Hershey to Change Back to Classic Reese’s Recipes

The Hershey Company announced Wednesday it will opt to go back to its original recipes for every Reese’s product starting in 2027, coming after it quietly shifted to using less chocolate on specific candies and resulting in criticism from Brad Reese, the grandson of Reese’s inventor.

The candy behemoth, which is based in Pennsylvania, revealed that the change impacts products including mini Easter eggs, which are currently made with a compound coating that features less chocolate.

“Hershey is committed to making products consumers love and that means continually reviewing our recipes to meet evolving tastes and preferences,” the company said in a statement sent to media outlets.

Hershey did not immediately return a request for comment.

The company plans to switch back to the traditional combination of real milk chocolate or dark chocolate and peanut butter, a change that comes after a Valentine’s Day letter from Reese.

Reese posted the open on letter LinkedIn, accusing Hershey of undermining the trust consumers had in his grandfather’s original formula, saying he built the brand based on a recipe, milk chocolate, and peanut butter.

“But today, REESE’S identity is being rewritten, not by storytellers, but by formulation decisions that replace Milk Chocolate with compound coatings and Peanut Butter with peanut‑butter‑style crèmes across multiple REESE’S products,” Reese wrote.

“How does The Hershey Co. continue to position Reese’s as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese’s trust in the first place?”

Reese’s claimed that some Reese’s candies had ceased using milk chocolate and peanut butter for compound coatings and peanut-butter-style creme. Reese, who has a personal website in honor of his grandfather’s legacy, told reporters he would stop endorsing the product after tasting recent versions.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were created in 1928 by H.B. Reese, a former Hershey employee who founded his own candy company after two years at Hershey. Hershey acquired the business, which he built with his six sons, in 1963. Reese’s peanut butter cups remain one of the company’s best-selling products today. The brand makes millions of the chocolates each day at its Pennsylvania factory.

Hershey also noted other recipe and ingredient updates for 2027, opting for natural colors across its entire sweets portfolio. It also said a new Kit-Kat recipe will make that product creamier. Hershey also intends to increase research-and-development investments by 25 percent next year.

Company officials have said earlier changes were made to meet demand for new shapes, sizes, and innovations amid increasing cocoa prices.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.