How To Eat a Reese's Cup

Today, I'd like to talk about the following:

Yes, that's right. Reese's cups. We're going to talk about them. Actually, I'm going to tell you a story about them, and about Junior High Me.

When I was in seventh grade, Reese's cups were a standard item of fare at lunch time. The school cafeteria sold candy, and every day I or one of my friends would fork out the 50 cents to buy a pack. Then the purchaser would painstakingly unwrap and divide the candy into halves or even quarters (which is really a skill/art) and then dole them out--meaning that a pack of two peanut butter cups served as dessert for up to eight preteen girls. (No wonder we were skinny.)

Now, every once in a blue moon I'd get an entire Reese's cup to myself. And let me tell you, I savored the experience. Here was my standard MO and "how to" guide for getting the most out of a Reese's cup: (1) working in a circular motion, carefully push down along the inside rim of the cup, about 1/8 inch from the edge, being careful not to push in the center; (2) continue working in this manner until the "core" of the cup comes out in one disk-shaped piece (being VERY careful not to break the core and ruin the whole thing); (3) separate the two parts--the coveted peanut-butter core, and the hollowed-out rim; (4) set the core aside; (5) nibble on the rim for an inordinate amount of time (no kidding; I bet I'd work for five minutes on it); and (5) finally, as the piece de resistance (and the point of the whole endeavor, to be quite honest), revel in the gooey, peanut-buttery center.

There you have it. If that's not golden advice (and potentially frightening insight into my childhood), I don't know what is.

It's been quite some time since junior high, and my appreciation for this candy has expanded into some new territory. And so, without further ado, I give you my NEW "how to maximize the Reese's Cup": the Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Cheesecake.

Oh, yeah, and I had extra batter, so I made a "mini me" version for Adam. Yes, yes; that IS the heart-shaped mini springform making another appearance. What can I say? I embrace the cutesy-ness of it.