The Absolute Best Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Actually Isn't The Original

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Making your own peanut butter cups requires only three ingredients — chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. However, when that craving for a creamy, nutty, and chocolatey confection strikes unexpectedly, who has the time to become a novice chocolatier? Enter the iconic peanut butter confectioner Reese's, which has an abundance of treats to quell every craving from the original no-fuss iteration to the marshmallow, white creme, or caramel variety. Interestingly, in our taste test of these moreish munchies, it wasn't the original version that took the top spot. In fact, it was Reese's dark chocolate thins that claimed victory in our ranking of 11 Reese's peanut butter cups flavors.

Now, all conventional wisdom dictates that Reese's makes the very best OG peanut butter cups (they actually came in at number two in our ranking of 11 popular peanut butter cups, but that was only because the winner was a tad sweeter). That said, the balance of flavors in the dark chocolate thins set them apart from the originals. The chocolate coating wasn't too bitter or intense and its flavor brought out the lighter quality of the peanut butter filling, producing a balanced confection with a yin and yang personality. The dark chocolate somehow transformed the candy into a lighter treat, likely because its depth offset the creaminess of the peanut butter. Meanwhile, the classic Reese's peanut butter cups came in at number three because their slightly coarse and salty interior melded well with the creaminess of the milk chocolate coating.

Shoppers on Walmart have awarded Reese's dark chocolate peanut butter cup thins over a thousand 5-star ratings. One reviewer said, "I don't know when this dark chocolate thin Reese's came out, but they are so good ... After they arrived by delivery, I ate 3, took out 3 more and immediately took them to 2 neighbors to share. Regular Reese's peanut butter cups have a major challenger." Meanwhile, another customer said, "... I ADORE Reese's [cups], but these are amazing tasting! I eat 2 of them and I'm good to go!"

Over on Reddit, one fan of the dark chocolate confection said they appreciate how the candies don't come in a paper cup like the original Reese's cups, because it means they don't have to peel them off, which can cause the chocolate to crumble. Another said they like that a single cup is 57 calories (the nutrition label says one serving size of three pieces is 170 calories). However, a fellow commenter joked, "Unfortunately for me, it's not 57 calories. It's like 570 because I have no control and eat 10. They are so good!"