As a Scot who spends a fair amount of time trying American food, there was one area I hadn’t properly explored yet — the snack aisle.

We see plenty of famous American candy, chocolate bars and snacks online and in films, but how do they actually compare to what we have back home in the UK?

You can watch the video below for my genuine reaction to trying American snacks.

I picked up 12 different American snacks to put them to the test. Some were brands I’d heard of before, while others I knew absolutely nothing about.

I tried them all and gave each one a rating out of 10.

Here’s how they got on.

Charleston Chew — 7/10

A pretty solid start.

The Charleston Chew was nice enough, with a decent flavour, although it wasn’t something that completely blew me away.

I enjoyed it, but there are definitely other chocolate bars and sweets I’d choose ahead of it.

My rating: 7/10

Payday — 8/10

This was much more my kind of thing.

The easiest comparison I can make for anyone back in the UK is that it reminded me slightly of a Snickers without the chocolate.

I really enjoyed the combination and would happily pick one of these up again.

My rating: 8/10

Almond Joy — 7.5/10

Another one I enjoyed.

If you’re from the UK, imagine something along the lines of a Bounty but with an almond added into the mix.

Considering I already like Bounty bars, this was always going to have a decent chance with me.

My rating: 7.5/10

Baby Ruth — 6/10

By this point I was starting to notice a pattern — Americans really seem to like putting nuts in their chocolate bars!

Unfortunately, this one didn’t work quite as well for me.

I wasn’t too keen on the dry roasted nut flavour and it isn’t one I’d be rushing out to buy again.

Not terrible, just not for me.

My rating: 6/10

Mounds — 6.5/10

This was similar territory to the Almond Joy, but this time with dark chocolate.

And I’m afraid dark chocolate was never going to beat the milk chocolate version for me.

It was perfectly edible, but if you put an Almond Joy and a Mounds in front of me, I’m taking the Almond Joy every time.

My rating: 6.5/10

Whatchamacallit — 8.5/10

Now we’re talking.

Whatchamacallit was one of the best American candy bars I tried during the whole taste test.

I really liked this one and it’s definitely something I’d happily buy again.

It also gets bonus points for having one of the strangest names of the lot.

My rating: 8.5/10

Butterfinger — 5/10

Unfortunately, we found the first proper miss.

I just didn’t enjoy Butterfinger at all.

I didn’t find it had enough flavour to make me want to keep eating it, and the texture really wasn’t for me either.

I know these have plenty of fans in America, but I’m afraid I won’t be joining them.

My rating: 5/10

Heath Bar — 6.5/10

The flavour of the Heath Bar was actually alright, but once again the texture threw me off.

It wasn’t horrible by any means, but it landed firmly in the middle of the pack.

I’d eat one if you handed it to me, but I probably wouldn’t go looking for another.

My rating: 6.5/10

100 Grand — 6.5/10

I genuinely thought I was going to love this one.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

I found it far too chewy and there wasn’t enough flavour coming through to make up for it.

Another perfectly acceptable snack, but not one that made much of an impression.

My rating: 6.5/10

Hostess Ding Dongs — 7/10

Another famous American snack that I had high hopes for.

The Ding Dongs weren’t bad, but I found the flavour quite generic. It reminded me of the kind of chocolate cake flavour I’ve had from plenty of packaged cakes before.

Absolutely nothing wrong with them, but I was expecting something a little more memorable.

My rating: 7/10

Hostess Twinkies — 7.5/10

I think we’ve actually had Twinkies in the UK at some point before, but somehow I’d never tried one.

These were an improvement over the Ding Dongs for me.

They were still surprisingly moist considering they’d travelled all the way back from America, and I enjoyed them more than I expected.

My rating: 7.5/10

Funyuns — 9/10

By complete chance, I managed to save the best until last.

I absolutely loved these.

Funyuns are exactly the type of crisps I enjoy back home in Scotland, and I could quite easily sit and destroy an entire bag of these.

Of everything I tried during this American snack taste test, these are the ones I’d be most likely to buy again.

My rating: 9/10

Ranking All 12 American Snacks

From best to worst, here’s my final ranking:

1. Funyuns — 9/10
2. Whatchamacallit — 8.5/10
3. Payday — 8/10
4. Almond Joy — 7.5/10
5. Hostess Twinkies — 7.5/10
6. Charleston Chew — 7/10
7. Hostess Ding Dongs — 7/10
8. Mounds — 6.5/10
9. Heath Bar — 6.5/10
10. 100 Grand — 6.5/10
11. Baby Ruth — 6/10
12. Butterfinger — 5/10

Are American Snacks Better Than British Snacks?

Based purely on these 12 snacks, I’m giving this round to the UK.

There were a few American snacks I’d definitely eat again — particularly Funyuns, Whatchamacallit and Payday — but overall I think we’ve got much better options back home when it comes to chocolate bars, sweets and crisps.

America might have us beaten when it comes to BBQ, but when we’re talking chocolatey treats?

I’m giving Scotland and the rest of the UK the vote… for now.

Of course, I’ve only tried 12.

So if you’re American and you’re reading this thinking I’ve completely missed the best thing on the shelves, let me know what I need to try next.

Maybe we’ll need a Part 2.