I ate PB&J Reese’s Cups so you don’t have to
The new PB&J Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are an A+ idea with a C+ execution.
The jelly is weird. It tastes closer to the center of a Fruit Gusher than what you get out of a jar. Also, it's a little disappointing that it still gets overpowered by the chocolate and peanut butter.
They're not bad. I found them to be quite satisfying and enjoyable. I just wanted more.
It's like winning $5 on a $2 scratch ticket. Sure, you won and it makes your day a little bit. But somewhere deep down, you're a little let down that you didn't hit the jackpot.
PB&J Reese's Cups | Review
The PB&J spin-off is the latest experiment from Reese's, which appears to be following Oreo down the path of constantly cranking out crazy new flavors.
Two varieties are hitting the market as part of the PB&J experiment:
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Grape PB&J Reese's Cups
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Strawberry PB&J Reese's Cups
In recent years, Reese's has been bonkers with the limited edition flavors. It's hard to keep track of the all.
We've had Caramel Reese's Cups, Reese's Cups filled with Reese's Pieces, Pretzels Reese's Cups, Potato Chip Reese's Cups, Chocolate Lava Reese's Cups, Bacon Reese's Cups and Banana Reese's Cups.
And to think, I only made up those last two.
What do they taste like?
You get a little bit of that classic "peanut butter and jelly vibe." But only on a surface level.
The overall flavor is a sugar-fueled car crash between all the different components. So instead of nuttiness from peanut butter and zing from the jam, you just get different layers of sweet.
This is because the sugar content of peanut butter in a Reese's cup is way jacked up from normal peanut butter. Normally, that's what makes it so great.
But in this case, it's not an ideal pairing with the jelly filling that would be equally at home in the center of a Pop-Tart.
That's to be expected. It is candy. But it's a little disappointing to see how the jelly was implemented.
I wish it were all a little more balanced. Give me more jelly and get a little more actual fruit in there.
So are they any good?
They're good. I just found myself wishing for something different.
Honestly, that's on me. It's a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It's not going to be immaculately balanced like it's something out of a French patisserie.
Ultimately, it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a Reese's Big Cup that has a little jelly spin, then this is perfect.
If you want something a little more complex, you probably shouldn't be putting your hopes on candy you're grabbing while standing in the checkout line at Walmart.
The final word
All criticisms aside, I'm glad they made these. The execution may not have been perfect, but I really like the idea.
With that in mind, here are the top five next Reese's Cup Varieties they should make:
5. Reese's Cookie Butter Cups
4. Oreo Reese's Cups
3. Peanut Butter Mocha Reese's Cups
2. S'mores Reese's Cups
1. Fluffernutter Reese's Cups
I can see No. 4 happening any day now. Oreo is game for anything. Heck, they've already made officially licensed Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreos.
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"I ate it so you don't have to" is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we're sort of stuck with it.
You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com . Please send all criticisms and s uggestions for new Reese's Cups flavors to kguregian@masslive.com . You can check out the rest of the series here .
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