Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Reese’s Peanut Butter Bar

Reese's BarA few keen eyed readers and Candy Forums friends spotted the new Reese’s Bar. (I’m not sure what this is actually called. The wrapper says: Milk Chocolate Reese’s filled with Reese’s Peanut Butter. But that sounds infinitely silly and doesn’t even include that it’s a bar and not a cup.)

I’ve only seen it so far in a 4.5 ounce size and only at Walgreen’s. But it was on sale for $1.00 and has disappeared in the weeks since I purchased it.

It was easy to spot what with the Reese’s orange wrapper.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bar

The ingredients list is incredibly long:

Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, corn syrup solids, soy lecithin, TBHQ), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, cocoa butter, chcoolate, nonfat milk, milk fat & contains 2% or less of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (plam kernel and palm oil), salt, wheat flour, cornstarch, vegetable oil (cocoa butter, palm, palm kernel, shea, sunflower and/or safflower oil), whey, TBHQ, soy lecithin, leavening (sodium bicarbonate & sodium aluminium phosphate), vanillin.

The bar is attractive and thick. Each lightly rounded section holds a portion of crumbly yet smooth Reese’s Peanut Butter filling.

What’s clearly evident about this bar is that it’s all about chocolate and less about the peanut butter than the traditional cups.

I usually prefer the high ratio of peanut butter such as the Reese’s Eggs around Easter, but for those looking for the opposite end of the spectrum, this is an interesting flip.

The difference in ratios aside, this bar is far harder to eat and share though certainly a good value.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate filled with Creamy Peanut ButterWhat confused me most about this bar was that Hershey’s already has a peanut butter filled bar. I’ve even reviewed it.

It looks pretty much the same - 4.5 ounces and the same number of sections. Really the only difference in looking at them is that this bar says Hershey’s on top of each section instead of Reese’s.

But it is different. The center here is smoother and a bit stickier and perhaps even saltier.

The ingredients list is shorter by about a third:

Milk chocolate (sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, mikl fat, soy lecithin, PGPR, vanillin), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (palm kernel and palm oil), cocoa butter and contains 2% or less of salt, cornstarch & TBHQ.

I questioned the purpose of this bar the first time I tried it and why it was under the Hershey’s label and not Reese’s. I don’t know if both bars will continue to co-exist but if they have a limited number of slots I’d recommend dumping them both and concentrating on the quality of their core products. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s just superfluous.

Some Reese’s products are gluten free, but this one lists wheat in the ingredients.

Related Candies

  1. Hershey’s Miniatures
  2. Hershey’s Heart’s Desire
  3. Reese’s Pieces
  4. Reese’s Whipps
  5. The Great Pumpkin Roundup
  6. Trader Joe’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups
  7. Reese’s Bars
Name: Milk Chocolate Reese's filled with Reese's Peanut Butter
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Hershey's
Place Purchased: Walgreen's (Echo Park)
Price: $1.00
Size: 4.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 142
Categories: Chocolate, Peanut, United States, Reese's, Hershey's, Kosher

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:22 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I think my blood sugar just spiked when I found this blog.  What a fun review.

    Comment by GumballGrenade on 10/07/08 at 5:44 pm #
  2. I have tried them both and I prefer the Hersey one, i like it best if it has been in the fridge for a while, makes a great contrast between the hard chocolate and the smooth inside. yummy!

    Comment by Cool Chocolate Gifts on 10/07/08 at 11:34 pm #
  3. the difference between the pb in the hershey’s bar and that in the reese’s one is exactly the same as that between a pb hershey’s kiss and a cup. i much, much prefer the grainier, more pungent stuff of the reeses.

    i don’t know what the ultimate appeal of these could be. are there really people who eat the reeses primarily for the chocolate? it’s not good milk chocolate. if it were good milk chocolate, it would be impossible for me not to consume 10 per day.

    Comment by hannah on 10/08/08 at 6:21 am #
  4. nevr tried the hersheys one but i am in luv wit the reeses one but it mite hav been only a seasonal thing for wintr

    Comment by corey on 2/07/09 at 10:56 am #
  5. I found this bar while shopping at menards one day.  They can’t keep them in stock.  They run out as soon as they come in.  I too usually prefer the higher pb ratio, but really loved this rich bar.  Very high in calories and fat since one bar is 3 servings.

    Comment by Amy on 2/23/09 at 8:40 am #
  6. I found the same bar in one of our large chain drugstores, the Canadian version 120 gram (4.3 oz)bar is imported by Hershey Canada presumeably from the States and has a label which says ‘limited edition’ above the Reese logo and simply ‘Bar’ below it.. and the words ‘peanut butter in pure milk chocolate’ on the side edge of the wrapper. I find it to be a heavy and super rich bar due to the thicker decent quality milk chocolate. I have for years found a marked difference in the quality of chocolate found in Canadian labled bars vs American product, even if the product is mfg in the U.S. The ingredients list on this bar bears this out with multiple listings of both cocoa butter and unsweetened chocolate as well as several references to milk products none of them non-fat. The Canadian bar tops out at 600 calories for a 4.3 0z bar.

    Comment by DJ on 3/01/09 at 3:17 am #
  7. I LOVE THIS CANDY BAR!  I have always loved the pb cups, but this bar is so much better!  I have only seen it at Burlington Coat Factory, but have since read online that Walgreens carries it to.  Might have to check them out too!  Burlingtons can’t keep it in stock either.  My bf loves it as well so I am going to have to keep looking around I guess

    Comment by Sarah on 3/18/09 at 5:10 pm #
  8. Please bring back - I’m addicted to it and cannot find them any more!!  Just put them back on the shelves!!!  PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by L. Dean on 6/16/09 at 9:38 am #
  9. I actually saw this bar today at Meijer on sale for $1.25.  I was going to buy it but couldn’t remember your rating on it.  I usually trust your reviews so maybe I’ll go back and buy one.  I’m a big fan of anything Reese’s!

    Comment by Patrick on 8/02/09 at 6:00 pm #
  10. This Bar is ‘THE BEST!!!’..i have seen it in our kroger, wal-mart and thorntons in my area and they can’t keep them in stock.  My wife and I love them.

    Comment by Brian on 8/29/09 at 10:17 am #
  11. I completely agree with your review, since I too prefer a high PB:choc ratio (can’t stand the mini cups!). I got some for free at Walgreens last week and actually bit off the thicker chunks of chocolate and spat them into a napkin to improve the balance. I’d have given them a 4 on your scale.

    Comment by MoneyMateKate on 9/13/09 at 6:24 pm #
  12. I LOVE Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, so when I saw these bars in the CVS (2 for $3.00), I was so excited I bought 3!  I thought, finally…they made it into a bar instead of two cups, which are gone within 2 minutes of opening the package. This tastes TERRIBLE! It’s more choc than PB, and its like the choc is swirled through the PB? I’ve never seen the Hersheys version…but rather than throw them away, I’ll try to unload these 2 unopened ones on some of the neighborhood kids.

    Comment by Kay on 9/18/09 at 3:23 am #
  13. I’ve never seen these in the store but on a recent trip to Hershey Park they have these in giant size. It’s my understanding though that they sell things at the park that they don’t sell elsewhere. My only regret is that I only purchased 1.

    Comment by John on 9/25/09 at 1:16 pm #
  14. I’m a Reeses cup addict and this bar is delicious! The chocolate isn’t as soft as a cup, and there is less ‘peanut butter’ to chocolate ratio. I usually just pop a cup into my mouth and let it blissfully fade away, but with the bar I can break a piece or two off and manage to make it all last a little longer than a king size (4 cups). Not a replacement for cups, but I will definitely be buying this on occasion too.

    Comment by Ken on 10/08/10 at 9:03 pm #
  15. OMG i love the new reeses bar’s ..... As soon as i bought one ... i just had to go and buy more,

    but sadly the wraper says “limited time” and theres not that much more out there.
    I went EVERYWHERE then i found some at one lasted store. I bought every single one of them :D I DONT WANT THEM TO LEAVE

    Comment by Sara on 10/23/10 at 9:36 am #
  16. This bar is phenomenal. I want more. Sadly, only a few here or there can be found in my city, and they’re going fast. Why can’t this be a regular item, and not just a limited one? >=O

    Comment by Asiaticfox on 11/28/10 at 4:32 pm #
  17. This qualifies me for an OCD reality show! I LOVE these bars, much more than the cups. The cups just don’t do it. They’re not enough, you can’t control how much you eat (one cup, 1/2 a cup, etc.) and with the bars, you can (*if* you can!).
    These, are the BEST, by far! And for some reason, they’re not as salty as the cups…not sure why that is.
    I put mine in the fridge or freezer for a couple of hours before I eat them, so it makes it easier for me to break them into the size pieces I want and not eat the whole bar (sometimes).  But they sure are goooooooooood smile

    As for points, I give the bars a 10 out of 10, hands down (or full, depending on where you’re at in the “eating” process!)

    Oh, and Wal Mart has them regularly stocked, at $1.25 each.

    Comment by tee on 12/19/10 at 2:24 pm #
  18. Are they still limited? I recently purchased one at a Target, which usually has very fresh candy, and nowhere on the wrapper does it say its a limited edition bar.

    Comment by pb on 1/01/11 at 11:36 pm #
  19. hannah, every word you said was the TRUTH.

    Comment by tyrizzone on 3/17/11 at 8:17 pm #
  20. Okay, I found these (the Reese’s Bar) a couple of weeks ago and I fell in LOVE! I am addicted! I think they are far better than Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - a better chocolate/PB ration and no mess when you peel the paper off the cups! I haven’t seen the Hershey’s Peanut Butter Bar option yet but I fear I am going to have to seek it out because I was told today that the Reese’s bar is being DISCONTINUED!!! I am so upset - I LOVE the Reese’s bar! So very sad right now! Sorry about the exclamation points, but I am upset and feeling that way right now.

    Comment by Hilary Baird on 4/03/11 at 10:00 pm #
  21. I love-love-LOVE this candy bar!  First found one a week and a half ago at a Giant in Pittsburgh, PA.  Bought three (all they had) this week in Danbury, CT.  I’ve looked for them in about a dozen stores in that time.  I have to find more; I’m hooked.  None of them said ‘Limited Edition,’ but I cannot find them on Hershey’s Reese’s website.  These are terrific!  I will being searching for more.

    Comment by jen m on 8/29/11 at 7:20 pm #
  22. I just spotted them on Wegman’s website.  Also, I forgot to say that the ones I bought in CT were at a Rite-Aid.

    Comment by jen m on 8/29/11 at 7:24 pm #
  23. I love the Reese’s chocolate bar! I first discovered it at the local CVS. I love that there is more chocolate to pb ratio- i think its a better balance, you can still distinctly taste and enjoy the pb portion in my opinion. It’s also pretty cool that you can break it off into bite sized peices, and save it for later. I agree the packaging was labeled pretty silly, nowhere on there indicates its a bar but oh well doesnt make a difference in my liking. It’s so rich and creamy. Yup, I’m addicted.

    Comment by chanel on 10/03/12 at 6:23 pm #
  24. I like Reeses cups a lot, but I love this!! I like that there is a higher ratio of chocolate in this than in the cups.  if they ever put this in a regular serving size, then I would never buy the cups again.

    There isn’t even a name for it, though.  Kind of strange.

    Comment by john on 11/29/12 at 9:44 pm #
  25. It is with profound sorrow and building depression that I must share my discovery that this piece of confectionary brilliance has been discontinued. I have been scouring store shelves for remaining bars with a frenzy one might expect to see only if there were a slim chance of a golden ticket inside one. I have always loved Reece’s peanut butter cups, but these bars surpassed them in every way; I found the texture of the chocolate and the peanut butter to be just perfect, the balance of both elements to be sublime, and the chunky heft to be very nearly sexually gratifying. Oh, and the price - irresistible for one with an obsessive tendency to over-indulge.
    > sigh< Once again, my tastes prove to run counterclockwise to the masses.

    Comment by Leigh on 5/09/13 at 9:07 pm #
  26. We just received the Reese’s Bar in Canada. Really yummy, except terribly messy to eat.

    Comment by Justine on 6/09/13 at 3:49 pm #
  27. Justine, where did you find them? I’m from the Toronto, Ontario area and I discovered the delectable goodness just over 2 years ago. They were everywhere for a month or two, and then only at our local dollar store for about a year. I stocked up every time I was in there, but I haven’t seen them in over a year. :(

    I loved the Bar, the chocolate was better quality and I found the ratio to be just perfect. I’ve tried the Mini’s to see if those were just as good, but the chocolate ratio is too high. It felt like the Bar’s were made just for me. I loved them so much that my best friend sent me some as a “Congratulations on the birth of your son!” gift, it was my favourite gift.

    It kind of feels like the Bar’s were made for Hershey Park or something, and someone screwed up the delivery and the boxes were sent all over North America instead. I enjoyed them for less than a year. :(

    Comment by Cynthia on 8/20/13 at 12:31 pm #
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