Reese's Peanut Butter Lover's Peanut Butter Cups (Limited Edition)

Dear Reese's:

Since you have brought back a couple of the limited edition cups in the last year...WHY have you not brought back my beloved Reese's Cookie Cup? WHY, WHY , WHY?!!!!! It's not fair! You NEVER do what I want you to do. I hate you! I HATE YOU!!



OK, now that we have gotten past Hysterical Teenage Gigi, let's talk about the re-released Peanut Butter Lover's Cups. If you missed them the first time around, waaaaayyy back in the olden days of 2005, the Peanut Butter Lover's Cups have an extra outer layer of peanut butter on the outside that hides the inner, thinner than normal layer of milk chocolate. And then, of course, the interior is the classic Reese's center.



The outer peanut butter layer is smoother and more mellow than the center peanut butter. It tastes more like something that is peanut butter flavored than actual peanut butter.

The chocolate layer is almost entirely lost after being smothered by all the peanut butter -- but since this is, after all, the Peanut Butter Lover's cup, that's more or less what I expected.

The center is pure classic Reese's peanut butter. Crumbly, salty perfection.

Honestly, as much as I like classic Reese's cups and the peanut butter center, what kills this cup for me is the outer layer. Maybe if it were less sweet or more like actual peanut butter than something just peanut butter flavored, I would like it more. I can see where people who are fans of things like peanut butter flavored cereal would go crazy for these.

All told it's not bad but not especially good either. It's just...forgettable.

Be sure to also check out Cybele's review.



PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Reese's Pieces

Sometimes I wake up thinking about candy. Most of the time that is fun. Sometimes it's nagging (as in: I really should review that enormous closet shelf's worth of candy before the products get discontinued), and sometimes it's just nonsensical.

Today it was a nonsensical thought. For whatever reason, I woke up today thinking about Reese's Pieces. It hit me that I have never reviewed Reese's Pieces. Now, there's a reason for that -- and the reason is that I have never really liked Reese's Pieces. I am not really sure why. I like peanut butter, I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and I like most candy lentils.

So why don't I like Reese's Pieces?

I will skip the E.T./Reese's Pieces mythology. (But if you really want to know, don't fret. The reviews I will link to will fill you in.) Around the time that the movie came out, my father did his best to endear the candy to me. And, truth be told, the first time I ate them I remember being quite pissed because they were not in fact weirdly colored M&M's. The Pieces and I just never fell in love.



Here we are, many moons later, and out of the blue I wake up thinking about them. So let's give this another go.



Reese's Pieces are simply a smooth peanut butter center, covered in a crunchy candy shell. The candy shell is thin, and beyond just "sugary," it doesn't really have much flavor of its own. I like the crunch, but it was a little too sweet for me.

The peanut butter is dry, salty, and crumbly; but not in the same way that makes Reese's Peanut Butter cups so good. In this smaller portion, it just comes off a little oily and there is an aftertaste I can't place. It may be from the food coloring in the shells.

If you love peanut butter but not so much chocolate, this may be a good option for you (they are chocolate free). For me...honestly, I still don't like them, but I don't dislike them quite as much as I did back then.

For a differing take, be sure to check out Cybele's Candy Blog review here, or Jim's review here. They are both bigger fans than I am.



PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Reese's Dark Peanut Butter Cups

Hershey has expanded the Reese's line by adding the Dark Chocolate cups to the lineup.



The Dark Chocolate cups aren't an entirely new product; they were released last year in bat shapes to tie in with "The Dark Knight." While I thought the bat shape was cute, these are in the classic cup shape. And though you can't really see it in the pictures, the chocolate is surprisingly glossy.



The first thing I noticed is that since the dark chocolate is, of course, less sweet than the standard issue milk chocolate (or the abominable mockolate Hershey's is using more and more of), the peanut butter really stands out. The roasted, salty quality of the nuts shines in a way that the Reese's cups don't usually showcase. The texture is the classic crumbly, grainy texture that I love so much.



The chocolate is interesting. It's not exactly a deep dark chocolate. It reminds me more of Toll House Morsels -- a big, bad-assed muscled-up dark chocolate cousin that probably has a mullet and loves the Squidbillies. (Wait, I love the Squidbillies... And I have been eyeing Kate's hairdo...) It's a little woodsy, but mostly it reminded me of old coffee. There is not much in the way of sweetness, but the salty hit of the peanut butter balances it out. On its own it wouldn't be very good, but together it's tasty.

The texture is soft, so if you like to break your cups up, do not expect a clean break. The melt is smooth, but not exactly creamy. Again, without the peanut butter, this would be pretty forgettable.

I would be interested to see how the smaller mini-cups compare. In this size, even as much as I liked how the peanut butter was enhanced by the dark chocolate, I still prefer the Milk Chocolate version.

Be sure to check out Cybele's review HERE.





PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Milk Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Egg

A reader had actually suggested this version of the Reese's after reading my review of the smaller version...
I, being the dork I am hit 'reject' rather then 'publish' on her comment and sadly I am unsure who exactly to credit with the suggestion- so if your out there this one's for you! (and sorry I was a dork)

This version of the Egg differs from the smaller version (read that review HERE) in a couple of different ways. First it is comsiderably bigger, weighing in at a whopping six ounces rather then 1.2 ounces.
It also still features Milk Chocolate listed both above the Reese's name and as the first ingredient on the list. Estically it also has a cute little Easter egg patten molded into the surface of the egg verses the smaller egg's smooth top.


The chocolate on this egg was so thick that even if I hadn't wanted to slice it for a picture I would have had to cut it in some way just to get into it. I am not going to knock Reese's for this- especially after my tirade on the smaller egg's being downgraded to not-exactly-chocolate status, but if I were just eating the egg to snack on it would require more work then I prefer my candy to.

Because the chocolate is so thick the egg is separated into three distinct layers of chocolate/peanut butter/ chocolate rather then thin, inseparable layers that the smaller eggs or even the regular cups possess.

Even though this egg still have real chocolate (and I give props for that) I can't say that it was good. Maybe because there was just so much more of it then I am used to, the chocolate was super sweet- I am talking made my teeth hurt sweet. It also had a taste to it that I can't quite explain. It was vaguely plasticy. the mouth feel was grainy, sort of like cheap fudge. I almost missed the not-quite chocolate- have you any idea how much that pains me to say? Is it part of some evil plain my Hershey's to make the real chocolate so bad you prefer the fake? Should I be wearing my tin foil hat while eating these?

I did however LOVE the peanut butter. Larger portion means a thicker layer peanut butter. It seems like the more peanut butter the saltier the portion- but I love salty peanut butter. The texture is slightly sticky but still crumbly (again smooth peanut butter in candy is just gross to me) I found myself isolating the peanut butter and skipping the chocolate entirely.

In the end while I still loved the peanut butter but the chocolate- while real is just not good. I am not sure I am going to forgive Hershey's for mucking up my egg.

Check out Cybele's beautiful pictures and her review HERE



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Reese's Peanut Butter Egg

In some of my recent posts I have been extolling my love for the classic Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.

I hadn't had one this year yet because I was trying to force myself into trying some of the newer Easter candies- and I was secure in the knowledge I could head over to Wally World and stock up before they were gone. And then it happened...

I was checking out the always fab Cybele's Candy Blog when I got the shocking news: Hershey's has changed the Egg! (read Cybele's review HERE) The Egg in it's former state had Milk Chocolate both prominently on the label over the Reese's name, and it had been first on the ingredient listing. On the currant season's Egg's Milk Chocolate is no longer prominently on the front and is now second to peanuts on the ingredient list. Oh no they didn't (picture sassy head cocking and Ricki Lake audience style snapping here)


So how does this years version stack up to last years?
Appearance-wise my Egg was a duller brown then the average Reese's cup for a comparison. It also seems to be a thinner layer of chocolate then I remember- but I am willing to say that may be my memory being wonky. The chocolate seems to take an even bigger back seat then it used to- but I really am not complaining about that because I am a bigger fan of the peanut butter to the chocolate anyway.

The peanut butter is pretty much as I remember it. Soft but still grainy-- Something about peanut butter that's completely smooth in candy grosses me out--. The peanut butter also seems saltier. I know they have increased the sodium level from last years batch but I think it's the fact that there is less sweetness from the reduced chocolate level that brings it out more.

In the end even I, loving the classic Egg as I do-- barely noticed a difference between the '08 batch and the '09 variety. What really has me concerned is the possibility that Hershey's is using this change for the eventual removal of real chocolate entirely- as they have done with some of the companies other products such as Krackle, Take 5, Kissables and many more. Hershey has already paved the way in the Reese's line when they swapped the milk chocolate to mockolate in the Reese's Sticks. The Reese's Whipped bars also have mockolate coating.

Maybe I am asking or expecting too much. Maybe it is unreasonable of me to expect a CHOCOLATE company to be making actual CHOCOLATE.

Reese's Mini Reester Bunnies

Yes, the Easter candy has been out since about 12 hours after Christmas was over but I have some how managed to avoid filling my house with pastel colored bunnies and chicks.
That is until I saw the Mini Reester Bunnies. My favorite Reeses product is the classic Reeses Egg, I just think that the Egg has achieved the perfect levels of peanut butter to chocolate. I know that the Reester Bunnies have actually been out for a few years now but I have been unable to pull myself away from the Eggs, so in the interest of a review I tore myself away from the beloved Egg.

The Mini's are somewhere between 2 and 3 inches long and while they are well molded they are very thin. The Center of the bunny is a smear of peanut butter. There's nothing new or special about the chocolate or the peanut butter, on this bar it's mostly about the ratio of the two. This candy is mostly chocolate with just enough peanut butter so that you know it's there. It adds a little bit of grit to the chocolate and cuts the sweetness a little.

I think the deciding factor to if you just like or love the Reester Bunnies is dependant on what part of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups you like more. If you are a fan of the chocolate then these are the Reeses for you. I on the other hand am a fan of the peanut butter so while I like them enough they will never achieve the same status of my beloved Egg.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Reese's Crunchy Peanut Butter Cup Limited Edition

Could it be that the Reese's Gods have finally answered my prayers?
Have they really brought back the Crunchy cups of my childhood dreams?

Well, lets see...
On the surface the first thing I noticed is that the top of the cup is smooth (like a classic cup) on the "old" version the top of the cups were studded in peanut pieces. As for the rest the cup is just like a classic cup- studded with several small peanut pieces. Taste-wise it is pretty good. The nuts are salty and just a little salty. I wish there had been more nuts pieces but I was just happy to get back an old friend.

Wait, is it weird that I referring to candy as an old friend?

PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Reese's Peanut Butter Bar

I am just guessing that "peanut butter bar" is the name of this bar because there is no name on it!
Maybe the people over at Reese's figured they didn't need to name it. Maybe they thought just slapping the Reese's name on it was enough. At least I am not alone in thinking that. The always fab Cybele recently reviewed the bar (read her review- with MUCH better photo's then mine HERE).

When it comes to my Reese's products I tend to prefer a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio- example I love the Reese's egg's at Easter. Looking at this bar before trying it got the impression that there was going to be way too much chocolate to peanut for my taste... and I was right.

The bar is segmented into easy to break off squares. The chocolate is roughly double that of the standard Reese's cup. While the peanut butter is roughly half as much as normal. The chocolate is the too sweet milk chocolate that again I can take in small quantities. The peanut butter is a the classic crumbly, slightly salty, yet cream peanut butter we all know and love from Reese's.

This is one of those products that I am more or less indifferent towards. I would never pick this over the cup version but if I just had to have Reese's I would begrudgingly get it. Other then the product being out there simply for the sake of having another Reese's branded product on the shelf I don't really see a point for it.

You can also check out Candy Yum Yum!'s review HERE

PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Reeses Limited Edition Elvis PB & Banana Cup

Peanut butter, banana's AND chocolate?!- do I really have to say much more?

These are the first of the recent cups I have liked. The ratio of peanut butter to chocolate is almost the same as in the classic cups- the only notable difference is a slightly thinner coat of chocolate on the bottom. There is a smidge less peanut butter to make room for the banana creme. There is no way in hell you would ever confuse the banana creme flavoring for real banana. The best way I could describe the flavor is say that it is like a less sweet Circus Peanut. It was a good decision on Reese's part to not over power the cup with the edition of too much banana.

If you are a fan of PB & banana sandwiches (I am!) or of artificial banana flavor you are going to love these. I have seen that they even offer this flavor in the "Big Cup" portion although I have not found one yet.

If Elvis himself were still with us I bet he would be eating these fried with bacon. In his honor I am off to eat the second cup!