I grew up around Philadelphia PA and a famous regional candy from there was Goldenberg’s  Peanut Chews. This candy bar was like no other. It was all natural and vegan. It was packed with lots of crunchy peanuts that were held together with some sort of sweetness (molasses) that had a texture similar to silicone glue and was very chewy and covered in a thin dark chocolatey  paint. The bar lasted a long time and it came cut in 5 or 6 smaller pieces to make eating it easier and shareable. It was different than other candy bars and also wasn’t too sweet. Actually for me as a child it almost wasn’t sweet enough…..Almost everyone that grew up in the regional area ate or knew of Peanut Chews because it was local. I think I remember it also cost less than the national brands because from the youth runs to the drug store for candy. Back then when I lived in the area I remember we saw the Peanut Chew Factory from the highway every time our family took a drive into the city. I also remember that I noticed the Penn Fruit Grocery Store that was next door to it at one time long long ago.

WOW-WEE! I came across a box of Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews at Dollar Tree.  I don’t remember the last time I had a Peanut Chew. Maybe it was more than 15 years ago? I haven’t seen sold in the Phoenix Area and maybe didn’t eat them the last few years I lived in PA.

Awwwww isn’t this cute! The Philly Sky line with the Liberty Bell. Underneath the Liberty Bell is the Iconic P.S.F.S. Building (a famous long gone bank and the home of radio station 93.3 WMMR) The building next to the Liberty Bell is the William Penn.

Then I go to try a Peanut Chew. Wow…this is nothing like the Peanut Chew I knew. The chocolate is a lighter color, waxy and thicker. It’s not that mysterious dark chocolatey coating that seemed like it was painted on. The inside is not packed with peanuts like they used to be. This candy used to be filled with crunchy peanuts held together by something sweet with the texture of silicon glue. It’s now filled with something gooey that it didn’t have before. It’s mostly a gooey center with very little tiny pieces of peanuts that aren’t crunchy. You used to have to really chew these chews. Hence the name Peanut Chews. It’s something different now. It’s not the same.

This could not be done with a real Peanut Chew. Look at all the pull-ee stuff…..

I found out that the Just Born Company……. (Famous for a lot of Peeps – the chic shaped marshmallows and Mike and Ike Jelly Bean-Like Candies) purchased Goldenberg’s in 2003.

The new owner of the candy company can change the recipe but I feel that changing the recipe that much the product truly isn’t Goldenberg’s anymore and (I think) they should have re-named the candy as Just Born Chews. This candy is something different from the original. At the very least they could write “New and Improved” so people know it’s not the same recipe.  I as a consumer I saw the familiar looking package as bait and I went for it….but inside was indeed a switch to me!

I feel I was Bamboozled….I know..I KNOW ….I KNOW it’s just a candy bar……… I so didn’t expect this………It made me feel bummed……It’s just another thing that isn’t the same…..Like “N” sneakers…….They used to be comfortable……I tried one on a few weeks back at the “N” outlet store and it was all flat inside…….then my husband pointed out to me that I would have to purchase the arch separately in the medium priced selection…….That’s just crazy…..A shoe should come with it’s arch……..What’s next  purchasing a new car that doesn’t come with tires?……I can go on and on …….Yada yada yada……. Yes I know that’s an extreme example…………. Well anyway back to Goldenberg’s Candy…………..so I wrote to the Just Born Company and so my surprise I quickly received a reply.

To sum things up they were sorry for my experience. They say they’ve IMPROVED the consistency and TEXTURE of the center with NO intentional changes to the flavor. The coating that Goldenberg’s used became unavailable so they picked an alternative that their research had a preference for. They also generously decided to send me some complimentary candy to regain my confidence in their brand.

Oh MY! The Candy already arrived just a few days latter! (more Goldenberg’s….too!)

Well that was sweet of them!

They included this card.

And that’s my story about Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews.

I note that you might feel differently and might prefer the newer formula…..I just write about my Forking opinion.

The Forking Truth