Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups often get a lot of attention — and it’s obvious why. They’re classic, they taste slightly different (but still delicious) when morphed into other shapes for some strange reason, and they’re the perfect blend of peanut butter and chocolate. They might very well be one of the most popular candies out there, as they’re so hard to resist. But Reese’s Pieces, which are a bit more portable, are the perfect go-to when it comes to movie theater snacking and road trips.
The iconic peanut butter cup was concocted by Harry Reese, and about five decades after their release, Reese’s Pieces were born. According to Mental Floss, they were initially called “PBs,” which is nowhere near as catchy. If it wasn’t for the “Pieces,” people would be even more confused by the pronunciation of “Reese’s.” (It’s Rees-Is, by the way, not Rees-Ees). Their popularity likely skyrocketed based on their product placement in E.T. the Extraterrestrial. They’re literally out-of-this-world delicious.
However, it’s now come to our attention that Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have a huge difference between them. Literally. You’d assume that the filling in Reese’s Pieces is similar to that of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (especially based on their first title), but that’s not actually the case.
According to Delish, a completely different filling is in Reese’s Pieces, helping keep them creamy and deliciously consistent. Which makes a lot of sense, but is still a little strange, as you’d assume they’d want to stay close to the taste of the cups.
But it can also explain why products like these work:
If the cups were stuffed with the same thing, at most, you’d have a texture difference once you bit in. But these offer up two (slightly) different flavors, thanks to the differing insides. (And for the record, they’re really, really good).
Speaking of, they also make Reese’s Pieces-stuffed milk chocolate bars, so you’ll probably want to get your hands on those as well.
It’s always good to have a bunch of Reese’s Pieces facts on hand since they’re universally loved. Who knows when one might come in handy?
girl sitting next to me on my flight offered me a reese’s pieces and immediately fell asleep on my shoulder. i’m thinking an october wedding but i could be convinced for spring
— ava 🇵🇸 (@wownicebuttdude) January 22, 2019
Here’s one more — the color variation in your Reese’s Pieces is actually intentional. Delish writes that the color distribution for Reese’s Pieces favors orange over brown and yellow. There are reportedly twice as many orange pieces as the other two.
Once you notice the abundance of orange, it’s all you’ll be able to see.
All in all, it’s good to know that if you did taste a massive difference between Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you have a pretty strong palate. It also means that you shouldn’t feel all that guilty eating both in one sitting.
Or, perhaps you could try whipping up cookies dedicated to the chocolate and peanut butter combo we all love so much.
At the end of the day, the Cups and Pieces are like siblings — they share names and similarities, but are two completely different candies — so no shame in mixing it up. (Not like you needed permission).
