Monday, July 30, 2007

Payday Fresh from the Factory

Fresh from the Factory PaydayI pretty much love PayDay bars. They’re the original energy bar as far as I’m concerned. Long before I knew about glycemic indexes it was obvious that PayDay contained a lot of calories, but they’re slow and sustained. A nice hit of sugar and quick glucose and then along protein boost that keeps the tummy from growling and prevents that “I need a nap” feeling.

A PayDay bar, as the advertising tagline used to say, is mostly nuts. At its center is a log of inert and dense nougat. Covering that is a layer of usually firm caramel and then the whole thing is rolled in lightly salted peanuts.

The PayDay is one of the older candy bar brands in the country, first produced by Hollywood Brands, Inc. in 1932. During the depression bars like PayDay, that had both a hopeful name and high calorie count (mostly from fat and protein) were actually eaten as meal replacements. The brand has switched hands a few times (as shown in the Hershey’s timeline) but still remains unchanged, now made by Hershey’s.

The bars contain about 3.8 grams of protein per ounce, which is pretty high for a non-protein fortified bar. You can credit the high proportion of peanuts for that.

Fun Sized PayDay

In the case of the Fresh from the Factory PayDay bars, they were in the fun-zie of .7 ounces (regular bars are 1.8 ounces). I like fun size bars, so this was a nice way to get the bars. (Kind of like the FFTF Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.) I’ve never had such a soft bar before, which is indeed a treat. I don’t mind the firmness of the usual bars, but the caramel is really much more present here than in any other bar I’ve had before. The nougat is soft and has a pleasant sweet fudgy texture. The peanuts taste like fresh roasted nuts and were all good quality (though not huge or anything).

PayDay bars currently come in a few different versions, including the Chocolatey Avalanche which replaced the limited edition real chocolate covered bar. I’ve tried the Honey Roasted PayDay and found it distractingly flavorful ... less about the nuts and more about the honey flavor. The original has survived for a reason, it’s good. It’s really one of the best Summer Bars there is. No chocolate so no worries about melting, long lasting energy to keep you going between meals.

The important thing is that the regular PayDay bar is just fine when it’s not factory fresh (a little time in a pocket or in a hot car to warm up and you can pretend).

You can order now for shipment the week of August 13, 2007.  It’s $20 for a tub holding 2 lbs and 14.4 ounces. Not a bad price for nearly three pounds of fresh candy (however, the shipping, I believe is an extra $10 depending on where you live).

PayDay bars contain both milk and egg products, so are not suitable for vegans. Kosher.

Related Candies

  1. Honey Roasted Peanut Roca
  2. Pearson’s Nut Roll
  3. Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews
  4. Nutrageous
Name: Fresh from the Factory PayDay
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Hershey's
Place Purchased: samples from Hershey's
Price: $20.00
Size: 2 lbs. 14.4 ounces
Calories per ounce: 131
Categories: Peanuts, Caramel, Nougat, United States, Hershey, Kosher

POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:59 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Now I’m going to have to try one of these. I grew up on Pearson’s Salted Nut Rolls, but have never had a Payday. Which seems odd, since they are so similar and PSNR can be hard to find. Anyway, good job making me hungry at work! smile

    Comment by Kate on 7/30/07 at 1:05 pm #
  2. what has happened to the pecan fudge bar, that Stuckys used to sell, i can only find them with a nouguat center! The fudge had a maple flavor!

    Comment by patti on 7/31/07 at 12:07 pm #
  3. I noticed that you keep mentioning that the protein in these and other nut bars gives you long-lasting energy. I just thought you should know that the body only uses protein for energy under EXTREME circumstances. Other than that, great review. Paydays are my absolute favorite. I might have to order some of these myself!!

    Comment by Jeannie on 8/02/07 at 6:57 am #
  4. My mom used to get these for us… they’d be gone the first day between me and my two brothers. (she’d eat one on the way home first!)

    I loved them most back when I was working fulltime and going to school at night. Sometimes there was no time for a meal between the end of the workday and the beginning of school, so I’d get a payday bar out of the machine on campus.

    Add a cup of lousy coffee, and that was my supper many nights.

    aw, it’s great to be 19. lol. Couldn’t do that now.

    Still, I love the sweet/salty combination!

    Comment by Claire on 4/11/10 at 4:29 pm #
  5. My candy bar payday peanut caramel bar I LOVED IT, but there was not enough peanuts to my standards, as a rule the peanuts at least covers the caramel. there was almost (very sparingly) on the candy bar.  Jo Garcia e-mail: sapo@
    .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

    Comment by Jo garcia on 5/23/13 at 3:43 pm #
  6. I too enjoyed Pay Day… back in the day. A wonderful salty and sweet bar that took the edge off when I was hungry.  I would eat all the nuts off first then enjoy the chewy center.  Today I don’t purchase them. The nougat chewy center is almost non-existent. It appears there is just enough nougat to hold the nuts and give the semblance of a chewy center.  Such a disappointment for a wonderful candy bar.  They are just not the same.  The company is being skimpy on its ingredients while the cost of the candy continues to increase.

    Comment by Trisha on 7/16/15 at 1:29 pm #
  7. Trisha:
    Frtom all the pictures I’ve seen here, the similiar (Pearsons) Nut Roll should be much better than payDay.

    Comment by SJCarras on 1/13/16 at 5:41 pm #
  8. Would love it if the payday bar was made like the butterfinger cups

    Comment by LAURA on 6/21/16 at 12:54 am #
  9. I buy paydays all the time and I get a lot with just air in them. Please make sure they are filled before shipping out. Love them!!!

    Comment by Donna Reese on 10/04/16 at 7:20 am #
  10. I have always enjoyed Payday candy bars. But in recent years I can no longer eat and digest peanuts.
    I was wondering if you could make them the same way but use cashews. I can eat them without any problem.
    I loved the flavor of the middle of the candy bar. I would sometimes eat off the peanuts to get to the middle. I think it would be wonderful with the same middle with cashews on the outside.
    I am sure there are many people with my same dilemma.
    I would love to enjoy a Payday candy bar again.
    Thank you for your time.
    Sincerely,
    Lovina

    Comment by Lovina K. Wright on 10/27/16 at 6:02 pm #
  11. Paydays do not seem as salty to me as they used to.  Has the recipe changed?  Without that nice saltiness you don’t get the most enjoyable sweet/salty taste.  It’s just kind of bland now.  Has anyone else noticed this?

    Comment by Denise Notubiz on 3/26/17 at 10:39 pm #
  12. I personally prefer the Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll.


    Yee.smile

    Comment by SJCarras on 3/27/17 at 8:19 pm #
  13. The Payday site describes the candy bar as caramel wrapped in peanuts. The Payday candy bar I fell in love with had a nougat center. I guess I am just old, but the current Payday candy bar is boring.

    Comment by Linda Fowler on 7/26/17 at 11:51 am #
  14. Re:@Linda Fowler:
    Well, there’s always the Pearson’s..

    Comment by SJCarras on 7/27/17 at 8:38 pm #
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