Extra Crispy Kit Kat

Kit Kat Extra Crispy Package

Kit Kats are one of my favorite candy bars, which is unfortunate for me since I live in the United States. Normally, living in America and eating snacks works to your benefit because manufacturers are always catering to your needs, whether you really need them or not. However, Kit Kats are a bastardized product in the US because these are a product of the Nestle corporation in the rest of the world, and are licensed to Hershey for the US market only. Unfortunately, besides using the inferior Hershey milk chocolate for the bars, Hershey neglects to license a good many of the innovative international varieties. I am hoping that we can get to some of these in future reviews, but I have had a lot of weird Asian Kit Kat flavors, including Yogurt, Strawberry, Lemon, Cappuccino, Green Tea, Red Bean, Mint, and, most recently, Cantaloupe. Thanks to my friend James in the UK, I’ve also recently had the Kit Kat Chunky and the Peanut Butter Kit Kat Chunky. This is an important piece of information because the Extra Crispy Kit Kat is basically the American version of the Kit Kat Chunky.

Extra Crispy Kit Kat

The Extra Crispy Kit Kat is a longer, thicker version of the Kit Kat, resulting in a more conventional candy bar format that resembles one giant Kit Kat bar. (I should note that the UK’s Kit Kat Chunky is actually divided into lengthwise segments, but is basically the same shape.) As you bit into the Kit Kat, there are many layers of that delicious Kit Kat wafer cookie and creme filling. Hence the name Extra Crispy – because there are so many extra layers. The ratio of wafer cookie and creme to chocolate is definitely increased. This works in the American Extra Crispy Kit Kat’s favor, because this means that there is less of the Hershey’s milk chocolate to detract from the experience.

Inside the Kit Kat

I wish I had a photo of the British Kit Kat Chunky for comparison (James, send me some more already…), but it is very similar, except that it is enrobed in the superior Nestle’s milk chocolate. Closer to home, Canadian Kit Kats are also made with Nestle’s milk chocolate, and inspire hopeful and innovating Americans to strike deals, such as trading indie rock records for boxes of Canadian Kit Kats. (I don’t have verification that there are Canadian Kit Kat Chunky bars, but perhaps someone can weigh in as a comment.) 

The elephant in the room here is the British Peanut Butter Kit Kat Chunky, and this is really one of the prime examples where Hershey’s is missing the point in the quest for American Kit Kat domination. Americans are being bested by Europeans when it comes to peanut butter flavors? Seriously? If you have European friends, ask them what they think about peanut butter, and you will have a hot debate on your hands. Only a small minority actually likes the stuff. And yet, here’s Nestle’s bringing the peanut butter to Europe in Kit Kat Chunky form. For shame, Hershey’s.

The Peanut Butter Kit Kat Chunky is one of the best Kit Kat flavors I’ve had. The creme filling is peanut butter flavored, so you get the nice crispiness from the wafer cookies mixed with peanut butter and Nestle’s milk chocolate. I can only hope that Hershey’s is planning to roll out the Peanut Butter Extra Crispy Kit Kat at some later (but hopefully very immediate) date.

So, in spite of being an American Kit Kat, the Hershey’s version of the Extra Crispy Kit Kat really does satisfy, and I think I may like it better than the regular Hershey’s Kit Kat. The drawback here that there is no segmentation, so you can’t share this bar with a friend without awkwardly breaking it in two like you’re some kind of ninja, karate-chopping through a dozen layers of wafer cookie with your hand.

Godspeed, Peanut Butter Extra Crispy, godspeed.

Tags: candy bar, chocolate, kit kat