300633 Thu Jul 28 15:32:23 -0700 2005 20 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1671986 getting my mid-afternoon goldenberg peanut chew fix from the vending machine, i noticed the ones lurking behind have a new label. and they are now called chewets peanut chews. it appears just born in bethlehem, pa., the people who bring us those iconic peeps, bought the company back in 2003 and they are trying to make them hip. my understanding is that peanut chews are, or were, a regional delicacy. (i use that term loosely. i know the chocolate is funny, and the caramel and peanuts are so sticky they can relieve you of your dental work.) goldenberg was a philly company. i remember these from my childhood growing up outside philly so i was pretty surprised to see them show up in our vending machine at work a few months ago (new york). can you get them in other parts of the country? Thu Jul 28 15:32:23 -0700 2005 0 blazee 1 1671989 Just Born bought Goldenberg's and promptly decided to change the formula. Apparently they want to make them less "chewy" (which kind of defeats the purpose, IMO). The reason the coating is "funny" is because it technically isn't chocolate. Since there is no cocoa butter in it, it can't be called chocolate (I think it's some kind of FDA labeling thing). If you notice, it says "Chocolatey" coating. And the filling is not caramel. It is more of a molasses blend with the peanuts. Yes, I grew up (and still live) in Philly and I take this stuff WAY too seriously. Thu Jul 28 15:48:40 -0700 2005 1671986 0 Ray 1 1671992 Yes a college pal went to Lower Merion High with one of the sons. Another classmate's family owned the very popular water ice stand in Manayunk. Thu Jul 28 16:08:12 -0700 2005 1671986 0 semmel 2 1672041 I went to sleepaway camp with a Goldenberg daughter. Each year we'd all get a package of peanut chews...one of the highlights of the summer! Fri Jul 29 12:53:12 -0700 2005 1671992 0 robynkash 1 1672007 The Michael's (craft store) up the street from my office in Eagan, Minnesota had them as recently as last month. I was surprised to see them as I haven't had them in years. I was a big fan of these growing up in the DC area. Packaging design is a little different, but the product was exactly the same as it always was. I don't think they said Goldberg's on the wrapper but it was definitely the original. I'll have to go back and check again. Thu Jul 28 19:01:23 -0700 2005 1671986 0 MSPD 2 1672709 I have in my hand a pack of old and a pack of new. I have just sampled one of each - they are NOT the same. The new ones are much softer, easier to chew and taste less toffee-y. The nutritional information is slighty different and there are a few additions in the ingredients list on the new one. On the old one it says no artifical ingredients or preservative - not so on the new one which contains a preservative. I get these shipped to the UK and I'm quite disappointed in the change of recipe. Tue Aug 16 04:31:35 -0700 2005 1672007 0 Maria in London 1 1672019 Fairly commonly available here in the Boston area - one of the drugstore chains, I think CVS, carries them in largish bags. My wife is addicted to them, and I kinda like them as well. Fri Jul 29 08:59:35 -0700 2005 1671986 0 FlyFish 1 1672022 Just saw them the other day in rural suburban philly. They are WAY too soft and easier to chew than the originals. Fri Jul 29 10:19:55 -0700 2005 1671986 0 FatBob 1 1672025 I'm from Philly and they have been a Philly thing for ages. However, I recently heard on the radio that they are being marketed now all over the country and that the wrapping had changed along with the recipe. I can't remember details. .funny thing though, 5-6 years ago on a trip to Jerusalem/Mt. Sinai/Cairo, these were for sale in a gift shop near the Dead Sea. I never expected to find them there. Fri Jul 29 10:33:57 -0700 2005 1671986 0 Maria 1 1672038 This Brooklyn born boy has had Goldenberg's Peanut Chews his entire life!! 58 this year! I have combed San Francisco for them but they do not exist here....I have been getting deliveries directly from the company to get my "fix"! I will be VERY bummed if they change the recipe...VERY BUMMED!!! Fri Jul 29 12:05:21 -0700 2005 1671986 0 ChowFun (derek) 2 1672070 Well, a couple of years ago they went from 7 in a pack to 6, and I think recently each chew has become smaller. I moved away to Austin TX about 10 years ago, and a store there had a candy that was kind of like a Goldenberg's Peanut Chew on steroids. All I remember about the label is that it was Jewish and made in Booklyn. It was killer. GPC's have never gone out of production and I've been in varying states of addiction to them for my entire life (I'm 40). Fri Jul 29 23:53:31 -0700 2005 1672038 0 rootytootyfreshnfrooty 2 1672074 Chowfun, Rite-Aid drugstores in SF sell Goldenberg's Peanut Chews. Sat Jul 30 11:45:05 -0700 2005 1672038 0 Nancy Berry 3 1672079 You're kidding! I'll look up the addresses of them "Rite" now! Sat Jul 30 13:58:07 -0700 2005 1672074 0 ChowFun (derek) 4 1672081 I had a gf look for one of my favorite German candies, Softi, when she was visiting family there. She couldn't find any, but got me some at a German food store in Los Angeles. And then, lo and behold, I was in the five and dime store in Laurel Heights and they carried them! Sat Jul 30 15:34:24 -0700 2005 1672079 0 semmel 5 1672085 They carried "them"..WHICH??? Goldenberg's Peanut Chews...or the German candy.... Are you trying to confuse me!??? Hmmmm?? Sat Jul 30 16:31:18 -0700 2005 1672081 0 ChowFun (derek) 1 1672046 the "candy lady" who lived on my block had a dish in her living room that only held peanut chews. this was in new york on long island so they've been available here for at least 30+ years. and they are usually sold in any convenience/drugstore in the candy aisle. Fri Jul 29 14:08:11 -0700 2005 1671986 0 margaret 1 1672062 I used to consume these fiendishly, every weekend of my childhood that I spent in my Grandparent's apartment in The Bronx in the early 80's. I am not sure that I have had them more then once or twice since then, but I did notice in the bodega on my block a few weeks ago, the new label. It almost made me buy them, but I passed. Next time, I might just pick them up for personal nostalgia sake. Fri Jul 29 20:38:06 -0700 2005 1671986 0 PMac 1 1672067 i dont think they're nearly as philly-centric as you think. I grew up in NYC eating them. They were one of my favorite halloween treats, along with Mary Janes and Bit O' Honey. All three of those are sort of in the same category to me. Fri Jul 29 22:40:51 -0700 2005 1671986 0 ElBee 1 1672102 My parents grew up in the 20s and 30s eating Goldenberg chews in Connecticut. I remember when I found some for my mom in the 70s; it was like she died and went to heaven. I would be sorry, but not surprised, to hear that the recipe changed. Every time someone tries to improve a candy, they ruin it, a la Hydrox (the worst sweet crime of all): Jujyfruit Mike & Ike's Jelly Belly Sours Mix (I now have to go to the one place where I can get the individual good flavors in bulk) Et cet. Sun Jul 31 19:50:28 -0700 2005 1671986 0 Karl S> 1 1672120 I love these, haven't had them in awhile, sorry to hear that they decided to change the recipe. They are available in MD, I saw some this morning at the gas station. Mon Aug 01 09:41:56 -0700 2005 1671986 0 jilli42 1 1672321 based upon ingredients, anyone else willing to try??? in the spirt of science (and the fact that I lived on G'bergs in college), I am willing to attempt it. Stay tuned! Fri Aug 05 21:10:29 -0700 2005 1671986 0 Beer Wolf