Here's What Happened To Butterfinger's Classic Recipe

For more than 100 years, candy connoisseurs young and old have enjoyed the crispy, crunchy, peanut buttery taste of Butterfinger. Its familiar blue and yellow packaging and longtime association with "The Simpsons" has made Butterfinger an American favorite and one of America's best-selling candy bars, not to mention one of the best Halloween candies. But for the last several years, customers have been wondering, what happened to the Butterfinger?

The reason for the question is simple: In 2018, Butterfinger changed its longtime recipe. The iconic Nestle brand was bought by Ferrero, which announced a new formula with a focus on high-quality ingredients. Chief among those "high-quality" ingredients was more cocoa and milk to give the candy a richer chocolatey taste rather than using chemical fillers. Ferrero also announced the new formula would eliminate trans fats and the preservative TBHQ, and use U.S.-grown roasted peanuts to give the Butterfinger its iconic crunchy interior.

Customers were quick to notice the difference in the new Butterfinger and many immediately voiced their displeasure. Despite Ferrero launching the "Better Butterfinger," fans derided the new candy as flavorless, having a bad aftertaste, and not having enough balance between peanut butter and chocolate.

While many candy aficionados may still long for the nostalgia of Butterfinger BBs, the candy bar has a much longer history dating back generations, as its iconic mix of chocolate and peanut butter dates back to 1923. At the heart of the candy bar are three key ingredients — milk, cocoa, and peanuts — but the old recipe also contained artificial colors and flavors as well as the aforementioned TBHQ and unhealthy trans fats.

Although many Butterfinger eaters have memories of sweetness and picking Butterfinger remnants off their teeth, the new formula is –- for some –- a more enjoyable candy-eating experience because the taste of richer chocolate and roasted peanuts is apparent immediately. Still for others, while the new formula improves on the ingredients, the experience isn't quite the same.

New formula or not, Butterfinger can still be enjoyed on its own or as a sweet addition to a bucket of movie popcorn. And for those who have sworn off Butterfinger forever after the recipe change, 5th Avenue and Clark Bar offer options for those in need of a chocolate/peanut butter candy bar fix.