Introduction
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are an iconic American candy by The Hershey Company, first created on November 15, 1928, by H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Milton S. Hershey. Reese left his job with Hershey to start his own candy business, marking the beginning of a sweet revolution in the candy industry. Today, Reese's are the top-selling candy brand worldwide, with more than $2 billion in annual sales generated for The Hershey Company.
The Genesis: H.B. Reese Candy Company
The H.B. Reese Candy Company was established in 1923 by H. B. Reese in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The official product name was "Penny Cups" because they could be purchased for one cent. Reese had originally worked at a Hershey dairy farm, and from the start, he used Hershey chocolate in his confections. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were his most popular candy, leading Reese to eventually discontinue his other lines.
In 1956, following Reese's death, the company was passed to his six sons. On July 2, 1963, the Reese brothers merged the H.B. Reese Candy Company with the Hershey Chocolate Corporation in a tax-free stock-for-stock merger. By 1969, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became The Hershey Company's top seller.
The Success Story
Reese's has been the best-selling candy brand in the United States, with sales of $2.603 billion in 2012, and was the fourth-best-selling candy brand globally, with sales of $2.679 billion—only $76 million (2.8%) of its sales were from outside the United States market. As of 2017, Reese's was the largest confection brand in the U.S. convenience store channel, accounting for over 47% of all seasonal sales within the U.S. convenience store channel.
The Secret Recipe
The recipe for making Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at home involves a mix of peanut butter, salt, powdered sugar, and Hershey's milk chocolate chips. The peanut butter, salt, and powdered sugar are mixed until firm. Meanwhile, the chocolate chips are slowly melted over hot water or in a microwave. Once melted, the chocolate is spooned into a muffin tin cup and cooled in the refrigerator until firm. The peanut butter mixture is spread onto the chocolate in each cup, leaving room for a final layer of chocolate. After another round of cooling to firm up the peanut butter, more chocolate is poured on top and spread to the edges. The cups are then let to sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator until firm.
The Unique Ingredients
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups contain ingredients like Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, Lecithin, PGPR), Peanuts, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, TBHQ, and Citric Acid.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find the exact nutritional information and the calorie content due to technical issues with the source websites.
Conclusion
From a humble beginning in a dairy farm to becoming the top-selling candy brand worldwide, the journey of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is as fascinating as the peanut butter cup itself. With its simple yet irresistible recipe, Reese's continues to rule hearts and taste buds across the globe.
Please note that due to technical issues, some information such as the nutritional facts and calorie content could not be retrieved in the research process for this article.