Reese's Pieces - Candy Or M & M's With An Identity Crisis? Sweet Tooth Write-Off
Written: May 04 '01 (Updated May 04 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quick fix for sugar junkies, nice aftertaste.
Cons: High in carbohydrates and extremely addictive.
The Bottom Line: The only candy endorsed by an alien.
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| Freak369's Full Review: candies |
Chocolate. One word, many calories.
When I came across this category "candies" I was rather shocked to only see one review [but I am sure it will be flooded with reviews by the time I post this] – so I decided to host a write-off entitled The Sweet Tooth Write-Off. Proclaim your love of candy, in any form, shape or color. Be it bittersweet or gooey globs of guar gum – stand up, raise your hand and don’t think twice about the calories, carbohydrates or fat grams.
Sure, this write-off sounded like a good idea – that is until I had to sit down and pick a favorite. How can you have just one? York Peppermint Patties, Rolo’s, Reese’s Cup, Mallo Bars, M & M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeer’s, Twizzlers, Delfa Roll, Abba Zabba, Nestle Crunch, Mars Bars… I could literally go on for an entire page naming the various candies I’ve ingested. But in the end I’ve settled on the candy that started it all - Reese’s Pieces
Sorry if that seemed anticlimactic – and I know it certainly wasn’t the first – or even the best candy every created. But let me explain … (weird screen fades back some 15 odd years)…. A chubby girl sits in a movie theater, surrounded by other chubby kids, munching on assorted, mass produced items. The film, E.T. – that almost cute alien that is befriended by Drew Barrymore and family in suburbia. I sat, with sweat on my brow, hoping the little guy makes it home, that he doesn’t become part of an experiment, when – to my surprise – Reese’s Pieces are carefully dropped on the ground help lead him to safety.
Now, present day, Epinions, Sweet Tooth Write Off; some of you might be wondering .. Freak, Did you take your meds today? What’s the bloody point to all this rambling? For the longest time I thought that if I left a trail of Reese’s Pieces outside that I’d have an alien of my own. Sure some kids wanted dogs or cats – too boring. Imagine the cool points I would garner on Show And Tell Day if I showed up with an alien. Alas, all it managed to lead into the house was a trail of ants. Moral of the story? Unless you want your mother to chase you with a frying pan, leave the alien research to S.E.T.I.
Reese’s Pieces motto is Candy In A Crunchy Shell; my personal thought it that it’s just an M & M with an identity crisis. Both claim to have that “melts in your mouth, not in your hand” coating [heavy paraffin / carnauba wax additive], both come in a plethora colors [especially the seasonal ones], same size and shape and have that “snap” when you bite into one. Extra snap if it’s a fresh bag.
So, is the Reese’s Pieces an M & M filled with peanut butter or it’s own entity? That’s something that you have to decide for yourself. There’s just something about ripping a bag open, carefully tipping the bag to release a few of the tasty morsels, popping them in your mouth and savoring the euphoric blend of chocolate and peanut butter. But it’s not over yet, that’s just the foreplay – once you’ve swallowed you have a paste like goo left in your mouth – not too sweet and not too thick – just right. Shock your senses by downing a glass of ice-cold milk to really get the full flavor.
Some of you might be wondering why I am so jacked about a stupid little 1.63 ounce bag of preservatives and artificial colorings. I rarely eat carbohydrates – once every two weeks I give my body a 24 hour unsupervised feeding frenzy that can only be compared to a scene from Jaws. So after two weeks of looking at candy, popcorn, pasta, bread, milk and donuts you can imagine that I work up a pretty fierce appetite for anything with sugar.
When you look at the big picture of Reese’s Pieces it’s really not that bad – nutrition wise that is. One bag only has 230 calories, less than a fast food burger and undeniably more tasty. Look at it in a good light – you are getting 6 grams of protein and 4 % of your Daily Recommended Allowance of calcium. See, it’s not all bad. Now, the downside is the carbohydrates – 26 grams [23 grams sugar and 1 gram of dietary fiber, where the other two are is beyond me]. Still, in that 24-hour time frame all bets are off and I can indulge in anything I want. I try not to go too crazy but chances are you’ll see me huddled under the computer desk in darkness – the only sounds are the rustling of the bags and me chomping and moaning.
I try not to think about the ingredients – some of which require a degree just to pronounce. The term partially defatted peanuts always made me laugh – thinking of skinny peanuts hopping on a scale pheewww… I just made the weight class to be called defatted. Reese’s Pieces contain the general ingredients that make up any candy bar; sugar, those defatted peanuts, vegetable oils, non fat milk [again with the reference to removed fat], corn syrup, salt, soya lecithin, carnauba wax, resinous glaze and vanillin – they don’t even use real vanilla. I am starting to rethink my choice for this write off. But wait – there’s also the artificial colors – yellow 6 lake, yellow 5 lake, red 40 lake and blue 1 lake. Ummmmm, why blue? I see no blue Reese’s Pieces here.
Whether chilled in the refrigerator, frozen in the freezer or straight off the shelf of the grocery store, Reese’s Pieces can only be defined as a treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth. Try adding them to your Chex Mix for an added kick or throw a few on top of frosted cupcakes for a change of pace. You can also buy Mini Reese’s Pieces for baking or cake decorating.
Visit the Hershey website for more information on any Hershey product. You’ll be surprised to see the number of products they manufacture as well as the variations of names and ingredients between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The website is www.hersheys.com.
Reese’s Pieces should carry the warning tag that most all peanut products carry, however they do not. With the multitude of people who are allergic to peanuts and derivatives of peanuts [oils mostly] it’s almost commonplace to see a small banner at the bottom of packages that many contain them.
Fun At Parties
Since both Reese’s Pieces and M & M’s release Halloween colors of their chocolate treats why not confuse your guests. Mix a few bags of both candies in a large bowl. Make sure they only contain yellow, orange and brown [unless Van Halen will be attending*]. Now, sit back and watch the faces – one candy is peanut butter, the next chocolate. Take the gag a little further when they ask which candy is in the bowl and say “I’m not sure [insert name of the weirdo of the party here] brought them”. You might not have many people show up to your next party – but hey – do you really want them there if they can’t take a joke?
Please make sure that anyone who will be dipping into the candy bowl isn’t allergic to peanuts [see above] before you try this joke.
Thanks for the read and feel free to hi-jack this write-off topic. When candy is concerned, the more the merrier!
^V^ Freak ^V^
* = Van Halen has had it in several contracts that there were to be no brown M & M’s backstage before or after their concerts. Imagine the poor soul that had to pick them all out. [A few other bands also jumped on the ‘no brown M & M’s bandwagon’ in the early 80’s as well]
Other writers in the Sweet Tooth Write-Off: ObiWanJabroni, Kristinafh, Phineaskc, LessThanNick1, DantesGuide, mattygroves, Monssfich, Sparkfan77, mattygroves, Sleestakk
Recommended:
Yes
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