For the Most Flavorful Chili, Add a Reese’s Cup to the Pot (I Learned It From One of the Best Cooks I Know!)

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During the colder months, beef chili is a staple in my home. It’s a satisfying, one-pot meal that can be customized in endless ways, which is perfect for my family of picky eaters. During our most recent chili night, I recalled an interesting nugget of information I picked up from our beef chili showdown. The writer, someone whose culinary opinion I deeply trust, revealed that a good friend of theirs “always finishes a pot of chili with a crumbled Reese’s cup or two — to give it a little bit of mole-style richness from the nuts and chocolate.” Call me intrigued. I just had to try it for myself!

Our classic beef chili calls for a tablespoon of cocoa powder, so it wasn’t the chocolate that had me skeptical — it was the idea of adding candy. It is very much counterintuitive to everything I’ve learned in the over 15 years I’ve been working in the food industry. But, hey, I’m willing to give almost anything a try. Here’s how it went.

I made a pot of my go-to chili (as my family knows the flavor well), which features many of the usual suspects including ground beef, kidney beans, canned tomatoes, chili powder, ground cumin, unsweetened cocoa powder, and, my not-so-secret ingredient, ground cinnamon. Once it was done simmering, I crumbled one peanut butter cup and stirred it in. I took a bite right after and noticed the tiniest hint of added richness, so I went ahead and crumbled in another. It was more noticeable the second time around. I found that the extra peanut butter cup bumped up the richness and depth, while also adding a subtle sweetness to the background. It’s important to note that as the dish sat it thickened a bit from the addition of chocolate and peanut butter.

My husband called it “interesting,” but overall he wasn’t a fan, he noted that the added sweetness from the peanut butter cups detracted from the inherent meatiness of the dish. My son and I enjoyed it; he liked the slight sweetness and the thicker texture that the melted candy contributed, while I liked the warm notes it added. Next time I’ll add just one peanut butter cup and call it a day.

• It works best with a tomato-based chili. While I’ve only tried this with a tomato-based chili, I imagine it wouldn’t work as well with a white chili. I found that the flavors of chocolate and peanut butter complemented the tomato well (similar to a mole), adding a richness that rounds out the dish. It might not bring that same level of depth to a white chili, and at the same time it could muddle the color in a less-than-appetizing way.
• Less is more. I stirred one peanut butter cup into a pot of chili, tasted it, then stirred a second one in before going back for another bite. I’d encourage you to do the same — starting with one and tasting before adding another. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.