I’m a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup guy, so the recent trend of "Limited Edition" takes on this candy classic caught my attention. The title implies a two-for-one review- actually, I’ll start with the two new ones I tried this year and will throw in the other four variations I tried.
Fudge Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: I think fudge is best created in tourist town candy shops and grandma’s kitchen. I haven’t found an over-the-counter fudge product that impressed me, and this is no exception. Not bad, but not impressive, either.
Extra Smooth & Creamy Reeses: This one tastes very close to the original, but is, well, smoother and creamier. The peanut butter lingers a bit longer. It’s good, but it does seem like a mutated version of the original- like these were sitting to close to the microwave or something.
Peanut Butter Outside Reese’s, or Reese’s Inside Out: It strikes me as being a bit odd that they had to explain what this product is twice on the wrapper- either one of the explanations and the picture would work fine. I really dug these when they came out- it was indeed more peanut butter tasting than the original, a nice twist. I think I had too many, as now it pales in comparison to the chocolate on the outside original.
White Chocolate Reese’s: If you dig White Chocolate, well, here you go. I can take it or leave it, so that was my thought here. Interesting enough, but not one I would keep returning to.
Reese’s Big Cup: Ever see a Giant Twinkie? How about a bra with one giant cup instead of two? Some things were meant to come in pairs…just ask Noah. The mini Peanut Butter Cups work better than the maxi cup, but the classic two pack knows no rival.
Finally, the best of the variants…that’s not the reason the graphic is larger, though (it’s the best I could find). Dark Chocolate Reese’s is the only one that improves on the original- and I must admit I strongly prefer dark chocalate to milk in any context. So I’m definitely biased here, but this is my favorite, with the original close behind..
So here’s how I rank ‘em:
1. Dark Chocolate Reese’s
2. The Original Reese’s
3. Extra Smooth and Creamy Reese’s
4. Peanut Butter Outside/Inside Out Reese’s
5. Reese’s Big Cup
6. White Chocolate Reese’s
7. Fudge Reese’s
Mind you, the Fudge Reese’s is still better than most candy bars out there. The merging of chocolate and peanut butter must be the greatest culinary accident of all time.