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Hershey's debuts 1st new bar in over 20 years — and it's not even chocolate

Hershey's is going for gold with a buttery caramel candy bar that's sweet and salty.
/ Source: TODAY

Hershey’s may be synonymous with chocolate but its latest creation has lovers of all things cocoa scratching their heads.

That's because Hershey's Gold, the brand's first new bar in 22 years, doesn't contain any chocolate at all! The golden-hued treat is actually a caramelized creme-flavored candy bar and it's filled with peanuts and salty pretzel pieces.

Courtesy Hershey's

Hershey's says it was time to head in a new direction since salty and sweet flavor combinations are all the rage.

“We use a proprietary cooking process to transform the white creme into a golden bar by caramelizing the creme, which helps maintain a sweet, creamy taste," Melinda Lewis, senior director and general at The Hershey Company, said in a statement. The result? A smooth, buttery bar filled with crunchy, salty bites.

Fittingly, Hershey's is launching the bar in partnership with the Olympics as an official sponsor of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Whenever Team USA wins a gold medal, the brand will post a coupon on social media which people can respond to for the chance to win a free Hershey's Gold bar.

Hershey's enlisted Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno to give a taste analysis on TODAY. "It's perfect," he said, "We all we want to be able to get a bite of gold."

Ok, Apolo, but Twitter isn't convinced.

Hershey’s doesn’t come out with new bar flavors very often, so when they do, it’s a pretty big deal.

The original Hershey’s bar debuted in 1900, followed by Special Dark in 1939, and Cookies 'n' Creme in 1994. The historic brand may be going for the gold in 2017 — but only time will tell if the new bar is a win.