8 recipes to satisfy your peanut butter craving

8 recipes to satisfy your peanut butter craving

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Close-up of Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies on a white plate
Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies
Photo: Allison Robicelli

If we had to guess, we’d say the average American household boasts a supply of peanut butter that exceeds 40 ounces at any given moment. Peanut butter is our lifeblood; we’re a top exporter of the stuff, 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.

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Peanut Butter Marshmallows

Peanut Butter Marshmallows

Pile of peanut butter marshmallows on a black plate dusted with peanut powder
Peanut Butter Marshmallows
Photo: Allison Robicelli

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.

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All-Purpose Peanut Butter Sauce

All-Purpose Peanut Butter Sauce

image of saute pan with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, and orange juice
All-Purpose Peanut Butter Sauce
Graphic: Natalie Peeples

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.

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Peanut Butter Raisin Bran Treats

Peanut Butter Raisin Bran Treats

Plateful of dessert bars made from peanut butter, butterscotch, and raisin bran
Peanut Butter Raisin Bran Treats
Photo: Marnie Shure

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.

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach

Peanut Butter and Jelly Rugelach

Aerial view of a sheet pan full of peanut butter and jelly rugelach
PB&J Rugelach
Photo: Sara Tane

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.

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Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies

Plate of chocolate Thai peanut butter cookies on top of a pile of other holiday cookies
Chocolate Thai Peanut Butter Cookies
Photo: Allison Robicelli

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.

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Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon Sandwich

Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon Sandwich

Four peanut butter banana bacon sandwich triangles fried golden brown and stacked on a plate
Elvis’ Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon Sandwich
Photo: Gwen Ihnat

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.

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Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos

Pile of Scotcheroo peanut butter butterscotch chocolate desserts on a white plate
Scotcheroos
Photo: Marnie Shure

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.

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The most unique peanut butter sandwiches enjoyed by Takeout readers

The most unique peanut butter sandwiches enjoyed by Takeout readers

A cross-section of a sliced peanut butter and cream cheese sandwich
Peanut butter and... cream cheese??
Photo: Dennis Lee

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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