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Friday, October 19, 2007
Reese’s PiecesThey’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.
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.
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
POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:39 pm
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICEAll content (text and photos unless otherwise credited) is copyright 2005-2009 by Cybele MayPlease do not use my photos without prior permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes. Design by Hop Studios & powered by Expression Engine
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WORTH IT 
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SUPERB
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I tried these once when they came out and hated them. I much prefer a peanut butter cup.
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.
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.
Oh, I just love these! They were my candy of choice as a kid. They’re like peanut butter fudge in a candy shell.
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;.
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.
I never really liked them too much, though they were all right when I was little. I like peanut butter M&Ms; much better.
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.
I love these. My hubby and I once bought the huge size bag from sams club and ate them mindlessly for days. Yummy!
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.
Am I the only one who pronounces these phonetically? I constantly hear them spoken as “Reesees Piecees” and it boggles my mind.
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.
this is a total [expletive] review. reeses pieces are the [expletive] [expletive]. you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Elipsis - I edited your comments. This is a family friendly blog.
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.
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.
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?!!
omg! i’ve always loved reeses pieces…they’re my favorite candya nd has been since they’ve came out
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