Reese’s has taken the cherished childhood classic to new heights with their latest innovation – PB&J Big Cups, launching April 2, 2025, in celebration of National PB&J Day. This limited-time offering features layers of either strawberry or grape jelly nestled beneath Reese’s signature peanut butter, all encased in milk chocolate. The playful release was teased on April 1st with a humorous April Fool’s post suggesting Reese’s was entering the sandwich business, building anticipation for the actual product launch. As senior brand manager Melissa Blette aptly noted, “PB&J is an all-time classic, and Reese’s was always the missing piece — so we fixed it!”
The Perfect Pairing: Peanut Butter Meets Jelly in a Chocolate Cup
The culinary collaboration we didn’t know we needed has finally arrived! Reese’s new PB&J Big Cups transform the lunchbox staple into a premium candy experience. I’ve long been a fan of both Reese’s cups and PB&J sandwiches, so this mashup feels like it was created specifically for nostalgic food lovers like me.
What makes these cups special is the layered approach to their construction. Unlike a traditional Reese’s cup, these contain a bottom jelly layer that complements the peanut butter filling. The milk chocolate shell remains the same beloved coating that has made Reese’s a household name.
Consumers can choose between two classic jelly flavors: strawberry and grape. The strawberry offers a slightly tangier, fruitier profile, while the grape provides that deep, sweet flavor that many grew up enjoying in their sandwiches. Both varieties maintain Reese’s perfect balance of sweet and salty notes.
Melissa Blette, senior brand manager for Reese’s, addressed the innovation with characteristic playfulness: “PB&J is an all-time classic, and Reese’s was always the missing piece — so we fixed it!” This tongue-in-cheek approach perfectly captures the brand’s personality while acknowledging the natural fit of these flavors.
Product Details: Sizes, Pricing, and Eye-Catching Packaging
The new Reese’s PB&J Big Cups are available in three convenient size options to satisfy different snacking occasions. Customers can purchase the standard pack for individual enjoyment, the king-size pack for a more substantial treat, or the snack-size four-pack perfect for sharing or portioning.
The king-size option is priced at approximately $1.97 at Walmart, making it an affordable indulgence for most consumers. For dedicated fans or those wanting to stock up, Hershey’s online store offers a bulk pack of 16 cups for $15.99, providing some savings for volume purchases.
The packaging design cleverly communicates the product inside through color-coded visual cues. Reese’s maintains their signature orange branding but adds purple accents for grape jelly varieties and red accents for strawberry jelly options. This makes it easy for shoppers to quickly identify their preferred flavor when scanning the candy aisle.
I particularly appreciate how the packaging balances familiar Reese’s elements with new visual indicators of the PB&J innovation. The artistic fusion of flavor profiles is reflected in the wrapper design, making the product instantly recognizable yet distinctly different from standard Reese’s offerings.
Where to Find Them: Availability and Storage Tips
Reese’s PB&J Big Cups have launched with nationwide distribution, making them accessible to consumers across the country. Major retailers like Walmart have already stocked their shelves with these limited-edition treats, ensuring wide availability during the product’s run.
For those who prefer online shopping, the cups can be purchased directly through Hershey’s official online store at shop.hersheys.com. This option may be particularly convenient for securing larger quantities or for consumers who don’t have easy access to physical retail locations.
These cups come with a respectable shelf life of seven to nine months, making them a pantry staple that won’t require immediate consumption. However, storage options can affect the eating experience. The standard room temperature storage works perfectly fine, but many Reese’s enthusiasts might enjoy experimenting with refrigeration or even freezing.
Refrigerated PB&J cups offer a firmer texture that provides more resistance when bitten into, while frozen cups create an entirely different experience with a satisfying snap to the chocolate shell and a slower melt of the fillings. I’ve found that these various temperature options allow for different tasting experiences from the same product.
The History Behind the Innovation: PB&J Meets Reese’s Legacy
The marriage of peanut butter and jelly in American cuisine dates back to 1901, predating Reese’s cups by nearly three decades. H.B. Reese created his iconic peanut butter cups in 1928, forever changing the candy landscape. This new PB&J variety brings together two beloved American food traditions that have developed in parallel for over a century.
The scale of Reese’s peanut butter usage is staggering – the company uses over 160 million pounds of peanut butter annually. That’s enough to make more than 1 billion PB&J sandwiches! This massive production volume underscores the enduring popularity of Reese’s products and their significant place in American food culture.
While Reese’s has experimented with various Big Cup variations in the past, including Chocolate Lava and Pretzel versions, the PB&J edition marks the first time they’ve incorporated jelly into their recipe. This represents a significant innovation for a brand that has maintained its core offering with relatively minor variations throughout its history.
The development of the PB&J cups likely presented technical challenges in maintaining the distinct layering of ingredients while ensuring proper shelf stability. The success of this formulation demonstrates Reese’s commitment to innovation within their established product framework.
Building Anticipation: The Marketing Campaign
Reese’s skillfully built anticipation for their PB&J Big Cups through a multi-phase marketing approach. The campaign began months before launch with strategically placed rumors and responses to consumer requests on social media, creating organic buzz without explicit advertising.
The April 1st teaser was particularly clever, using April Fool’s Day to joke about Reese’s entering the sandwich business. This playful misdirection generated conversation while setting up the real announcement for National PB&J Day on April 2nd – a perfect thematic tie-in that gave the product launch additional relevance.
Social media played a central role in the product rollout, with Instagram serving as the primary platform for visual content. Video reels showcasing the dual flavors gained significant engagement, while hashtags like #ReesesPBJ and #NationalPBJDay helped the conversation trend across multiple platforms.
Melissa Blette summarized the brand’s approach by noting, “Reese’s likes to have fun…it’s confident in what it does but has a good time.” This philosophy is evident in how they’ve positioned the PB&J cups as a playful interpretation of a beloved classic rather than a serious culinary innovation. The creative dessert concept has clearly resonated with consumers who appreciate both the nostalgia factor and the novel taste experience.
The Taste Test: Consumer Reactions and Pairing Suggestions
Early consumer feedback for Reese’s PB&J Big Cups has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the nostalgic flavor combination that transports them back to childhood lunchrooms. The balance between the creamy peanut butter and sweet, fruity jelly layers seems to have hit the right note for most taste testers.
Many consumers have noted that the grape jelly variety delivers a more pronounced contrast to the peanut butter, while the strawberry offers a slightly more subtle, harmonious blend. Social media has been filled with passionate debates about which flavor reigns supreme, adding to the product’s conversational appeal.
For the full experience, I recommend trying these cups with complementary beverages. A glass of cold milk enhances the classic candy experience, while coffee brings out the roasted notes in the peanut butter. For an adult pairing, a fruit-forward red wine can surprisingly complement the grape jelly version.
Reese’s PB&J Big Cups can be enjoyed on their own as a standalone treat, incorporated into baking projects like brownies or cookies, or even chopped and sprinkled over ice cream for a decadent dessert topping. The versatility of these cups extends their appeal beyond simple candy consumption to more creative culinary applications. While supplies last, you can find Reese’s PB&J Big Cups at major retailers nationwide or online at shop.hersheys.com.