Welcome to the second installment of Tastykake Face-Off, where Philadelphia’s hometown hero snack product goes up against the competition in a fight for top snack bragging rights. The winner will be carefully selected via analysis of several key criteria discussed below. Today it’s the battle of the brownies, as Hershey’s takes on the venerable Tastykake Brownie. Let’s see how this matchup of Pennsylvania heavyweights goes down…

• Packaging: The Tastykake brownie comes snugly packed in a simple plastic wrapper. The Tastykake logo appears like a banner in the upper left-hand corner. Across the midsection is a clear band allowing shoppers to see the actual brownie inside. In the lower right-hand corner is a yellow section with the words “Fudge Nut Brownie” written in a fun-looking font. The Hershey’s brownie comes in a larger plastic wrapper in which the brownie loosely sits. Or rather, hangs. The Hershey’s packaging is designed with a hole in the top so that the brownie can hang from a bar, ensuring maximum visibility. Very clever, Hershey’s. The artwork on the package has what looks to be a Hershey’s chocolate bar at the top, the word “Brownie” in a sophisticated font below, and then an artist’s rendition of the actual brownie and some dancing chocolate chips against a swirly brown, tan, and yellow background. At the very bottom are the descriptions, “with Hershey’s Chocolate Chips” and “Topped with a Drizzle of Chocolate Icing.” The judges are going to give this round to the Tastykake. Their rationale: Brownies are a fun food for kids. The Hershey’s packaging is aesthetically pleasing, but it’s just too “adult.” The Tastykake keeps it simple and lets the brownie do the talking. Tastykake takes an early lead in this face-off.

• Price: The Tastykake seems reasonably priced at $1.39; that is, until you compare it to the bargain basement 99 cent price of the Hershey’s. When you’re reduced to rifling through your car ashtray for change to pay for your brownie fix, that 40 cents can make all the difference.

• Appearance: Thanks to the Tastykake’s viewing window in the wrapper, you mostly know what you’re getting: A thin layer of fudge with some embedded walnuts. You can’t see what’s below the top layer without tearing into the packaging, but it’s no surprise that a medium brown, moist, slightly crumbly brownie lurks beneath. The Hershey’s is a greater gamble, but it doesn’t stray far from the drawing on the cover (except for the dancing chocolate chips). The ribbon of icing looks precise, but the actual brownie looks dark and ultra-dense, giving the impression of dryness, sort of like a Clif Bar. Brownies aren’t supposed to be comparable to health food! Advantage: Tastykake.

• Taste: Despite the appearance of the Hershey’s brownie, its taste is quite good, almost like a truffle (the chocolate kind, not the mushroom kind). Yes, it’s quite dense, but it has a note of true cocoa. The icing has a strange, slightly gritty texture when being chewed though, almost like toothpaste. The Tastykake is firm, well balanced, and slightly sweeter than the Hershey’s. The walnuts provide a nice crunch, and the icing is smooth. The Hershey’s put up a decent fight, but we’re ruling in favor of the Tastykake on taste.

• Nutrition: The Hershey’s (3 ounces) is slightly más grande than the Tastykake (2.75 ounces), but beware: The nutrition information on the back of the Hershey’s says that the brownie is actually two servings. Sure, the Hershey’s is rich and dense, but making two servings out of it is just unrealistic. When recalculated as a single serving, we find that the Hershey’s exceeds the Tastykake in fat and saturated fat, but not in sugar. A whole Hershey’s brownie has 36% of your RDA of saturated fat, whereas the Tastykake has only 26%. In short, neither of these brownies is a health food, but as an occasional treat, they are about even. This final round is a draw.

Victory: Tastykake. The Hershey’s isn’t really a bad brownie, and if you have no other options available, there are worse ways to spend your money. Maybe because the Hershey’s brownie is a relatively new product, it needs more time to be perfected. Or maybe Hershey’s should just stick to what it does best and just make candy bars. Candy bars are great, but for a perfectly balanced, time-tested brownie, go for the Tastykake. You won’t regret it.

Previously: Tastykake Face-Off: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Pies