4.21.2025

PB & Gluttony: A Reese's Piece

For some reason Reese's is going really hard this season; it seemed like once a year they'd find something new to mix with peanut butter and it would be like an event, but lately they're just raiding the pantry and throwing anything they find into the pot. I'm not complaining I'm just tryna keep up -- besides, there's nothing truly bizarre on this forthcoming list that I'm about to throw at you. 

There's a lotta Reese's crap out there right now and I've decided to try some - I actually had to whittle down to 5 products, mostly for my wallet but also my health. (I'll have enough leftovers to hand out to trick-or-treaters 6 months from now.) There are no objective failures here but some definitely aren't for me. Let's get nuts!

- Paul


PB & J Grape/Strawberry


I don't like grape-flavored anything (except for actual grapes) so grape jelly isn't even an option in my world. But, I was happy to be fair and try both flavors here - I figured under a mountain of chocolate and peanut butter the jelly should come across as subtle, maybe even pleasant(?). Clearly Reese's had the same thought I had because biting into one gave me flashbacks of being held down by my guardians as they squirted grape Dimetapp into my mouth -- it's that intense. They definitely doubled down to make sure you know the grape jelly is there, which is weird because I found the strawberry to be much less overwhelming (probably because I actually like strawberry jelly). In both cases the peanut butter is way creamier than their normal consistency which was a nice change of pace - they just need to mix it with something better. 


Reese's Pieces Bark


This really doesn't deserve the bright orange bag or the Reese's label - this is, first and foremost, a Hershey's chocolate product. It says it right there: Mini Reese's Pieces -- there's barely a palatal indication that peanut butter is part of this ride, and with the addition of regular peanuts it's not always easy to identify what you're crunching. So as part of the Reese's universe it's a failure, but the fact that it's technically a bag of Mr. Goodbar chunks turns it into an unintentional winner. 


Peanut Butter Pie


The number one hands down most notable thing about these is the aroma - just driving home from the store with a sealed bag on the passenger seat made my whole car smell like "peanut butter pie". I don't know if something that strong makes it less safe to eat, but we really don't have those kindsa concerns here at Bennett Media. The smell (and sorta the flavor) can be best descried as "spicy peanut butter" which isn't too, too bad, I just wouldn't seek it out as a regular thing. But while the fragrance is the most prominent thing, the best part for me is the bits of graham cracker in each mini cup. My method is to suck on one until all the chocolate and peanut butter melts away and I'm just left with the crunchy insides. I can't be the only one who does this, but if I am I'm not even embarrassed. 


Reese's Filled Pretzels


Have you ever had peanut butter filled pretzels? Ok, now imagine those... There, you're done. Though I found that if you look directly at the bag while you're eating them your brain will convince you that the peanut butter filling is definitely Reese's Peanut Butter and not just one of the other leading brands. But I'm not mad. I wasn't expecting any extra magic beyond that of regular peanut butter filled pretzels (which tbh is a magic you can't improve on). 


Mrs. Freshley's Deluxe Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes


I need to go on record and say this typically isn't my kinda thing - I don't particularly like frosting, thence I particularly don't like cupcakes. But the prospect of peanut butter frosting had me feeling a little more adventurous. Alas, I was unable to identify any strong sense of PB in this excessively sugary punch. So with the second one I did what I've done since Kindergarten: I turned it over and only ate the "cake" part -- because there's no wrong way to eat a Reese's. 

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