It’s no exaggeration to say that for Americans, peanut butter is something akin to lifeblood. It’s estimated that a jar of the stuff sits in about 90% of pantries nationwide; we’re a top exporter of peanut butter globally, and a world leader in peanut butter consumption per capita. So it’s no surprise that The Takeout has a number of recipes to put all that peanut butter to good use. Here are a handful of exciting and inventive ones, as if you needed another excuse to enjoy the world’s best spread.
Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles
This recipe for cold sesame noodlesriffs on a number of popular dishes in China, and it’s a cheap, satisfying dish to make at home. The peanut butter in this recipe adds a rich sweetness that’s balanced out by an equal serving of tahini, while green tea lends a subtly smoky bitterness to the overall flavor. Best of all, the leftover sauce in this recipe can be used on grilled meat, spring rolls, and just about anything in between. Get the recipe here.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels
This is a recipe you’ll want to make in batches and keep in the freezer for unexpected guests and equally unexpected sweets cravings. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels take the classic combo of salty mini pretzel twists and smooth melted chocolate, then boost the overall flavor with the addition of both butterscotch and peanut butter. The peanut butter, used in moderation, will add even more silkiness to the chocolate coating, as well as temper the super-sweet butterscotch. Get the recipe here.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
When making peanut butter ice cream, the goal is to highlight that pure peanut butter flavor so it doesn’t end up getting lost amid the mixture’s milky sweetness. This recipeis the one you want; it builds a roasty, nutty base flavor and includes mix-ins that underline the proper peanut crunch. And yes, in case any Reese’s fans were worried, there’s chocolate involved, too. Get the recipe for Peanut Butter Ice Cream here.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
A lot of people describe these peanut butter cookies as being “magic.” Why? Because it just doesn’t seem like their three ingredients—peanut butter, sugar, egg—would come together to form a cohesive dough, much less bake up into a delicious batch of cookies. Yet somehow that’s exactly what they do. This is 1:1:1 baking at its finest, and it’s also the most deserving showcase for that trusty jar of peanut butter in your pantry. Get the recipe here.
Peanut Butter Bacon Burger
Peanut Butter Bacon Burger
It was only a matter of time before the famous Turkey and The Wolf in New Orleans published a cookbook of its signature recipes for sandwiches, sides, and various oddball creations. The Peanut Butter Bacon Burgeris the perfect example of the restaurant’s playful, irreverent cuisine, and it packs even more surprises than the name implies—for one thing, ketchup remains part of the ingredients list. Read more about it and get the recipe for Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers here.
Peanut Butter Marshmallows
Peanut Butter Marshmallows
Marshmallows are essentially pure sugar, but you can tame their sweetness with pure peanut powder. After pouring molten sugar into whipped egg whites and tossing in some gelatin, you just add peanut butter powder with a hefty pinch of salt, and a few hours later you’ll be snacking on light, bouncy cubes of peanut butter goodness. They are sweet without being too sweet, softer than store-bought, and melt in your mouth. Get the recipe for Peanut Butter Marshmallows here.
All-Purpose Peanut Butter Sauce
All-Purpose Peanut Butter Sauce
Somehow this peanut butter sauce turns foods like vegetables, chicken, and rice into family favorites. Yes, you can doctor it up with garlic and ginger and soy sauce, but it has two main ingredients: equal parts peanut butter and orange juice. It also works well on salmon, and it can turn any stir-fry (tofu, green beans, noodles, broccoli, carrots) into something that tastes like takeout. This is a pretty mild version for persnickety kid palates, so feel free to amp it up with some hot pepper flakes or sriracha. Get the recipe for All-Purpose Peanut Butter Sauce here.
Peanut Butter Raisin Bran Treats
Peanut Butter Raisin Bran Treats
In spite of their lackluster appearance, these three-ingredient peanut butter raisin bran treatssucceed: Their satisfying cereal crunch and pockets of rich smoothness make them not only a big surprise to first-time tasters, but also a big hit. Everyone should make these at least once, if only to reaffirm that looks can be deceiving, beauty is only skin-deep, and that one man’s Raisin Bran is another man’s treasure. Get the recipe for peanut butter raisin bran treats here.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach
PB&J Rugelach
In many ways, rugelach is the superior dessert of Hanukkah. These tasty little cookies are made with a cream cheese dough that is filled with a fruit, nut, or chocolate filling, then rolled up into a sweet treat. They’re just as fun to eat as they are to make, and the filling possibilities are endless. What better combination than peanut butter and jelly? The filling might ooze out a little during baking, but that’s okay. That happens with great PB&J sandwiches, too. Get the recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach here.
Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies
This recipe was the winner of The Takeout’s first annual holiday cookie contest, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a classic peanut butter cookie at heart, complete with fork imprints, but kicked up a notch with red curry paste and a spicy dark chocolate coating. These cookies are extremely flavorful, easy to make, and, best of all, they’re vegan, thanks to their use of coconut milk. (The cookies are delicious without chocolate, too—if you want, you can 86 the chocolate and throw the chili in the dough!) Get the recipe for Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies here.
Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon Sandwich
Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon Sandwich
When you think of Elvis, likely only one dish comes to mind—which makes Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter And Banana Bacon sandwich the greatest celebrity recipe of all time. Though it’s been popular for decades and almost always bears Elvis’ name, the PBBB sandwich may have actually been created by Pauline Nicholson, Elvis’ cook from the 1960s to the 1970s. No matter where it came from, it’s a classic for a reason. Get the recipe for Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon sandwich here.
Scotcheroos
Scotcheroos
Scotcheroos are a Midwest bake sale staple: they’re dessert bars with a base of peanut butter and Rice Krispies, topped with a layer of melted chocolate and butterscotch chips. They’re so much better than Rice Krispies treats, and just as easy to make. Everyone could use a five-ingredient, no-bake dessert in their repertoire, and after tasting these, you’ll want to make them for everyone you know. Get the recipe for Scotcheroos here.
The most unique peanut butter sandwiches enjoyed by Takeout readers
Peanut butter and... cream cheese??
Okay, so this isn’t strictly a recipe—but it’s a way to take your peanut butter sandwich building to the next level. Riffing on the classic PB&J, our readers suggested all kinds of unique flavor combinations to try, including peanut butter and cream cheese, peanut butter and apricot jam with spices, and even a very specific method for enjoying a Smucker’s Uncrustable. Here all the best tips for upgrading your PB&J.
(And if you’re hungry for even more unorthodox peanut butter sandwiches, may we suggest peanut butter and mayo, peanut butter and butter, and peanut butter and chili.)
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