Sharing a Kit Kat or even a Twix is OK. Hey, they have multiple bars for a reason.
But being asked to part with a precious Reese's Peanut Butter Cup? That's a no-no. Reese's are just that good. In fact, they're so good that a milk chocolate Reese's cup is sold somewhere in the world every 12 seconds. To keep up with the annual demand, Reese's factories produce enough cups to wrap around the earth eight times. What might be even crazier, however, is the variety of Reese's products out there. There are more than 60!
"The inspiration for a new product can come from many places, whether it's from our fans, our flavor geniuses in R and D [research and development], or a mashup of the classics," a Hershey's spokesperson recently told TODAY Food.
From crunchy pieces and sticks to dark and white chocolate varieties, are 16 of the most beloved Reese's products you can probably find in your closest candy aisle — and online.
1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
Some of the first advertisements for Reese's claimed they were "peanutritious," as in somewhat good for you. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Hershey's employee and father of 16 H.B. Reese in 1928. For the past 91 years, they've been the standard for all things peanut butter and chocolate. Not surprisingly, as the original, they're still the bestselling Reese's product. If you're not afraid of change, try these limited-edition Chocolate Lovers and Peanut Butter Lovers flavors.
2. Reese's Pieces
Seriously lacking in the chocolate department and featuring a different peanut butter mixture than the cups, Reese's Pieces aren't for all Reese's fans. But those who love them will never switch over to the larger, more chocolate-heavy M&Ms filled with peanut butter. Reese's Pieces debuted in 1977. However, sales didn't really explode until they were featured in the classic 1982 film "E.T." They're truly out of this world.
3. Reese's Sticks
Reese's Sticks are pretty much the skinnier candy version of Little Debbie's Nutty Bars. They feature a crispy wafer that's similar to what you'd expect to find in a Kit Kat. Unfortunately, instead of four sticks, you only get two. When they first came out in 1998, you may recall that the wrapper read ReeseSticks. That's what they were called before Reese's marketing team realized it didn't really roll off the tongue the way Reese's Sticks would.
4. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Dark
Reese's Dark Peanut Butter Cups came on the candy scene in the early 2000s. These are more bitter than a classic Reese's, so you really have to be a dark chocolate fan to find them better than the original. While it's easy to assume they're healthier since dark chocolate has more antioxidants, one package of Reese's Dark is only 10 calories less than its milk chocolate counterpart. Furthermore, it's 3 grams smaller and has an additional gram of fat. However, if you're watching your sugar intake, it does have 4 fewer grams of sugar.
5. Reese's White
Not to be confused with white chocolate (there's a pending lawsuit accusing Hershey's of falsely advertising its product), these cups are made with a "white creme." They don't have any cocoa butter, the main ingredient for white chocolate, but they do have a large following. In fact, most of Reese's holiday shapes — its second bestselling product after classic Reese's cups — also come in white.
6. Reese's Nutrageous
If you're not in the cup camp, consider this candy bar: It has the Reese's peanut butter and chocolate pairing, as well as chewy caramel and roasted nuts. So, in a nutshell, you're getting a chocolatey, creamy, crunchy and chewy experience all for the price of one. (Back when Reese's Nutreageous debuted in 1994, you could still buy a candy bar for just 50 cents.)
7. Reese's Outrageous
Take the same milk chocolate, peanut butter, peanuts and caramel in a Nutrageous bar, add Reese's Pieces and you have Reese's Outrageous. For peanut butter and chocolate purists, there might just be too much going on in this little package. But a lot of people think this treat is pure genius. In fact, when Reese's Outrageous first came out in 2018, it sold out quickly. It also appeared on Dairy Queen's Blizzard menu and is still sometimes be featured as the chain's flavor of the month.
8. Reese's Take5
In 2004, the same year Pixar was promoting its film "The Incredibles," Reese's was trying to get people excited about its latest product: Reese's Take5. Its name comes from five layers including peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate, caramel and pretzels. While the flavor combination went over well with consumers, the packaging didn't. The original wrapper was black and green and didn't look at all like a Reese's product. In 2019, the brand brought the bright orange wrapper back.
9. Reese's Fast Break
Reese's Fast Break also had a wrapper redesign after its original blue wrapper didn't appear to tempt purist fans. Introduced in 2002, this Reese's product stands out because it has a layer of nougat. In Canada, it was sold as the Hershey Sidekick ... until it was discontinued.
10. Hershey's Reese's Pieces
It was only a matter of time before Hershey's combined two of its bestselling candies. Hershey's did just that last fall when it married its classic milk chocolate bar with Reese's Pieces. Use this bar for s'mores if you want a nice crunch and noteworthy peanut buttery aftertaste in the classic campfire treat.
11. Reese's Big Cup
Bigger is better right? Not always. Serious Reese's aficionados aren't overly fond of the chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio in these giant cups. Depending on where you're biting, you'll either get too much peanut butter ... or not enough. It's just not as balanced and smooth as a regular Reese's. Still, they're popular enough to be sold in several flavors including crunchy and crunchy cookie. Plus, they're huge!
12. Reese's Crunchy Cookie
If you want to make something better, just add an Oreo, right? Reese's Crunchy Cookie cups feature bits of cookie that taste and look a lot like crunchy Oreos cookies (without the filling). They first came out in May 2017, but you may remember the candy's predecessor: Reese's Crunchy Cookie featuring an entire cookie layer. Those were sold in the 1990s.
13. Reese's Stuffed with Pieces
Since 2016, it's been possible to find your two favorite Reese's candies in one package. Technically, these aren't full-size Reese's Pieces. But mini pieces actually work better stuffed inside another sweet vessel. Otherwise they would likely overpower the cup's peanut butter filling. They're also available in Big Cup and Reese's Miniatures.
14. Reese's Miniatures
Reese's Miniature Cups are Reese's third bestselling candy (after regular Reese's cups and Reese's holiday shapes, which come in Christmas trees, hearts, eggs, pumpkins and even Batman when "The Dark Knight" was released). As with the Big Cups, the chocolate to peanut butter ratio is much debated here. What is great about these festive little guys, however, is that the foil wrappers change colors and designs according to upcoming holidays or seasons.
15. Reese's Minis
If you don't even want to mess with wrappers, then Reese's Minis are for you. Reese's made headlines in 2011 when it unveiled this more eco-friendly (and desk friendly) product at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At just 18 calories each, you can have about 12 of these for every two regular sized cups (210 calories).
16. Reese's Thins
Did the world really need a thinner Reese's? Probably not. But that didn't stop the brand from coming out with Reese's Thins earlier this year.According to this infographic depicting every available size of Reese's cups, they're 40% thinner than regular cups. Today, they come in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate. But who knows? Maybe if teeny tiny mini Reese's Pieces become a thing, Hershey's will come out with that mashup.