Hershey’s Kisses were introduced in 1907. A common myth is that the name comes from the “kissing” sound created by the machines used to make the candy. However, it is more likely an appropriation of a common industry term for a dab of chocolate. The candies were originally wrapped by hand. Automated wrapping began in 1921. The same automatic wrapping process allowed for the insertion of the distinctive paper “plume,” that the company used to guarantee that consumers were getting the genuine Hershey product, rather than an imitation. This thin paper strip was registered as a company trademark in 1924. Hershey’s Kisses have been produced continuously since 1907, except for the period of time between 1942 and 1949. Rationing of raw materials during World War II made the aluminum foil for the wrappers a scarce commodity.

Hershey’s kisses are such a cute and well known candy. With so many new flavors popping up every few years, it’s hard to keep up with them. But of course, I have to try the Peanut Butter Kisses – because the Sheriff loves her peanut butter and chocolate combination! These little kisses are wrapped in the signature Hershey foil but this time it’s a beautiful, gleaming gold. The words “peanut butter� emblazon the foil in red lettering. I am so excited to try this product, I can hardly contain myself. Ok, a few deep breaths…I am ready to go. The well known and beloved Hershey’s chocolate is present in all of its “kiss shaped� glory. My teeth break through that and for a second or two, I savor the flavor of the rich, sweet milk chocolate. But what has my tongue and palate detected? Why, it’s the taste of sweet and slightly salty, smooth, creamy and oh-so-delicious peanut butter. Yes! It’s fantastic! The combination is, as always a glorious one, and Hershey’s has done it with such class, such finesse, such wonderful candy making ways! This is a dream come true! Cute little kisses filled with wonderful, glorious peanut butter! Can life get any better? I, think not.

 

There are some things in this world that make me utter, “that’s amazing!� Like seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time, watching a baby giraffe walk right after it’s been born, the Chargers getting closer and closer to going to the Super Bowl and now, the M&M’S Amazing bar. Yep, the Sheriff is back to review a new (to me) candy bar.First off, I gotta say…this is one loaded candy bar! It’s a thick piece of milk chocolate with peanut butter sandwiched between the top and bottom layers. Plus, the good folks over at Mars decided to throw in a ton of mini M&M’S, truly making this an AMAZING candy bar!
 
The milk chocolate is great. Really great. It’s smooth, creamy, and sweet.  The peanut butter (creamy, not chunky) is smooth and has just the right salty quality to it. And the mini M&M’S are just as great as they always are. They are bright and colorful and really add some pizzazz to the candy bar. Little dots of red, green, blue, yellow, orange and purple grace the usually dull (but delectable) chocolate and their crisp sugar shells add a pleasing crunch to the candy. All in all, this bar is a taste and texture sensation that would be hard to beat. If you haven’t given this bar a try, you gotta. You just gotta! 

 

OH. MY. GOD. I have died and gone to candy bar heaven. What did I do so right in my time on earth to deserve such a delicious, delectable taste sensation? Seriously people, this new candy bar from Reese’s is (as the Good Doctor so eloquently puts it) the “BOMB DIGGITY!� This candy bar is the shnizz, shnap, shnip, shnat, snack! The candy that bar is four, count them, FOUR layers of goodness. Four layers of peanut-y, peanut-butter-y, peanut-flaky, chocolaty awesomness. It is a taste explosion. God, this bar is good!

So Reese’s is known for their original peanut butter cups. One of my all time favorite candies. If you’ve been paying attention to my blogs, then you’ll know that peanut butter and chocolate together are two of my favorite things in the world. I love that flavor combination. It goes so well together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Nutella and banana. Lamb and tuna fish…

Now, Reese’s has decided to throw in a hail mary and go for the gold. And they have struck it rich with this lil’ number! A flaky, peanut-buttery center is topped of with sweet and salty peanut butter. You know the kind I am talking about. Reese’s signature peanut butter. No one in the world can make it like they can. Then, they add a layer of chopped, fresh-roasted peanuts and the whole thing is drenched in rich, creamy milk chocolate. So again, four layers of peanut butter chocolate goodness. Not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR! It is crunchy and creamy, sweet and salty, oh-so-yummy-in-my-tummy. I can’t stand it! It’s so tasty! Try it. Stop whatever you are doing and go get this candy bar. I’m not kidding, it’s that good. What are you waiting for??? GO!

 

The 5th Avenue bar of my childhood was not a Hershey product but made by Luden’s (yes, the cough drop people). Also made in Pennsylvania, the 5th Avenue bar may not have had the wide distribution of the more well-known Butterfinger. When I first got to California, I was introduced to candy bars that seem to have not made there way to Texas and I tried a 5th Avenue bar at a friend’s house. Her mom must have loved them, because she had a whole jar full of them. I seem to have a vague recollection of there being a couple of almonds on top. Does anyone else remember that?

The center is a crispy, crunchy peanut butter crisp. Kind of like a flaky toffee – it is much flakier than a Butterfinger bar. It has some peanut butter between the layers, as far as I can tell. It also has a distinct molasses flavor to it, which brings out the roasted flavors of the nuts. Whoever made this candy bar knew what they were doing – it is distinctly more peanut buttery than the Butterfinger bar. I would not go so far as to say that one is better than the other – they both bring something tasty to the table. The crispy peanut butter center is enrobed in sweet milk chocolate. Again, I cannot stress how much I love this flavor combination. It’s like a gift from the god’s. I wish that this bar still had the almonds on top, though. They added a great flavor and added crunch to the already crunchy bar. I’m a sucker for almonds and chocolate, too. I guess that like many candies, the original recipe died out when consumers were given a choice of almond or sans almond. I, for one, would have chosen almond. And that’s all I have to say about that…

 

Hey candy kids! It’s the Sheriff, here, ready to review a brand-spankin’ new candy…Reese’s Peanut Butter CARAMEL cups. Yep, those crazy folks over at Hershey decided to throw a curve ball at us and add caramel to the already perfected Reese’s peanut butter cup. I, for one, am skeptical at this flavor combination. Will it be too sweet? Will it be as good as the original? Better? Well, there’s only one way to find out… *Munch, munch, munch. Chew, swallow, gulp*

 

It’s Friday! It’s 5pm! FREE! The weekend is here and it is time to rejoice! So you call up your usual band of friends. Come to find out they’ve all made plans without you. You have been put in a situation where you need that special someone you can always count on to be there for you. Through thick and thin. Through the good times and the bad. Through all life’s trials and tribulations. Yup, you’ve guessed it. Abba Zaba, you my only friend! This is hands down, bar none, no contest, the definition of “old school classic candy barâ€?. Predating the popularity of the mainstream candy bars by over half a century. Abba Zaba is thick chewy taffy covered in rich creamy peanut butter. Created in the early 1920’s and besting it’s competitors on every snack food level. Not only is it genius in flavor, but it is also high in protein!

Now we all have our own ways about how we as individuals consume our meals and treats, but if I may be so bold as to lend you an inside trade on how I like to do things, this is something I highly recommend. If you have time, and either are in the comforts of your home or near a microwave, first open the Abba Zaba on one end. Place it in the middle of the microwave and set the timer for “approx 7 secondsâ€?. Once done, open the wrapper all the way and let the taffy and peanut butter take you to the days where good times are had by all. To the memories of a forgotten age. To ancient lands far away, where unicorns and wildebeests run free. The Abba Zaba has an effect on the human brain no other candy bar can achieve. It’s something we can all appreciate and afford. This is the middle class working man’s most admired companion. It wont leave you hanging when the world has got you down. It will stand beside you and lift your spirits to new horizons. It will let its voice ring louder than liberty herself. Yes, It is Abba Zaba!

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Don’t ever say Candy Direct didn’t give you the best candy with a bit of education to appreciate the fine work that goes into these treats. In 1922 H.B. Reese released the first Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. In 1963 Hershey’s Chocolate Company buys the H.B. Reese Candy Company. 7 years later, Hershey would double in size because the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is that popular.

You know the name. You are familiar with its scent. You love the taste, and that’s what drives your taste buds crazy. It’s the old familiar smell of good times about to be had by all. It’s the joy of knowing you are about to eat something precious. It’s the excitement that you are about to consume the treat of treats that has every other candy wondering how they can become the next big thing. It’s the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. So powerful, and uncompromising in its attitude, it leaves you defeated after going round for round with this past time playboy. Encasing creamy peanut butter in a cup of chocolate, Reese’s give you what appears to be an early birthday cake.

Reese’s Pieces

Reese’s Pieces. Candy in a crunchy shell. They first hit the market in 1978 and made a quick impression on the chocolate candy industry. In fact Reese’s Pieces was so popular, it had a big screen debut as E.T.’s favorite candy. The idea is simple, take peanut butter, cover it in a hard chocolate shell and make it bite size. It’s not saturated with greasy peanut butter, it’s a smooth taste with a nice chocolate compliment. It’s giving all other bite size chocolate treats the stink eye. It wants to be different. It wants to be in your face. It wants to make a nice little home in your heart of hearts, by giving you the best of what chocolate and peanut butter can offer. It takes its time, leaving a lasting impression on your senses for decades to come.

Now, the sister candy to the original Reese’s Pieces is the Reese’s Pieces with Nuts. From exterior to interior we have the chocolate shell, followed by the peanut butter layer found in the original. But those is surrounding a peanut. Again a simple idea, just enhanced. But fret not you band wagon jumpers, there’s room for you yet. These little puppies kick it up a notch and say, “what’s the deal, we can’t come out and play? We just want a chance to prove ourselves in the chocolate world. Just because we’re different, that doesn’t make us wrongâ€?. And right they are! They stand next big brother with folded arms of enthusiasm.

In my opinion, Reese’s Pieces may be one of the best ideas for a snack candy. One of my favorite combinations being chocolate and peanut butter, they make it easy for travel on land, air and sea! These pieces of amazement, tantalize and mesmerize the uneducated candy consumer. This is the only type of its kind on the market and bests the challenger on every aspect of the peanut butter and chocolate collaboration. When it comes to Reese’s, they are the original peanut butter and chocolate candy. Do your self’s a favor, buy a bag, and take a minute to enjoy the company of an old friend.

 

M & M’s are the chocolates that melt in your mouth, not in your hands, according to the old advertisements. So far, they’ve been right. M &M’s have many different varieties-plain, crispy, peanuts, and so on.  These flavors are all very well known. But what about the peanut butter ones? Although not as widely known as the previously mentioned chocolates, Peanut Butter M & M’s are just as great. Open up their red packaging, and it will seem as though you’ve opened up a pack of Plain M & M’s, except jumbo sized. Peanut Butter M & M’s may look like a larger version of Plain M & M’s, but they are filled with creamy peanut butter on the inside.

One would think that Peanut Butter M & M’s are a lot like Reeses Pieces, what with the whole peanut butter idea, but the difference is obvious with the first bite. The chocolate layer on the outside of Peanut Butter M & M’s gives it more crunch. That and the fact that they’re twice the size of the of Reeses Pieces make Peanut Butter M & M’s an ideal chocolate for the peanut butter lover, and the chocolate lover in general.