Growing up, it drove my mom borderline nuts that I absolutely hated any form of jelly or jam. She or my dad would make PB&J sandwiches for my brother’s school lunches, and I always insisted on something else: soup, cold cuts, leftovers, you name it. Just. Not. Jelly. Even though I love any fresh fruit, something about the squishy texture and overly sweet, processed flavor of fruit jam just didn’t sit well with me. Luckily, I’ve outgrown this utter hatred for fruit spread of any form, and just in time. Last week, M&M’S announced its latest treat that puts a comforting twist on a classic favorite: Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’‘s — and I got to try it first.
The first new flavor innovation since 2022, the delicious addition to the M&M’s line-up features berry flavored bite-sized chocolate treats with a deliciously smooth peanut butter center that will transport fans to the comforting experience of a PB&J sandwich. Peanut Butter & Jelly is the latest star of M&M’s Peanut Butter portfolio, joining M&M’s Peanut Butter, M&M’s Peanut Butter Minis and M&M’s Peanut Butter Mega.
As someone who absolutely loves chocolate and peanut butter together and was always the child that always got Reese’s Pieces at the movie theater, I was stoked when the Mars Company’s peanut butter M&M’s entered my atmosphere at age six. Even better was when the brand came out with Peanut Butter M&M’s Minis in September 2023, and then the Peanut Butter M&M’s Megas for maximum PB-chocolate-candy shell enjoyment in early 2024. Sign me up.
In terms of fruit and chocolate, I’m never saying no. Chocolate-covered strawberries or those chocolate-covered blueberry and acai berries I can eat by the cupful? I’m down. But I didn’t know how to feel about peanut butter AND chocolate AND jelly, especially given my tumultuous history with any form of fruit preserves. According to Gabrielle Wesley, the chief marketing officer of Mars Wrigley North America, the “new M&M’s Peanut Butter & Jelly taps into a cross-generational staple, turning a delicious and comforting snack into a bite-sized treat to be enjoyed and shared.” Okay…but what do they taste like?
What do Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s taste like?
The texture is extremely similar to the Peanut Butter M&M, if not the same, with a creamy peanut butter filling and crunchy candy shell coating. You first taste the chocolate and candy shell, then the deliciously creamy PB with a hint of fruit. There’s a fantastic ratio of filling to chocolate, with no flavor overpowering another.
The brand says that the flavor of the jelly is berry — which distinguishes these new M&M’s from the previous Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M’s that were released in 2009 as a promotional product for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen — and the fruity flavor pairs so well with the chocolate and peanut. I mean, why wouldn’t berries, peanut butter, and chocolate be delicious together?
I will forever be a Peanut Butter M&M’s purist, but dang, these are good. And that’s coming from someone who would never voluntarily eat jelly.
Where can I buy Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s?
PB&J M&M’s will be available in three sizes: Single Size (1.63 ounces), Share Size (2.83 ounces) and Sharing Size Stand Up Pouches (8.6 ounces). M&M’s Peanut Butter & Jelly will be available at retailers nationwide and online at MMS.com beginning December 2024.