8 recipes to satisfy your peanut butter craving

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.

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.

In spite of their lackluster appearance, these three-ingredient peanut butter raisin bran treats succeed: 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.)