Reese's: peanut butter wrapped in chocolate, in every sense of the word!

Who invented Reese's?

At My American Market, we won't pretend otherwise: we're Reese's fans. Big time. That flavor — that lightly salted chocolate-and-peanut-butter combo — is one you won't find anywhere else.

It all starts with Harry Burnett Reese, a guy from Pennsylvania. After working as a dairy farmer for Milton Hershey himself, he found himself out of a job when the farm closed in 1919. He took on odd jobs, even opened a candy shop, then went back to Hershey, this time in shipping. And that's where, at night in his basement, he started making his own candy. In 1923 he founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company. This father of sixteen children (yes, really) had the idea of the century in 1928: the Peanut Butter Cups, sold for a penny apiece. On every wrapper, a promise: "Made in Chocolate Town, So They Must Be Good".

In 1963, seven years after Harry's death, his sons merged the company with The Hershey Company. That's when the brand kicked into high gear and became the icon we know today — the best-selling candy in the United States. Fun fact: it's also the Reese's factory that makes American Kit Kats. Reese's have become easier to find in recent years, but for the choice and the price, you're in the right place.

Did you know a World War II shortage saved Reese's?

In the early 1940s, sugar and raw-material rationing forced Harry Reese to drop all his other candies and focus on a single product: the Peanut Butter Cup. What could have sunk the company actually saved it — by betting everything on its best creation, Reese's laid the foundations of its empire. Just goes to show, constraints sometimes make legends.

The Cups, the heart of the Reese's range

The Peanut Butter Cup is the original, the one from 1928: milk chocolate, peanut butter, that inimitable sweet-and-salty contrast. But Reese's turned it into a whole family. There's the Big Cup for big appetites, the Thins for those who hold back — or pretend to — and the Minis when you just want a bite. As for the coating, beyond the classic milk chocolate there's the White version with white chocolate and even a Plant Based version for those avoiding dairy.

And Reese's loves to experiment. The Big Cup comes in Caramel, in Chocolate Lava with a molten center, in Marshmallow, in PB&J (the peanut butter and jelly combo, American-sandwich style, in Grape or Strawberry), or even a Big Cup loaded with Reese's Puffs or crunchy Pieces. Not forgetting the Oreo Cups, where two American legends meet.

Reese's bars and snacking

If you like things crunchy and going off in every direction, the bars are made for you. The Take 5 brings together five ingredients (chocolate, pretzel, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter). The Nutrageous mixes peanut butter, caramel and crunchy peanuts. The Fast Break plays the nougat card, the Outrageous piles it on, and the Sticks like the Crunchy or the Crispy Crunchy go all-in on crunch.

For snacking, there are the Pieces (those little crunchy peanut butter candies — the ones from E.T.!), the Popped Snack Mix, the Chips, and a whole range of "dipped" products: pretzels, animal crackers and peanuts coated in chocolate and peanut butter.

Reese's, much more than chocolate

Why stop there? Reese's is also the Creamy Peanut Butter to spread, the Peanut Butter Topping to drizzle over ice cream and pancakes, and the famous Puffs Treats in cereal-bar form. Enough to satisfy a Reese's craving at any time of day.

And throughout the year, the brand drops its seasonal editions: the Eggs and the bunny for Easter, the Trees and the Snowman for Christmas, the Pumpkins for Halloween, not to mention the advent calendar to count down to the holidays.

A fan's tip: the Reese's mug cake

Fancy a quick dessert? In a mug, mix 4 spoons of flour, 4 of sugar, 3 of cocoa, one egg, 3 spoons of milk and 3 of oil. Push two Peanut Butter Cups into the middle. Microwave for 90 seconds. You get a mug cake with a molten chocolate-and-peanut-butter center. The best way to end an evening, trust us.

Where to find Reese's?

Reese's aren't the rarest American treats to track down, but for real choice and at the right price, you're in the right place. My American Market, your online American grocery store, hunts down the best US products for you. Take a look at the other chocolates in the shop too: Hershey's, Butterfinger, Kit Kat...