Looking For a Peanut Butter Facelift

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Sometimes a slight change transforms a meal. Take peanut butter and jelly. I used to hate jelly, therefore I only ate peanut butter…on a hamburger bun.  Soon I came around to jelly, creating a PB&J on rye. Then it turned into an open faced sandwich with peanut butter and mashed bananas on whole wheat. Sometimes I added potato chips.

And then I forgot about PB&J and PB&B. Tomatoes caught my eye all summer as the sandwich filler of choice. But now that it’s turning cold I crave something simple and familiar.

On the last day of the farmers’ market I purchased a farm-made grape jelly (without any corn syrup!) And to switch things up, I let the peanut butter melt into a warm and toasted raisin bagel and then topped it with jelly. 80 absolutely despised the warm peanut butter, linking it to some awful childhood memory of eating hot peanut butter on a rice cake. And I’d have to agree, rice cakes would leave me with nightmares as well. But I liked the extra creaminess the peanut took on as it was heated from the bagel.

But now I’m looking for another way to enhance a peanut butter sandwich. How do you up the PB&J ante?

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14 comments

  • Michaela December 7, 2010  

    Our dining halls do a PB&J sandwich station, except they don’t just do PB&J’s. They also do PB&MF (Marshmallow Fluff) and PB&CC (chocolate chips, the mini ones). I think my favorite is a PBB&MF, Peanut Butter, Banana and Marshmallow Fluff. More > less.

  • Nee Nee December 7, 2010  

    I never had PB&J growing up. My mom always made it with honey. PB&H. Or peanut butter and honey toast, which is basically the same thing.

    I only saw my Dad in the kitchen once in my life, and that was to make a peanut butter, dill pickle, and ketchup sandwich. Evidently Grandma Nee Nee used to make it for her sons when they were living on the farm. I took the ingredients for school lunch on day in 4th grade and grossed out everyone. It’s not as bad as you’d think.

  • erica December 7, 2010  

    my fave lately is mix PB and agave in a bowl with cinnamon and a little vanilla. it’s like cookie dough!!

  • Cathal December 7, 2010  

    It’s all about peanut butter and honey on toasted proper Irish soda bread straight from my granny’s oven. Still get that sticky PB goodness with some meltiness but the honey adds so much to the flavour, and makes the saltiness stand out while being sweet at the same time 🙂

  • Lilly Ogil December 7, 2010  

    Chocolate Peanut Butter and sliced bananas is the best possible combo! This company, Better Butter, makes a chocolate PB with half the calories of nutella and all the ingredients are real. They use pumpkin to cut the calories but you can’t taste it…such rich chocolatty taste.

  • Thresher December 7, 2010  

    It sounds nasty, but try mixing a little mayo (or veganaise!) into the peanut butter. If your PB is on the sweet side, remedy that by adding in a little extra salt. If you’re fancy, do all this in a food processor so the PBayo is fully blended. Totally delicious by itself or with jellies. Forget grape; super-dark and dense varieties like blackberry were made for the PB&J. Grape jelly is usually just gelled juice. That’s nasty. Good jelly should be mostly solids from the fruit it’s made from or I won’t believe the label. Apple / pear butters are great options, too.

    PB&J FOREVER!

  • mariah carey December 7, 2010  

    i love natural pb with cottage cheese. You can eat it by itself or put it on a bagel. SOOO good and lots of protein!

  • gansie December 8, 2010  

    y’all do some sick shit with peanut butter. mayo? cottage cheese? but i do appreciate the fantastic suggestions, nonetheless.

    i think i’m gonna try erica’s PB “cookie dough” concoction (maybe with mashed bananas?) but i dont have agave – can i use honey instead?

  • mariah carey December 8, 2010  

    You asked and now you’re going to judge our peanut buttery concoctions? PB with CC is amazing and turns you into a body builder.

  • Borracho December 8, 2010  

    How about PB and blueberry ketchup….

  • erica December 8, 2010  

    i don’t see why not. i just keep agave around ’cause of the fab glycemic index, and it’s a bit thinner consistency than honey.

  • slawhead December 8, 2010  

    My dad got me hooked on PB and tomatoes when I was a kid… he used to eat PB+tomatoes with onions, but I prefer to leave off the onions. You’ve gotta try it, I sprinkle black pepper on my PB&Toms.

  • ohmygoose December 8, 2011  

    PB and aged cheddar cheese. Sounds weird, but works SO WELL.

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