Recently, the Mars Corporation decided to unleash a new version of its top-selling Snickers bar, the unwieldly-named Rockin' Nut Road. This is nothing new. After all, there are several varieties of Snickers already. Aside from the classic, there's a version that replaces the peanuts with almonds, another that uses dark instead of milk chocolate, a refreshing ice cream bar, and even a sorry excuse for an energy bar. Maybe Mars figured out that people like Snickers because it's candy. This after years of marketing it as the ideal snack between meals.
The Rockin' Nut Road (I want to punch myself in the face every time I write that) is actually a pretty good candy bar. Maybe I'm just a purist, but I still prefer the original. All the same, the new flavor is a welcome addition to the candy aisle at the convenience store. It starts with a dark chocolate shell and gives way to a slightly softer, sweeter inside. Until now it seems to have been the Snickers alternative formula to only substitute one ingredient at a time. The peanuts and caramel are still there, but in addition to the dark chocolate the traditional nougat has been replaced with a sort of marshmallow fluff. It has the same consistency as the classic nougat, but the flavor is distinctly vanilla.
After sampling the Rockin' Nut Road, it got me thinking about the potential for other unique takes on the Snickers bar. I took an informal poll and these are the top three results for the dream-Snickers that could one day be.
Hazelnut Snickers
Far and away the favorite among the hypotheticals. The premise here is similar to the Almond Snickers. Replace the good but familiar peanuts with roasted hazelnuts. Seeing as the hazelnut is at the center of another popular candy, the Ferrero Rochet truffle, the Hazelnut Snickers would provide a cost effective alternative to the pricey European treats on the shelf. Hazelnuts have a distinct flavor that pairs so well with chocolate it's like the two were made for each other. There was some concern over how the hazelnut flavor would interact with the caramel and nougat. I'm sure similar things were said about the Almond Snickers in pitch meetings.
Cherry Snickers
One thing Mars Corp has never even attempted is a fruit flavored Snickers. Even if their traditionally change-averse American customers would reject such a drastic alteration to the original formula, a fruit flavor would likely go over like gangbusters in foreign markets like Japan that are known for embracing novelty and variety in their foods. That's not to say the right fruit flavor wouldn't have a good chance of gaining a following in the States. Americans don't have any problem with cherry cordial candies, so a Cherry Snickers might just work. It would require a lot of augmenting, though, so it would have to stray into territory where it's debatable whether or not it's still a Snickers. The milk chocolate could stay, but the caramel and nougat would have to go. Replace the nougat with a cherry-flavored fluff and the caramel with a mild, not overly-sweet vanilla creme. Maybe replace the peanuts with almonds, seeing as almonds already have a cherry-conducive flavor. Heck, fruit flavors worked for Coke.
Coconut Snickers
Upon discussion, a conversation arose about the unusual scarcity of coconut in American candies. Aside from Mounds and Almond Joy, the unique flavor and texture is all but absent. It would be easy enough to integrate the shaved coconut into the nougat or a nougat-like interior, and there's no telling how it might play with the peanuts and caramel. It's risky, but it might just be a wonderful surprise.
Honorable Mentions
- Mint Snickers
- Cookies and Cream Snickers
- Peanut Butter (disqualified because of the limited edition Nut N' Butter Snickers in stores now)
- S'mores Snickers