PAYDAY PEANUT CARAMEL BAR

Deceitful!

I was wandering through a small grocery store recently, actually, in the middle of nowhere, when I happen to glance twice during checkout at this peculiar, loud-screaming chocolate bar sitting on the shelf. Its name of Payday grabbed my attention. Did I need to purchase, taste, test, and rate this bar? Oh you bet my chocolates I did! Why the Payday name I wondered, was this a sublime message of some sort? Long story short, I walked out with some groceries, and a Payday bar at hand. I thought that I might perhaps be hypnotized at first bite from the Payday bar, and would awaken to find a pile of money, sitting there ever so pretty, in a stunning Speedy 40 Louis Vuitton handbag. I mentioned the style since the larger the bag, the more “stuff” would fit in. He he he. Well, that was as far as this irrational perception went, just an assumptive fantasy.  
 
The Payday chocolate bar was introduced in the year 1932 by Frank Martoccio, who later went on to serve as the boss of the Hollywood Candy Company, where the ZERO choco bar was also made. In 1968, the Martoccio family sold their Hollywood Brands to Consolidated Foods. In 1980, there was unfortunately a huge and destructive fire in their Centralia plant. On a positive note, production of the Payday bar did resume with the help of the L.S. Health and Sons Company. No production or time was lost. This aid continued until the new facility was constructed, 1988 to be exact. In 1996, Hollywood Brands became part of the Hershey Company. 
 
Payday chocolate bar has had several recipe variations. Honey-Roasted limited Edition in 2003, the Payday Pro which was a protein energy bar and created in 2005, and the Payday Chocolatey Avalanche in 2007. I am assuming they all stayed limited…..Hmmmm…..
 
In 1989, an ingenious scheme was implemented to promote Payday by submerging an individually wrapped nickel in every bar. Okay, seriously; chocking = lawsuit! Nickel inside the bar, come on now, this is really asking to be sued. There was even a famous and at the same time tacky tagline that they promoted. “Expose Yourself in Payday.” Yikes! Dreadful!!!
 
History lesson done, let the tasting begin! Okay, first of all, I never expected this bar to be completely covered in peanuts, and I mean a WHOLE lot of peanuts, two layers to be exact. They are everywhere, not an inch of the chocolate bar has some breathing room. I would not even call this a “chocolate” bar since hello, there is NO chocolate! This is a peanut bar, how deceiving. The peanuts are cut in half. That is some precise type of work. Somebody must have been really bored back in 1932 and thought, “I need to do something, anything, let’s cut some peanuts in half, with a sword! Okay, I have a wild imagination but that could have happened. The middle filling is there but on a very faint basis. All I taste is peanuts with an equal amount of sugar infested caramel and salt. That is it, nothing fancy or extravagant. It is a subtle, low-key bar that is obviously not smooth in texture. There is also of course no melt of any sort since there is no CHOCOLATE. I was really fooled with Payday, refund please. Lastly, the peanuts are most likely GMO infested but unfortunately, it is hard to trace. On the upside, the peanut bar has some protein, but I would definitely not consume this as a work out-type of a snack. The sugar content is much too high. I will have to pass! You have to be in a funky “mood” for this confection. It is certainly not the type of snack I would crave for, or want to indulge in during my weekly cheat day(s). It would be a waste of indulgence. Sorry to disappoint all of the Payday hard-core fans out there not only with this unpleasant review, but empty pockets. No Payday for Payday!
 
Ingredients: Peanuts, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Skim Milk, Vegetable Oil, Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Carrageenan, Mono and Diglycerides
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 0.9 / 5.0
 
Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar

Calories                                   240
Total Fat                                  13 g        (17%)
  Saturated Fat                       2.5 g        (13%)
  Trans Fat                                0 g
Cholesterol                             0 mg
Sodium                                120 mg        (5%)
Total Carbohydrate                    27 g        (10%)
  Dietary Fiber                            2 g         (8%)
  Total Sugars                           21 g
  Added Sugars                        19 g         (37%)
Protein                                     7 g
 
Vitamin D                              0 mcg         (0%)
Calcium                                51 mg         (4%)
Iron                                        1 mg         (6%)
Potassium                           200 mg         (4%)   
 
The Daily % Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.