The Battle of the Peanut Butter Cups

Everyone in America is very familiar with the beloved Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup candy.  Reese’s candies have been around since 1928.  They are an American classic originating in Hershey, PA by the HB Reese Candy Company, which Mr. Reese founded in his basement.  Although he had a lot of different candies, his peanut butter candies were his most popular.  In 1963, the HB Reese Candy Company merged with The Hershey Chocolate Company and history was made, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were born.  Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are among the most popular candies in America today.

Enter the challenger, the new “kid” on the block, The Kirkland Brand Peanut Butter Cups from Costco.   Almost everyone knows of Costco, and most people love the Costco brands, myself included.  They have created their own brand, the Kirkland brand, and they have a wide variety of delicious, very good quality food products, including their version of America’s beloved peanut butter cups.

Both the favorite, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the challenger, The Kirkland Brand Peanut Butter Cups, are delicious mouthfuls of milk chocolate that have a peanut butter filling.  Both are irresistible, and make it very difficult to stop at just one.

The contenders sit side by side on my kitchen counter, ready for battle.  Both are slowly peeled from their foil wrappers, and are ready for battle.  The favorite is wrapped in gold and the contender in bright red.  Both are prepared for this epic fight and have plenty of backup just in case one accidentally gets eaten before the finish of the battle.  Both are prepared to put up a good contest to defend their honor.  Both contenders go to their prospective corners.

They meet, bite mark to bite mark, and size each other up.  They look pretty evenly matched, although The Kirkland Brand has a little more pizzazz to it’s bite.  Both contenders are ready.  Let the battle begin.

The crowd favorite, wrapped in gold is looking a little flat and does not have as much style and flair as the challenger, but we all know it is substance rather than style right?!  Is the peanut butter filling of The Reese’s cup good enough to beat out the challenger?  Can it stand up to the taste test? The judge has nibbled equally from both.  She has let the chocolate and peanut butter flavors melt in her mouth to get the full essence and consistency of both.  She takes another nibble from each contestant and weighs in again.  After there is nothing left of either contender, they fought to their deaths and gave their all, the verdict is in.  And the winner is ……… Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new winner in the house!  After careful consideration, and quite a few tastings later, the judge has decided the new kid on the block, The Kirkland Brand, is the winner.   What lead the judge to her decision you might ask.  There were actually a few factors that lead to her decision.  She liked the lighter, fluffier appearance of the Kirkland Brand for one.  She thought it had a little more personality than the tried and true Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  But more importantly than the appearance, the judge really thought the peanut butter filling in the Kirkland Brand had a better, more “peanut buttery” taste and had a creamier consistency, again, more like actual peanut butter than the favorite.  It just melted in her mouth.  Though she still loves the favorite, it is not HER favorite.  The judge prefers the challenger, The Kirkland Brand, hands down.  I’m off to Costco.  I need more peanut butter cups.

Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people. View all posts by ajeanneinthekitchen