Friday, October 19, 2007

Reese’s Pieces

They’re the candies that made E.T. famous: Reese’s Pieces. Little sweet nuggets of peanut flavored candy covered in a colorful shell. Loved across the universe, they were introduced in 1978, but didn’t break out as a widely-known candy until being featured as alien-bait in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982.

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The story is quite familiar to most movie and confectionery fans. Steven Spielberg approached M&Ms about doing a product placement (not a very common thing in those days) in his new movie about a child who adopts an abandoned alien. M&Ms turned down the project, so Spielberg went to his next choice, Hershey’s and the Hershey’s Kiss. Hershey’s wasn’t keen on that, but did offer up one of their new candies that they’d been trying to launch national since 1980, Reese’s Pieces ... which look an awful lot like M&Ms! Sales improved drastically and the idea of product placement was cemented as a way to increase revenue in feature films and television series.

Reese's PiecesAre they a Halloween candy? Well, the movie takes place around Halloween and they do sport festive harvest colors.

While Reese’s Pieces may sport the Reese’s name, but they’re really not much like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, except that they contain peanuts.

It’s a sweet, melty peanutty center covered in a crisp candy shell. They come in three colors: orange, yellow and brown. They also come in an Easter version that has a pastel shell and is larger.

The center is made from a peanut powder of sorts, instead of a peanut butter. Much of the peanut oil has been removed, mostly because of a manufacturing problem with peanut oil ... it’s a liquid a room temperature, so it tends to migrate out of peanut butter via osmosis when coated with lower-fat things like a sugar shell. (Some folks may notice that their Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups get a little shiny spot in the center of the shell when this happens.)

I find that Reese’s Pieces lack a big nutty punch. They taste like peanuts, but don’t have that real peanut taste that a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has. They’re also really sweet and don’t have that little salty hit that most other peanut things like Payday Bars, RPBC and Pearson’s Nut Roll have. I’ve always noticed a bit of a floral note to them as well, that just doesn’t do anything for me.

I keep thinking I’ll like them, then I buy them and I’m disappointed. The Easter versions, with its thicker shell and more concentrated “peanut butter as cookie dough” flavor pleases me a lot more. I’m wondering as well if I’m imagining that the shells used to be more consistent. These seemed a little bumpier, a little less opaquely colored.

Related Candies

  1. Reese’s Whipps
  2. M&M and Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Eggs
  3. Trader Joe’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups
  4. Peanut Butter Kisses
  5. Reese’s Pieces with Peanuts
Name: Reese's Pieces
    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: RiteAid
Price: $1.00
Size: 4 ounces
Calories per ounce: 145
Categories: Peanuts, United States, Hershey's, Reese's, Kosher, Halloween

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:39 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I tried these once when they came out and hated them. I much prefer a peanut butter cup.

    Comment by Carol on 10/19/07 at 11:22 am #
  2. I never liked these much either and I’ll choose peanut butter M&Ms; over these anyday. I remember my sister getting these as a kid and was so gorssed out by them. I think part of it was the limited color palatte, since it looked cheap to me and I didn’t understand it was a “theme” for the brand.

    Comment by Sera on 10/19/07 at 11:38 am #
  3. I actually like these.  I love peanut butter cups too but these seem slightly less sweet.

    Once as a “surprise” my husband put them into some pancakes he was making for me.  The peanut flavor surprisingly strong.

    Comment by Karen on 10/19/07 at 12:26 pm #
  4. Oh, I just love these!  They were my candy of choice as a kid.  They’re like peanut butter fudge in a candy shell.

    Comment by Alicia on 10/19/07 at 2:10 pm #
  5. I really like these.  Regular is my favorite, but I also like the ones with a peanut inside.  That said, I also adore the peanut butter M&Ms;.

    Comment by Dave on 10/19/07 at 2:37 pm #
  6. The highest and best purpose of Reese’s Pieces is to put them in chocolate cookies, if you live in a hot climate where peanut butter chips would melt in your brown bag.

    Comment by calamari on 10/19/07 at 4:59 pm #
  7. I never really liked them too much, though they were all right when I was little. I like peanut butter M&Ms; much better.

    Comment by Grace on 10/19/07 at 6:29 pm #
  8. I never had these until after I watched ET. Since I was expecting M&Ms;, I was so severely disappointed I haven’t had them since.

    Comment by Russ on 10/19/07 at 8:17 pm #
  9. I love these. My hubby and I once bought the huge size bag from sams club and ate them mindlessly for days. Yummy!

    Comment by Alli on 10/20/07 at 3:17 am #
  10. I have always loved Reese’s Pieces. When I was in high school I would buy them almost daily for a quarter. I’m a BIG peanut butter fan so I like the peanut butter M&M’s too. I always buy several bags of the Pastel Reese’s at Easter.

    Comment by Suzanne on 10/20/07 at 4:50 am #
  11. Am I the only one who pronounces these phonetically?  I constantly hear them spoken as “Reesees Piecees” and it boggles my mind.

    Comment by Jesse on 10/20/07 at 11:13 am #
  12. So THAT’S why PB cups get that shiny spot! I never knew. Cybele, you should do a head-to-head with Reese’s Pieces and PB M&Ms;. I really like PB M&Ms;, but haven’t had the desire to buy RPs in a long time.

    Jesse, I pronounce them phonetically, only I must pronounce Reese’s like you do (Rees-uhs, not Reesies - thus rees-uhs peesuhs). Regional variations, gotta love ‘em.

    Comment by Tricia on 10/21/07 at 3:55 pm #
  13. this is a total [expletive] review. reeses pieces are the [expletive] [expletive]. you don’t know what you’re talking about.

    Comment by ... on 11/09/07 at 1:12 pm #
  14. Cybele's avatar

    Elipsis - I edited your comments. This is a family friendly blog.

    Comment by Cybele on 11/09/07 at 1:21 pm #
  15. I used to love Reese’s Pieces and then one time I ate so many I made myself sick. It was many years before I could eat them again and now, I still like them, but the taste reminds me of that long-ago day…and I can only eat a few.

    Comment by Carrie on 12/28/07 at 4:45 am #
  16. I love Reese’s Pieces. I once spent a summer eating nothing but Reese’s Pieces (and ramen noodles too) I don’t eat them too much now because of that binge.

    Comment by Sara Em on 10/21/08 at 5:56 pm #
  17. I love these little candies BUT only the first bite. Does any one else have the experience of a unique flavor in the first handful… as if you didn’t remember the flavor quite perfectly?

    That is what I love about these candies. After the first bite they go on top of my Hershey’s Vanilla Ice Cream (by far the creamiest vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted… I wonder if that is the brand my mother bought for us as kids.)

    Oh, and is it just me or do you find yourself arguing with friends that insist there is chocolate somewhere in this candy?!!

    Comment by Mindy on 11/10/08 at 9:55 am #
  18. omg! i’ve always loved reeses pieces…they’re my favorite candya nd has been since they’ve came out

    Comment by kristen danielle on 10/23/09 at 8:48 am #
  19. I enjoy reese’s pieces more than M&M’s, but that’s because I don’t care much for chocolate. My mom thinks M&M’s are better, but I guess it just depends on who you are. :D

    Comment by Jessy on 11/29/09 at 11:21 am #
  20. hey if you are talking about reese pieces.  OMG those are so delious. Oh wait most of the people that blogged there comment said they would prefer something else.

    Comment by Kennnedy on 3/09/10 at 1:01 pm #
  21. i really love these they are my favorite candy ever and the best i like them better than reeses cups

    Comment by Amber on 4/06/10 at 2:01 pm #
  22. I personally hate these. Far, far too sweet. I’ll stick with the cups.

    Comment by Brian on 4/11/10 at 2:34 am #
  23. i personaly think m&m’s are better tasting but i also can eat reeses pieces for hours as i couldn’t with m&m’s maybe they should add chocolate and peanut butter for the filling maybe that would be way more tasty and better than both reeses pieces and m&m’s

    Comment by portia brown on 5/20/10 at 5:10 pm #
  24. I bet that all of you are some fat [expletive deleted by admin] and this is all you talk about [expletive deleted by admin] chocolate you all a bunch of overweight fat [expletive deleted by admin]

    [this comment was edited by the admin to comply with the posted commenting policy]

    Comment by Coby Braughton on 10/27/10 at 8:54 am #
  25. I love these but I do get that they are not for everyone and I think they are best if eaten in small doses.
    I have never had them in cookies,  because I have tried other candy coated candies on cookies and I don’t enjoy the candy shell on my cookies.

    Comment by Amanda on 10/25/11 at 6:52 pm #
  26. I luv reese’s Pieces . I rember watching the movie E.T and asking what are thoses so instead of my dad explaining he went and bought me some and i luved them ever since!


              NICOLE smile

    Comment by nicole on 11/20/11 at 8:16 am #
  27. I love everything about the Reese’s Pieces! They are everything a girl can ask for from a candy!
    I bring them everyday to school for snack and all my friends fight over them!!
    Basically, Reese’s Pieces made me popular!
    Thank you Reese’s Piecess!!

    Comment by Willy Wonka on 12/27/11 at 12:20 pm #
  28. LOL Nicole!!!  I’ve loved Reese’s Pieces ever since I saw them on E.T. too!

    Comment by Tara Lidell on 9/24/12 at 10:11 am #
  29. Used to be one of my favorite candies, but I find myself picking up maybe two of the movie-size boxes a year… however, I do pine for the days of the Reese’s Pieces Blizzard!  It was one of my two favorite items (along with the Orange Mr. Misty Float!) at Dairy Queen, but they discontinued both… at least at all of the DQs here in GA.  I will, on occasion, buy a small bag of these, smash them up a little, and bring them to DQ myself…

    Comment by Adam on 10/02/12 at 1:12 am #
  30. I like the Reese’s Pieces better than the Reese’s candies….....My opinion

    Comment by CJ on 11/01/12 at 5:17 pm #
  31. Awesome sweet loveable addiction n g co

    Comment by rere vesed on 11/15/13 at 9:51 pm #
  32. Reese’s was the only candy I would eat as I five year old(before my candy palette expanded). I especially savored Reese Pieces way over M&M’s. My brother liked Skittles but I couldn’t stand them lol.

    Comment by R.J. on 12/08/15 at 1:42 pm #
  33. An old post, I know, but I stumbled upon it and had to ask: is it just me/a Los Angeles thing, or is it impossible to find the single serving bags of these anymore?

    I don’t eat them all that often, but maybe 6 months ago I noticed I could only find them in the large bags and the smaller (1/2 size?) “to go” sized bags. Nowhere in all that time since I started really looking have I seen one of the old-fashioned “single serving” bags of them—although you can find them for practically every M&M flavor and every other current Reese’s product.

    It’s just struck me as really strange—although, I suppose, with word of the imminent (current?) pieces-in-cups product, maybe that’s where they’ve all gone? wink))

    Comment by Diannelamerc on 7/19/16 at 9:28 am #
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