MyTastr

Best candy bars, according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Rebecca Marx, CBS Detroit taste test, Good Food Award, Heather Sperling and 3 more. Recommendations come from villagevoice.com, cbsnews.com, drydenwire.com and tastingtable.com and 3 other sources.

Snacks & Sweets · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Zingerman’s Zzang! Original

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    A handmade Snickers upgrade from Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor: peanut butter–honey nougat, muscovado caramel and butter-roasted peanuts in dark chocolate. The Village Voice: “utterly delicious… the butter-roasted peanuts are the real stars,” and the dark chocolate keeps it from “being as cloying as most candy bars.” CBS Detroit’s taste test called the Original “basically perfection.” Editor-backed, no chef pick yet.
    Where to buy · zingermans.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: villagevoice.com ↗
  2. 2

    Mayana Chocolate Space Bar

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    A Wisconsin small-batch bar: vanilla-bean nougat with toasted almonds and fleur de sel caramel, dipped in 66% dark chocolate. It won a 2017 Good Food Award for confections. Sperling singled out its “chewy toasted-almond nougat” and a caramel that takes an hour of stovetop stirring; Chicagoist made it a candy crush.
    Where to buy · mayanachocolate.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: drydenwire.com ↗
  3. 3

    Tony’s Chocolonely

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    The only bar that got more than one vote in Allrecipes’ seven-chef poll. Kaifer: “My favorite chocolate that I buy often.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: southernliving.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best candy bars, according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Zingerman’s Zzang! Original, chosen by Rebecca Marx (The Village Voice). A handmade Snickers upgrade from Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor: peanut butter–honey nougat, muscovado caramel and butter-roasted peanuts in dark chocolate. The Village Voice: “utterly delicious… the butter-roasted peanuts are the real stars,” and the dark chocolate keeps it from “being as cloying as most candy bars.” CBS Detroit’s taste test called the Original “basically perfection.” Editor-backed, no chef pick yet. Source: villagevoice.com ↗
What are the other top picks for candy bars?
No. 2 is Mayana Chocolate Space Bar, chosen by Good Food Award (Confections, 2017); Heather Sperling (Tasting Table). No. 3 is Tony’s Chocolonely, chosen by Andres Kaifer (Customshop); Vera Stewart (cookbook author). Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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