The 5th Avenue bar of my childhood was not a Hershey product but made by Luden’s (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 California, I was introduced to candy bars that seem to have not made there way to Texas and I tried a 5th Avenue bar at a friend’s house. Her mom must have loved them, because she had a whole jar full of them. 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 peanut butter crisp. Kind of like a flaky toffee – it is much flakier than a Butterfinger bar. It has some peanut butter 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. Whoever made this candy bar knew what they were doing – it is distinctly more peanut buttery than the Butterfinger bar. I would not go so far as to say that one is better than the other – they both bring something tasty to the table. The crispy peanut butter center is enrobed in sweet milk chocolate. Again, I cannot stress how much I love this flavor combination. It’s like a gift from the god’s. I wish that this bar still had the almonds on top, though. They added a great flavor and added crunch to the already crunchy bar. I’m a sucker for almonds and chocolate, too. I guess that like many candies, the original recipe died out when consumers were given a choice of almond or sans almond. I, for one, would have chosen almond. And that’s all I have to say about that…