Everything You Need to Know About Butterfinger: History, Recipes, and Fun Facts

For as long as I can remember, I was one of those who drew the orange wrapper from the Halloween bucket first – thus, I know one of the reasons the butterfinger exists after all. Crunchy, tasty and almost seems like it’s sliced into a hundred little pieces the instant you take a bite. This guide is meant to be read in bite-sized pieces, whether it be butterfinger cake recipes or if a bar is gluten free.

What Is a Butterfinger, Really?

A Century-Old Recipe Built on Crunch

Butterfinger is simply a peanut butter candy bar coated in chocolate, but with a more affordable fat substitute that is not technically chocolate, due to the omission of cocoa butter. It is made famous by its flaky, brittle texture, which crumbles upon tasting rather than chew like a candy bar. It was invented in 1923 by Otto Schnering of the Curtiss Candy Company, Chicago, and given its name by an open naming contest.

From Curtiss to Ferrero: A Century of Ownership Changes

The bar has been sold to a number of different companies over the decades; from Curtiss to Nestlé and now, in 2018, back with Ferrero, the Italian company behind Nutella. This is critical when the recipe changed dramatically in 2019, due to the change of ownership. The fundamental concept hasn’t changed either — peanut butter, sugar and a crunchy base encased in something that’s chalked up to “chocolate.”

How Are Butterfingers Made?

The Current Ingredient List

The only one usually “googled” when it comes to the candy is this one, because the peanut butter sensation is quite a strange one. The butterfinger of today is made from corn syrup, sugar, peanuts, palm oil, peanut flour, nonfat milk, a certain amount of cocoa, salt, soy lecithin and natural flavorings. In previous iterations, the corn flakes were given this brittle form, but as of Ferrero’s 2018 modification, peanut flour was chosen to give it this form.

The Aeration Process Behind the Shatter

The actual process of preparing the peanut butter and sugar mixture involves pressurizing and heating the mixture to produce those tiny air pockets that give the product its crunch. The mixture is then layered, folded and pressed into the chocolate-style logs, which are then cut into chocolate bars and dipped in chocolate. This is a somewhat technical process, not whisked up to the same degree as a run-of-the-mill chocolate bar, but much like making brittle candy or honeycomb toffee.

Are Butterfingers Gluten Free? And Do They Have Nuts?

Gluten-Free Status, With One Exception

If you’re a gluten-free fan, you’ll be happy to learn that the regular butterfinger bar is gluten-free – as there is no wheat, barley or rye in the current butterfingers ingredients! However, not all of the Butterfinger variety is gluten free – labels need to be read on spinoffs such as the Crisp bar, which has gluten in the wheat wafer core. If you’re on a gluten-free diet due to medical issues, it’s better to stick to the standard bar and double check everything else.

A Firm No for Peanut Allergies

Nuts are a whole different ball game. Peanuts are a major food ingredient and not a minor one, they are a big problem and those who are allergic to peanuts should avoid them altogether. The bars, too, are prepared on equipment that comes in contact with milk and soy, and are therefore a good option for gluten-free snackers but definitely not for those with peanut allergies.

Who Makes Butterfingers Today?

From Nestlé to Ferrara Candy Company

Butterfinger was mainly an adjacent product of Nestle brand, after all, the famous commercials in late 80 and 90s on the Simpsons. In 2018, Nestle divested itself of a huge chunk of its U.S. candy business, including Mrs. Butterfinger. It is today made by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero which also makes the Nerds, SweeTarts and Trolli.

Why Recipe Changed In 2019

That’s also the reason for the recipe shift sometime around 2019, it was labelled an “Improved Recipe” on the packaging. Some of the long-time fans were quick to notice a difference, especially in sweetness and crunch, and others were unable to detect any difference at all. Regardless, the orange wrapper is virtually indistinguishable from that of the bar that most millennials were raised on, but it’s from a different company.

Homemade Butterfingers You Can Make at Home

The Candy Corn and Peanut Butter Method

Butterfingers are super easy to make when you’ve ever wanted to make something that’s super easy but you haven’t been near a stove for hours. The most popular one only requires three ingredients: candy corn, peanut butter and melting chocolate. When you pour peanut butter over candy corn and let it melt down in the peanut butter, you’ll get that same orange, somewhat grainy sweetness, and when you dip the candy corn into chocolate, cut it into bars, and let it cool, you will get something close to the original candy corn.

A Cornflake-Based Alternative

A cornflake version is available for those who prefer the texture to be closer to the original recipe, too, as cornflakes are crushed and bound with peanut butter and maple syrup or corn syrup before forming and refrigerating. The recipes will replace the industry aeration the real butterfingers candy undergoes, thus the texture will not be the same, but surprisingly good and a fun kitchen project.

Butterfinger Desserts Worth Making: Cake, Cookies, Balls And Butterfinger Marshmallow

A Classic Butterfinger Cake Recipe

Butterfinger desserts are among the most popular and when you begin searching for recipes, you will find crushed candy bars in all kinds of dessert recipes. Typical butterfinger cake consists of a boxed chocolate cake that is pocked with holes and laced with sweetened condensed milk and caramel; then whipped topping is added and a thick layer of crushed butterfinger candy is sprinkled on top. This is a fast disappearing potluck dessert.

Cookies, Balls, and Pie

Butterfinger cookies, which add chopped candy bar pieces to a basic peanut butter or chocolate chip cookie dough for additional crunch, and mini butterfingers, which are already the right size to easily be chopped, are a good fit here. Butterfinger balls recipe typically describes a no bake version of butterfinger, which consists of crushed bars combined with cream cheese or peanut butter, rolled into balls, then dipped in chocolate. A butterfinger pie with a chocolate or graham cracker crust and peanut butter filling isn’t as difficult as it sounds. The bit sized bagged version of the Butterfinger from the Simpsons’ advertising days, the “discontinued” butterfinger bbs, still have fans who occasionally fantasize about a return to the market.

Butterfinger Marshmallow

Marshmallow butterfinger and butterfinger marshmallow recipes combine the crunch from the candy and the soft, gooey sweetness of marshmallows, often flavored into no-bake treats such as rice cereal bars or in applesauce or fudge concoctions that are then swirled with chunks of candy. Simple version consists of carving up marshmallows, and using butter to melt them down, adding crushed Butterfinger to it then pressing it into a pan to set. It’s all about the contrast; the soft, stretchy sweetness and that signature shatter, an addition to potluck and holiday dessert trays.

Butterfinger Ice Cream, Ice Cream Bars, and Salted Caramel Butterfinger

An All Time Grocery Store Best Seller Since 1991

Since that time, butterfinger ice cream has been in the produce department every summer and has usually been flavored with vanilla or peanut butter, with chunks from the candy bar. Introduced in 1991, the official Butterfinger ice cream bar does so much more in that it buries an ice cream and candy bar into a chocolate cover wrapped in individual packs. It is one of the very few remaining namesakes of frozen products that is as popular as ever.

The Salted Caramel Trend

Lately, the salted caramel butterfinger mix has begun to appear in ice cream parlors and recipes of all kinds, riding a wave of sweet and salty pairings in desserts. The caramel swirl and flaky sea salt add a little sweetness and accentuate even more the candy pieces in the cold creamy base. Most of the way there at home is to fold crushed candy and caramel ribbon into the vanilla base we are making.

Butterfinger French Toast: A Breakfast Twist

Dressing Up a Weekend Classic

At first, it is strange, but butterfinger french toast has actually become a thing at brunch establishments and home cooks too. It’s very simple: make french toast and then cover it with crushed candy bar, drizzle with peanut butter or caramel sauce, and possibly a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Combined with a crispy topping, the warm bread makes for a nice texture, and is a kind of dessert breakfast in itself.

Tips for Getting It Right

Some recipes even incorporate crushed candy directly into the egg batter, or stuff it between two slices of bread before paneling and frying it, like a stuffed french toast. Either way, french toast butterfinger recipes call for a slightly stale, thick-cut bread that will retain the crispness of the toppings. Now it’s a valid idea for anyone with leftover candy bars to have as a weekend brunch.

Grape Salad With Butterfingers and Other Potluck Favorites

A Regional Potluck Surprise

One of these neighborhood made dishes that can fool the unsuspecting. The dressing used in this recipe is a mixture of sweetened cream cheese and sour cream, which serves as a base for the grapes, and is crunchy with the addition of crushed candy just before serving, to add some peanut butter to the mixture. It might sound crazy, but that sweet, tart, crunch texture brings its dose of serenity to potlucks and family cooking out, a fairly common fare in Midwest and South cuisine.

A Quick Note on “Butterfingers Highland”

Notably, a search for “butterfingers highland” is not typically in reference to the candy, but the restaurant of bar with the same name in a specific neighborhood or town. However, if that’s what gets you here, it’s a better idea to go straight to the business and verify hours and other information on their own listings, as it’s a different entity from the candy brand featured in this guide.

Butterfingers in Pop Culture and Butterfingers NYT Puzzles

The Simpsons Advertising Legacy

Outside of the candy section, Butterfinger’s presence in pop culture dates back to the late 1980s with the Simpsons advertising campaign, which was used, sometimes followed by others, until the 2000s. Firstly, the term clumsy person or one that drops things is nothing new—it actually predates the candy bar by quite a long shot—and that’s why it made a fantastic brand name in the first place!

A Crossword Regular

The double meaning is still found here and there in crossword puzzles, even in the New York Times crossword. An “butterfingers nyt” search frequently leads to a clue that is centered on the candy sense of the word, or the clumsy sense. It’s a nudge to remember that this candy bar can be found in advertising history, recipes for the kitchen, and word puzzles all in one place, having been around for over a hundred years.

Conclusion

When you’re wondering what’s really in a butterfinger, looking for a cake recipe for this week’s barbecue, or debating whether the bar’s gluten free, there’s obviously more to it than meets the eye behind that orange wrapper. Three hundred years later, three owners have passed through and a complete universe of copycat desserts, and this candy bar is still a match for much newer competition, a testament to the fact that some things benefit from a rehash every once in awhile, whether in a cake or a pie or an ice cream bar.

FAQs

What are butterfingers made of?

The butterfingers ingredients in the current recipe are corn syrup, sugar, peanuts, palm oil, peanut flour, nonfat milk, a bit of cocoa, soy lecithin and natural flavors, all coated in a chocolate fashion.

Is butterfinger gluten free?

Yes, the standard bar is gluten free, but the Crisp bar and spinoff products may have gluten, so be sure to read the individual label.

Do butterfingers have nuts?

The bars do contain peanut but the peanut is a very important ingredient and it’s also processed on equipment that also handles soy and milk, so it’s not for people with peanut allergies.

Who makes butterfingers now?

The Butterfinger brand was acquired by Ferrara Candy Company in 2018 from its parent company Nestle.

How are butterfingers made?

The peanut butter and sugar center is heated and aerated to its signature brittle texture, then layered, formed into bars and coated with a chocolate-like coating.

Can I make homemade butterfingers without candy corn?

Yes, a cornflake-based version is a popular alternative, without any candy corn, made from crushed cornflakes, peanut butter and maple syrup or corn syrup. See more.