How Long Does Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Last?
Reese’s peanut butter cups can last up to eight months in the fridge. However, it is said that if kept in the freezer, Reese’s peanut butter cups can stay in their best quality for almost two years even if the expiration date has passed. If opened, the packet will stay fresh for three to five days only.
If frozen consistently at 0degF, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups will retain their quality for up to two years, regardless of their expiration date. Unfortunately, however, regardless of the chocolate-peanut butter combo you pick, after the pack is opened, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups will stay fresh only three to five days. Even though it allows consumers to store their Reeses Peanut Butter Cups safely in a room temperature environment for between six to nine months. If you keep Reeses peanut butter cups at extreme temperatures, there is little chance they will stay fresh even five days.
In fact, many prefer iced and refrigerated Reese cups to room temperature varieties. Reeses stay fresher, last longer, and retain their quality when kept frozen unopened for 1-2 years, while once opened, Reeses will keep 6-10 months before going bad as long as they are stored correctly under the proper conditions needed for a freezer. Reeses in the pantry Last for 6 to 9 months when unopened, and 2 to 3 weeks fully opened, before going bad if you store them properly in the right conditions needed in the pantry. If stored correctly and unopened, the reeses may stay at their best for four to six months past their expiration date.
| Pantry items | Shelf Life |
| Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (Unopened) | 1-2 years |
| Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (Opened) | 2-3 weeks |
| Dark Chocolate | 1-2 years (in cool temperature) |
| Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate | 10 months (in cool temperature) |
While some candy products containing both peanut butter and chocolate will either layer the two, keep them neatly separated, or attempt to blend the two, each flavors flavor tends to stand out on its own in other products, allowing you to distinguish the two flavors on their own. For instance, Reeses Dark Chocolate Cups has a predominantly orange colored packaging, but it also includes a stripe of brown at the very end of the packaging, which is where you will typically tear off to reveal the package. Reeses White Chocolate has mainly white colored packaging, but they still make use of orange in the center very part of the package, which helps differentiate the candy as being the signature Reeses brand product.
In Australia, HB Reeses products are available at many specialty sweet shops, and also at American stores like Costco. In 2012, Reeses was the top-selling confectionary brand in the U.S., with sales of $2,603 million, and was the fourth-best selling confectionary brand worldwide, with sales of $2,679 million–only $76 million (2.8%) of its sales were outside of the U.S. market. Its own candy company produces Kit Kats in the U.S., with sales in 2012 in the United States at $948 million.
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Reese Candy Company is maintained as an affiliate of The Hershey Company, as a result of Reeses factory workers being non-unionized, as opposed to Hersheys core factories. Reese was first developed and manufactured in the 1924 year by Harry Burnett Reese, of Reese Candy Company, in Pennsylvania, which was subsequently purchased by, and is now operated by, The Hershey Company. Harry Burnett Reese created the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and gave the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups their signature flavor, using chocolate from Hershey as a central ingredient of their ingredients, which also included quality peanut butter, and at least 1 secret ingredient. Then, the candy treated its consumers to a delightful taste experience, which many seemed to enjoy, according to the wide popularity of the candy, and many fans who expressed their delight with the flavor and the product.
While it is possible to continue enjoying the candy past the expiration date, its freshness may not be maintained long. While most candy does not expire in the sense of making someone sick when eaten, expired candy has no flavor, is disfigured, or may even mold. Some types of candy will lose their freshness sooner than others, and each candy type will exhibit different signs of decay, such as discoloration in chocolate or softer texture of a hard candy. While a candy may technically be kept long, quality, texture, and taste quickly deteriorates beyond that timeframe.
In comparison, white chocolate only lasts for around four months, while products made with peanuts last for just six months. Dark chocolate lasts for a whopping 2 years, while milk chocolate will last more than one year.
Dark chocolate lasts for 1-2 years when stored in foil, kept in a cool, dark, and dry environment, whereas milk chocolate and white chocolate last for 10 months. Especially with milk chocolate, storage may cause the candy to turn rancid–though all that sugar and preservatives likely means it is not going to get you sick. While most likely to turn rancid within days after its “use-by” date, most people keep eating this product even months later.
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Some candies (like chocolate) can survive the refrigerator or freezer, but anything containing fruits or nuts should not be frozen. Whether you are trying to preserve the pound-sized Easter Bunny from Reeses, or simply a few mini cups to enjoy as a quick, delicious midday snack, freezing is the best way to preserve their freshness and taste.
At the same time, his candy company has also announced the release of a limited-edition Big Cup, to be released in March of 2021, called the Big Cup With Chips, which would be the HB Reese Big Cup with chips mixed in with its peanut butter cream filling. In September 2020, his own candy business announced a new variation product on Reeses peanut butter Big Cup which would feature pretzel pieces inside of the peanut butter creme filling called reese big cup with pretzels. Some variations on Reeses original cups are his White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate varieties, Big Cup versions, and Reeses Thins versions were announced in 2018. Harry Burnett Reese was challenged to create a chocolate-and-peanut-butter candies product in order to address the scarcity commercial merchants had, since his suppliers at that time were not able to meet that demand from customers.
Can Reese’s get moldy?
Chocolate cannot develop mold. Sugar or fat bloom is the only thing you’ll notice in chocolate. This only occurs when the chocolate is improperly tempered or improperly kept. It may not look tempting or taste okay, but it’s not moldy.
What happens if you eat expired Reeses?
I could be wrong, but according to some studies, Reese’s Pieces’ contents are such that you’ll notice if they’re expired because they’re mainly made of sugar and fat. Even if they are expired, they are unlikely to cause you any problems.
How long does Reese’s peanut butter last?
In the cupboard, an open jar of peanut butter will last 90 days. The snack should then be kept refrigerated (where it can maintain its quality for another 90-120 days). Oil dispersion can occur if you don’t refrigerate.