To me, one of the most exciting announcements at this year’s All Candy Expo was the addition of three new additions to the Pieces lineup. Never knew there was a Pieces lineup? Well, there is now, with Hershey’s Special Dark, Almond Joy and York Pieces joining the familiar Reese’s. But are these new additions worthy successors to the mantle of everyone’s favorite candy-coated peanut butter treat? (The Hershey’s folks threw in a sample pack of Reese’s Pieces too, so I’m doing a bonus review of those as well.)

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Though a new limited edition flavor of M&M’s is nothing out of the ordinary, I was surprised by Mars’ latest release of Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M’s, an upcoming promotion for the newest Transformers film.

When I think of limited edition M&M’s, I immediately think of variations on either the original or peanut variety. In fact, I was so expecting this to be the peanut sort that it wasn’t until after I tasted them that I asked myself “Where’s the peanut?”

You rarely see Mars play with the almond or peanut butter M&M’s flavors, leaving all their marketing and sales to the more popular varieties. I mean, I can’t even remember the last time I saw a commercial for peanut butter M&M’s. So when I discovered it was one of their less-advertised flavors that was being given a limited edition makeover, I was pleasantly surprised.

I picked up a complimentary bag of these at the All Candy Expo, but I have also seen them in drugstores, so they’re readily available for purchase.

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I would like to take a moment, if I may, to talk arithmetic. Addition, specifically. Addition is good; it means more – more numbers, more money, and in the best scenarios, more candy. Addition can be a tricky thing, though. Like with ingredients, for example. That whole too-much-of-a-good-thing thing. It’s sometimes hard to tell where that line is exactly, where a good thing becomes a very, very bad thing. I mean, if you start with a good ingredient and you add another good ingredient and the result is better, and then you add yet another one and get an even better result, I can see how one might be led down a dangerous path.

However, despite the understandable nature of such a misstep, it is snackably (I love how Candy Addict lets us just make up adverbs like that when we want to) unforgivable and, by my assessment, the very one made by CJ’s with a selection of their Bitz – an offshoot of their flagship Stix – products. Too bad, too, it’s a mathematical travesty, really.

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It’s no secret that Dove makes some of the best mass-produced chocolates on the market. With its super-smooth texture (resulting from high levels of cocoa butter) and an unbeatable chocolaty flavor, it has always seemed a cut above the Hershey’s and Nestle brands sold alongside. And their venture into the “miniature” chocolates arena, Dove Promises? Melt-in-your-mouth and perfectly satisfying. Seemingly sinful, yet pretty much guilt-free.

What might come as a surprise, though, is that Dove has only recently released its take on the classic chocolate-peanut butter combo. Though I hadn’t seen a Dove peanut butter candy before, I’d always just kind of assumed that one had to be out there somewhere. Every sort of chocolate, I’d thought, had its peanut butter, and vice versa. So when a bag of new Dove Promises Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter arrived on my doorstep, after recovering from my initial surprise, I was eager to try such a great brand’s take on the blend.

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This Easter, a new chocolate rabbit has hit the scene. Packed with milk chocolate and peanut butter goodness, he is no ordinary Easter Bunny. He is, in fact… the Reester Bunny. And though the market is already well-saturated with rabbit-shaped treats, he’s ready to kick butt and take names – all three of him.

That’s right – Reese’s new Easter treat comes in not one, but three sizes: a big heavyweight bruiser, a middleweight sold in packages of four, and these little guys, only a couple of inches long. The design of all three is basically the same – a flat milk chocolate rabbit filled with – you guessed it – peanut butter. Each bunny is individually wrapped in silver foil stamped with the image of the bright orange, overall-wearing Reester Bunny.

The Bunny himself is a little generic, like the Easter Bunny from a random low-budget Easter special. Actually, his orange color and yellow cheeks make him look like a rabbit version of Garfield. He’s smiling, but there’s something vaguely startled or worried-looking about his eyes, as if he’s just realized it’s Monday or he’s out of lasagna.

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