Sugar Savvy

Gone are the days when I would sit happily with nothing more than a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. That isn’t to say that I don’t still love the stuff but I prefer it cut somehow, with chocolate or ice cream or certainly, chocolate ice cream.

Peanut butter filled products abound, so let’s get started. Reese’s Pieces With Peanuts are just like regular Reese’s Pieces, which I like just fine but they’re not my favourite. The peanut butter inside isn’t exactly peanut butter at all, I’m not really sure what it is. With the peanut added it was just too peanutty. It had a bad aftertaste, which my crew said might be from the peanut itself but I’m certain that it was from the candy shell. J said it was too dry and that a honey roasted peanut might have been better. Perhaps, but the only way I could eat more than one was to eat it at the same time as a Hershey’s Peanut Butter Kiss.

Hershey’s Peanut Butter Kisses had a good balance. J thought they tasted the same as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups but the girls disagreed. We found them creamier, quite delightful really. But as with many things peanut butter, my craving was satiated quickly and I only ate a few.

We also sampled Twix With Peanut Butter, which tasted exactly as I’d assumed it would: dry. Why in the world would you pair one incredibly dry thing, a cookie, with another incredibly dry thing, peanut butter? It should recommend drinking a glass of milk or a cup of tea right on the label.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups With Dark Chocolate were next on the block and met with mixed reactions. Michelle and J both prefer the creamier texture of the milk chocolate version but also thought the dark chocolate was okay. But I found the dark more enticing. Lately I have found my sweet tooth and my sweet intake to be curbed somewhat. The dark chocolate cut the sweetness way down and it hit the spot without being too cloying. That’s not to say I won’t eat a regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Or even a Reese’s Big Cup With Nuts. I love these and their no-extra-nuts counterpart. When I handed it to J, he exclaimed,

“It’s so big!”

“It’s a Big Cup.” I replied.

“It’s huge, it’s too much.” He protested.

“Huh, more for me then.” But he was too quick for me, downing it all in one bite and leaving me with just one. Too big, indeed. These are truly delicious. If you like nuts, go nuts with this.

I thought I’d be ending this on a happy note but then my friend Dave came by with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups With Marshmallow. I had already made the mistake of trying these and tried to hide my disapproval from Dave so as not to offend him and his sweet gesture. Fortunately for me he bit his first.

“Oh God, these are awful.” He started to cry. “Nasty-ass medicine taste!”

And then he inexplicably threw the rest of his cup into his mouth and cursed his purchase mistake.

“Damn my generosity. Stupid! Drown it with Coke!”

I felt it only fair to attempt to eat my cup but as I tried to pull it away from its wrapper I found it to be mercilessly difficult to unstick, due to the marshmallow. Assuming I was smarter than the manufacturers, I thought I’d salvage my sugar craving and cut the marshmallow part off. Wow, what a mistake. The gross marshmallow taste had permeated the whole candy and I spit the piece out of my mouth, disgusted.

So, honestly, why mess with perfection? Big or small cup, nuts or not, dark or milk chocolate, peanut butter is a welcome treat. But if you’ve got the time and inclination, try making your own at home. I found several excellent recipes on http://www.recipezaar.com/.