10 New Ways To Eat Your PB&J

Who doesn’t love PB&J? I mean, they go together like – well – PB&J. Whether you prefer your peanut butter chunky or smooth, or if you dig jam over jelly, every person definitely has a combination they prefer. Peanut butter used to be considered a delicacy, and only met its match with jelly in 1901 after Julia David Chandler posted a recipe in Boston Cooking-School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics. Well Ms. Chandler – we salute you. Here are 10 more ways you can get creative with these two famous spreads.

1. Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast.

It’s pretty simple. Like French Toast, you’ll be dipping your bread (pre-covered with your PB&J) into an egg mixture that also includes milk and salt.

Each dipped sandwich will go on a skillet for about three minutes until they’re golden brown. Not only is this a quick way to fancy up your sandwiches, but it’s delicious as well. Here’s the recipe if you want to be a breakfast all-star.

2. Peanut Butter & Jelly Flautas

A flauta is a rolled-up tortilla that includes some type of filling – typically beef or cheese. You might also recognize them as being called taquitos. Thankfully, no beef will be included with your peanut butter and jelly – in fact, besides the obvious, the best filler is a banana.

The recipe is pretty simple. Just heat up your tortilla, cover them in your favorite combination of PB&J, and roll around an unpeeled, sliced banana.  It’s a good way to get some potassium and have a filling lunch if you’re low on time.

3. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cocktail

Obviously this’ll be for our 21 and over readers – and obviously, one shouldn’t consume this during breakfast or lunch.

This recipe requires strawberry jam, peanut syrup, a banana (as a garnish!), and a bunch of rum. And it requires over ten minutes to make, so it might be best to create at a party with your closest friends. I’m sure they’ll be impressed with your shaking skills. (I haven’t tried it, but I did have an acquaintance order one at a bachelorette party I was at. Despite the way it looks above, it’s definitely not just a lump of liquified peanut butter.)

4. Peanut Butter and Jelly on a Waffle

This might be something Leslie Knope would approve of. Simply ditch your white or wheat bread, and spread that stuff all over a waffle. It’ll be a sweeter sensation, but it’s the best use of waffles when you have no syrup and butter in the fridge.

You’ll probably feel like it’s more of a sandwich than a dessert if you cut it in half. The perfect complimentary beverage to this recipe is a nice, tall glass of milk.

5. Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza

I don’t know anyone who hates pizza. Actually – there was this one girl growing up, but I had the feeling she only said she hated it to be complicated at parties.

While most associate pizza with sauce and gooey cheese, they also consider pizza to be a fine way to eat with your hands with no judgment at all. These special pizzas are no different. In order to make a peanut butter and jelly pizza, all you really need is some dough and the obvious ingredients.

You’ll need to heat up your peanut butter first, so it’s even easier to spread (you want it to spread, but not ooze). Strawberry jelly will probably best resemble “pizza”, but get creative. After about 10 minutes in the oven, you’ll know it’s ready when the jelly starts to bubble.

6. Peanut Butter and Jelly Popsicles

These require peanut butter, preserves, honey, and a cup of milk. And they’re bound to be a delicious alternative to other flavors such as “red” and “purple” when it starts to get warm outside. Dare I say – they might be better than ice cream? (Who am I kidding. Nothing is better than ice cream. Nothing ever.)

These cute treats can be made with Dixie cups (if you don’t have anything fancier) and a freezer. And patience. I mean, 6 hours isn’t a long time if you really think about it – but when you know that a PB&J goodie is waiting for you, those hours might morph into months.

7. Peanut Butter and Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Food blogger Bryn Mooth is responsible for this recipe, after she whipped up a batch of these cookies for her grandmother’s 90th birthday party back in 2011. She used homemade jam, but the supermarket stuff should work pretty good as well.

While peanut butter-only cookies are pretty darn incredible, the jelly in the middle adds something special. It’s a perfect thing to bake for the holidays, or just because.

8. Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread Pudding

This easy recipe mixes challah bread with some of the stuff you’d expect to find in a PB&J bread pudding (milk, eggs, and sugar of course!) You can even make it pretty by garnishing it with some peanut crumbles on top.

To make the pudding, you’ll only need about an hour of sitting time and 20 minutes of baking. (The picture above is from this recipe, which is another take on it that includes raisins. I wanted to share both, since certain people have certain raisin preferences.)

9. Peanut Butter and Jelly Donuts

Sure – you already like jelly donuts. But have you ever thought about how great it’d be if peanut butter was added to the mix?

This recipe is probably similar to how you envisioned such a masterpiece. By using peanut butter dough and using jelly as a filler (and confectioners sugar on top), these fried desserts are sure to make you the hit at parties. Her recipe yields 8, and they take around 3 and a half hours to complete. It might be hard not to eat them all before the party starts.

10. Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake

If you’re still thinking about that PB&J martini above, and don’t care for alcoholic beverages, have no fear. There’s still a way you can drink your favorite sandwich combo.

If you’re using this recipe from the Food Network, you’ll need some milk, peanut butter, vanilla ice cream, grape juice, and grape jelly. And hopefully you’ll have a blender handy. If you want to get fancy with it, you can also add some whipped cream and chocolate on top (but honestly, this one doesn’t necessarily need any extras.)

What are a few of your favorite PB&J concoctions? Have you tried anything on the list?

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