though it's still definitely there). Consequently, I couldn't give it a place among the top five. That being said, if you want a nostalgic peanut butter candy, don't hesitate to reach for these. I even thought they tasted better than Reese's cups.

I debated for a while about where to rank Zagnut. On the one hand, I liked the idea of combining peanut butter and coconut, which made it a distinct offering on this list. On the other hand, I can see the coconut being divisive, and it actually took me a couple bites to decide whether I enjoyed the duo (which I did).

The peanut butter was very potent, while the exterior coconut coating was subtle. This was the right move on the part of its creators, as the coconut was a pleasant tropical accent rather than trying to steal the show. I also loved the light, wafer-like texture of the interior, and the tender coconut flakes on the outside, all of which gave this treat a lot of dimension. I certainly liked this one, but don't think it's universally enjoyable enough to merit a higher spot.

Ah, Reese's Pieces. Surely you're not surprised to see this among my top five picks. It's a candy that's stood the test of time — perhaps even more so than its cup-shaped sibling — earning it a top-four spot. The "pieces" are easy to enjoy and hard to stop eating, too, and I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like this snack.

The pieces have a satisfying crunch that gives way to a pure, slightly sweet peanut butter flavor on the inside. And ... that's pretty much it. Of course, I can't deduct points for not having much going on, as the bite-sized candies aren't supposed to. They accomplish what they set out to do, and you'll always find me holding a box at the movies. The top three entries simply made more of an impression.

I'd never had a Whatchamacallit before, though I've certainly said the name in too many brain fart moments. And while it wasn't the strongest entry, I must say I actually liked this one. It was well-rounded enough to secure a solid third spot in this ranking, and I'd happily have one again.

Now, this was a bit of an outlier in that it was fairly sweet compared to some of my other top picks. Yet I found all of its components stood in good balance, lending to an overall enjoyable bite. The caramel was nondescript, allowing peanuts to take the spotlight, and the "peanut flavored crisps" lent some lightness to the bar in addition to enhancing the peanut butter flavor. It was a very cohesive candy bar, even if the following two were definitely better.

Why haven't I heard more talk of Oh Henry! in the past? I wondered if I was an outlier in liking this peanut butter candy so much upon trying it, but I'm definitely not, and it's more than deserving of the second place spot on this list.

I loved the peanut halves on the interior of this bar. Not only did they add some crunch, but they lent a natural appeal to the candy that many others on this list lacked. The peanut butter was also super creamy, and well-complemented by subtle, stretchy caramel and its chocolate coating. This was quite possibly the best candy bar on this list in terms of how cohesive it was and the flavor punch it packed. But nothing could realistically beat my top choice.

To be honest, adding Tom Bumble to this list was an afterthought. I saw the Oregon-made candy in the checkout line at a grocery store and thought, well ... why not? Fortunately for you, you can order this brand of peanut butter candy online, which you should do — immediately.

The interior of this little candy is packed with peanut butter, and it's the most natural-tasting peanut butter center of any candy on this list. Moreover, the "flake" aspect made it pleasantly light and crunchy, and the chocolate exterior didn't overwhelm at all, but gave it just the right amount of oomph to let the peanut butter shine. It's a small, simple candy, but one that deserves the recognition of first place on this list (and a spot in your shopping cart).

To rank each of these, I took a small bite (I didn't want to end up in a sugar coma, after all) from each entry sequentially. Tasting them all at once gave me a better perspective of how they actually matched up to one another.

After sampling each, I put them in order based mostly on how potent and pure the peanut butter flavor was. Secondarily taken into account was how the other elements of each candy interacted with the peanut butter; for instance, did they act as a nice complement or overtake it? My bottom picks were fairly saccharine in a way that detracted from the savory nature of peanut butter. Conversely, my top picks put peanut butter front and center, using other elements simply as complementary components. And yes: You really should go order some Tom Bumble candy as soon as possible.