Spinster Food: Reese's Hearts
November through February is an excellent time for candy. November starts with a all the Halloween candy on sale, then it moves quickly into Christmas candy, then immediately comes the Valentine's Day Candy. If you ever buy candy - especially chocolate candy - you know why this is. It's the holiday candy. You may think holiday-themed candy is a gimmick, and of course it is, but it's so much more than that. It's special.
Not every company makes their candy different for holidays - other than color and wrapping. M&Ms, Hershey's Kisses, and Kit Kats are, of course, some of the sweets that don't change. However, treats like Reese's, Snickers, and York Peppermint Patties change their shapes. While the recipe may be the same, the shape offers a different ingredient ratio that, in almost all cases, is better than the everyday variety. Let's discuss.
Not all grocery stores carry the special holiday snickers - A toy soldier or tree at Christmas, a heart at Valentine's Day, or an egg at Easter. Some shops (in fact, I find most grocery stores) just carry the bags of seasonally wrapped mini snickers. This is sad because the special shapes actually taste better than the original. I think there's more caramel, and the chocolate is meltier.
The Reese's peanut butter bells at Christmas and Hearts at Valentine's Day are much easier to find. While Reese's does offer a variety of Valentine's Day themed options (including a gigantic Heart and mini peanut butter cups that are somehow printed with seasonal messages), the Reese's Hearts are the best. While I'm sure the peanut butter filling recipe is the same, it seems somehow creamier, and the chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio is quite to my liking. The only complaint I have here is that there aren't all that many in the bag.
My sister says she thinks one of the reasons that holiday-themed candy is better is because it's fresher, and I don't disagree. You can't leave Valentine's Day Candy sitting around for six months because it would be obvious. Everyday candy, though, could be as old as the last general packaging update.
If you haven't tried the seasonal version of your favorite candy, I think your spinster mission today is to get yourself to a grocery or drugstore and get some treats for your desk drawer. Enjoy!
