The Peanut Butter Boy

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

Nick — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 13:37:43 +0000

Honey roasted peanuts are one of those simple creations that are simply divine – which is the exact reason that I never buy them. They come in large containers which somehow seem so much smaller when you sit down with them. If you’re ever in a Whole Foods that has a peanut grinder with honey roasted peanuts in it, fill the nearest 10 gallon pail and proceed to checkout because it is some of the best peanut butter ever. Otherwise, instead of trekking all the way there, just follow this embarrassingly simple “recipe”.

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

1 jar (16oz) crunchy natural peanut butter w/ salt
2 Tbsp honey
1-3 tsp sugar, to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix.

Additional Info:

The addition of honey helps prevent the oil from separating but also ends in a very thick peanut butter. I recommend using a very runny peanut butter (like Trader Joe’s Natural Creamy) if you don’t want it so thick. To give you an idea, I made this peak 2 days before the picture was taken:

Peanut Butter Cup Chicken Mole

Nick — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:21:36 +0000

Have you ever had mole (molé) sauce? It’s a rich, dark-colored sauce native to Mexico and one of my favorite dishes to order at any Mexican restaurant. One reason mole is so popular is that, while there are many variations, most of them contain chocolate. Traditional mole varies from town to town in Mexico, containing anywhere from 10 to 50 ingredients. Some recipes call for crushed peanuts, which is all the info I needed to combine my love for Mexican cuisine with peanut butter and create one of the best moles I’ve tasted. I didn’t copy Rachel Ray to create this dish – in fact, I think I came up with the idea first! You may be wondering how difficult it is to make, but I’ve developed methods to make it in a crockpot (slow cooker) or on the stove, with very little effort required. I highly recommend you make this not just because it’s phenomenal, but also because how often do you get to eat chocolate and peanut butter for dinner?

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 cloves garlic, minced
2T toasted sesame seeds
1T chili powder
1t ground cumin
1t ground cinnamon
1/2t ground coriander
1/8t ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1/4 cup peanut butter
1T maple syrup
1T brown sugar
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast (4-6 large breasts)

Instructions:

Crockpot / Slow-Cooker: Place all ingredients except for the chicken in a slow cooker. Stir sauce until mixed, taste, and adjust seasonings to taste. Add chicken and stir to cover the chicken. Place lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours. If desired, remove chicken, and puree the sauce using an immersion blender or food processor. Serve the chicken breasts and drench in sauce.

Stove top: Preheat a large pot on medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and add the chicken. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside. Spray the pot with cooking spray and cook the onions until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. If you like a smooth creamy sauce, you can puree the sauce with an immersion blender or a regular blender. Add chicken to the sauce and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until chicken is very tender and falls apart.

Additional Info:

There are thousands of varieties of mole sauce in Mexico and you’ll never have the same one twice. Along the same lines, you can customize this dish to taste, some like it spicy, others like it sweet. Experiment with the chili powder, chipotle peppers and sugar to adjust to your tastes.

Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter

Nick — Sat, 30 May 2026 13:20:32 +0000

See that mostly empty jar? It’s difficult to keep full. If you weren’t a peanut butter addict to begin with, you will be now. This is my favorite flavored peanut butter, and it has a myriad of uses. Do yourself a favor and go find the following ingredients in your cabinet…

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

1 jar (16oz) creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1/2 cup currants or raisins
2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Using a slightly larger jar, mix all the ingredients together. Alternatively, use an empty peanut butter jar and put half of the peanut butter into it and make 2 smaller batches. Using the second method will make it easier to stir from the bottom each time if the oil separates.

Salt & Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

Nick — Tue, 26 May 2026 13:12:46 +0000

Only 2 days until Halloween, have you carved your pumpkin yet? I picked, carved and tossed my pumpkin already. It only lasted about 1 week before it started to smell when you got within 10 feet. I had an awesome pumpkin too: brilliant white with no blemishes. I carved out a smooth and simple design that had my roommate thinking it was fake from far away – I must be a darn good carver. But before you throw out the insides to your pumpkin try this recipe out for size. It’s a unique seasoning combination that is surprisingly good.

I leave the seeds in the shell because it’s a pain to remove them all but also because the seeds are a good source of nutrition. Elise at Simply Recipes just posted a recipe for Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and suggests boiling the seeds in salt water for about 10 minutes before baking. I haven’t tried this method but it sounds like a good way to salt the seeds and further soften the shells. If you’re keeping them in the shell, make sure you use a smaller cooking pumpkin – the larger pumpkins have larger seeds with much tougher shells.

There are a couple of new features here at the Peanut Butter Boy. You can now easily contact me by clicking “Contact” on the menu above. Or for those of you curious about the man behind the jar, check out the new “About” section on the menu bar above.

Boo! Here was my pumpkin. Do you know what the carving is supposed to be?

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

pumpkin seeds
salt
cinnamon
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray. Remove all the pulp from the seeds and rinse with water. Dry them and spread out on the baking sheet and spray the top with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon.

2. Bake for 5 minutes, remove the tray, stir the seeds and sprinkle with extra cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Place back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until seeds begin to brown and get toasted. Stir the seeds every 10 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. If you store them before they cool they will become chewy and difficult to eat.

Peanut Butter ____ Salad

Nick — Fri, 22 May 2026 12:59:49 +0000

As of Saturday, November 1st it is officially (yet unofficially) National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month. While this holidays origins are unclear, one thing is certain, it’s time for a peanut butter feast. Coincidentally, as of November 1st, it is also the Peanut Butter Boy’s 1 year anniversary! After one full year, I’m still going strong and my love for peanut butter has not diminished one bit. To celebrate, I’m sending out a call for your favorite peanut butter recipes. I want everyone to post and send me their favorite peanut butter recipe by November 30th (even if it’s an old recipe you’ve posted). At the end of the month, I’ll round up the entries and construct a (hopefully) large list of recipes! See the submission form beneath the following recipe.

To start this joyous month off, here’s a unique recipe for your lip-licking pleasure. I devised this recipe after a friend divulged that his dad puts peanut butter in egg salad sandwiches. I asked him if he thought it would work well with tuna or chicken – he said no, but that didn’t stop me. I use sour cream instead of mayonnaise because I can’t stand mayo and add beans for some nice texture and nutrition. I’ve been making this for several weeks and it’s wonderful with tuna and chicken, egg (according to my friend) and I imagine tofu would be great too. Choose your favorite and fill in the blank or choose nothing and double the beans. I give you the peanut butter “blank” salad:

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

6oz can (~3/4 cup) tuna, chicken, chopped hard-boiled eggs, tofu or omit
3/4 cup boiled or canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained (double if you omit the above)
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream, as needed
2T creamy peanut butter
2-3T honey mustard (optional)
1/2t cumin
1/2t chili powder
1/2t paprika
1/8t cayenne or chipotle chile pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Makes about 3 servings.

2. Spread between two slices of bread with a slice of cheese for a great sandwich, or forgo the second slice of bread and toast in a toaster oven for a peanut butter “blank” salad melt. Alternatively for a nice meal and presentation, serve on a bed of lettuce with celery and carrot sticks for dipping.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pillows

Nick — Mon, 18 May 2026 12:44:09 +0000

This idea, one of the most ingenious and simplest of ideas, was not my own. At least not entirely. In recent years, it’s been a habit of mine to keep a barrel of peanut butter filled pretzels in the back seat of my car – you never know when you’re going to get hungry. And now that I’ve joined the real world and began working, I keep a barrel in my desk drawer. I introduced a coworker to them and got him addicted. Shortly after, he shows up with a bag full of homemade chocolate covered goodies that look suspiciously like my pretzels. They were. And boy are they good. I snazzied them up a little by adding a pinch of sea salt but raw sugar would be great too. These pillow-shaped treats beg you to dive headfirst into the barrel and take a nap!

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

80 peanut butter filled pretzels
16 oz dark chocolate
sea salt or raw sugar, to garnish

Directions:

1. Break the chocolate into bite-sized pieces or smaller and place in a microwave safe bowl. Set the microwave to medium heat (about 50% power) for 5 minutes. Check the chocolate after 2 minutes and stir then return to the microwave, checking/stirring every 30 seconds. When only a few small chunks remain, simply stir until all chocolate has melted. If you want a thicker chocolate coating, you want the liquid chocolate to be thick and can put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help achieve this. If you want a thinner chocolate coating, keep heating the chocolate in the microwave to keep it thin.

2. Line a baking sheet(s) with wax paper. Drop the peanut butter filled pretzels into the bowl of chocolate, 2 or 3 at a time. Use a fork to turn the pretzels and ensure they get coated. Remove them with the fork and place on the baking sheet. After about 20-30 pretzels, stop to sprinkle the sea salt or sugar on top before the chocolate begins to harden. Repeat for the remaining pretzels. If the chocolate gets too thick at any point, reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds.

3. Place the baking sheet(s) in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Get out a large sealable container and cut a few pieces of wax paper to the shape of the container to make layers for the treats to sit on. Once the chocolate has set, remove the treats from the freezer, place in the container and store in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Brownie

Nick — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:38:54 +0000

PBB Update: Peanut Butter Boy has a huge 50% off sale for peanut butter with near best by dates! Check out the Super Sale Combo Packs!

Happy 4th of July! For as long as I can remember, raspberry brownie has been a part of my life. It began at our annual end-of-the-school-year pool parties with pizza and raspberry brownie. Kids would come from all over the neighborhood just for a bite of the raspberry brownie. The raspberry brownie tradition continues to this day, and arriving guests’ first question is still: where’s the brownie? But before you dismiss this dessert as a simple combination of brownie and sherbet, let me say that something magical happens to this dessert in the freezer, the brownie basically turns to fudge. Through experimentation over the years, we have determined that any brownie mix will work, but the lower fat mixes seem to work best.

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

1 package No Pudge brownie mix (or other low/non-fat brownie mix)
2/3 cup (~6oz) nonfat vanilla yogurt (or whatever ingredients the brownie mix calls for)
1 quart raspberry sherbet (not “sorbet”)
sprinkles or other decoration (optional)

Instructions:

1. If using No Pudge, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together No Pudge brownie mix and yogurt and bake for 30 minutes. You don’t want to over-bake and under-baking is somewhat preferred, so a few minutes less is fine.

If using any other brownie mix, bake according to instructions on the box.

2. Let the brownie cool completely, about 3-4 hours. Remove sherbet from the freezer and let it soften for a few minutes. Take a large serving spoon and scoop out layers of sherbet about 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick, or about the same thickness as the brownie, and place on top of the brownie. Repeat until most of the brownie is covered, and use the back of the spoon to smooth it all out. You should use close to a full quart of sherbet. It will start coming together when the sherbet softens to a specific point where it becomes very creamy and easily molds together.

3. Top with sprinkles or other decoration, cover with tinfoil and freeze for 4-6 hours, but preferably at least 1 day. Using a spatula, cut and serve the frozen brownie. Enjoy immediately. Stores well for at least 4 months.

Additional Info:

I cut a corner piece out to take a picture, you’ll notice the layer of fudge forming between the sherbet and the brownie. Don’t be fooled though, the entire brownie is like fudge, not just that thin layer. Now enjoy our family’s tradition for over 20 years!

Peanut Butter Reviews – Part 12

Nick — Sun, 10 May 2026 12:36:02 +0000

“Back to basics”. That’s what I’m naming this round of peanut butter reviews. I have reviewed a vast assortment of peanut butter from locally-produced small batch peanut butter like Eastwind Nut Butters to crazy flavored peanut butters from out-of-business companies like P.B. Loco, and everything in between. But it’s time for a review of some simple, basic peanut butter from different regions of the country. Also, check out my new 10-jar rating system! Each and every peanut butter reviewed on my site now has a score from 1 to 10 jars. Yellow jars are for standard peanut butter and Red jars are for flavored ones.

Reviews:

Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter

= 85%

The level of roasting is perfect, not too much, not too little. The grind is thick but silky smooth with just a pinch of salt. It’s a little bland and, in my opinion, needs more salt, but for organic peanut butter, this is a great value. This variety comes in a 2-pack of 28oz jars (56oz total) for around $7, which works out to $2 per standard size jar (16oz). The grind is very fine, which means the oil separates a lot but the texture is super creamy, so it’s the perfect choice for something like Peanut Sauce Stir-Fry. The only downside is that Kirkland is the private label of Costco, so you must go to Costco to buy it. My only question: Why is there no crunchy variety?

Market Pantry Creamy Peanut Butter

= 75%

Like your standard store-brand creamy peanut butter but a little better. Spreads more easily than Skippy but not as easily as Peter Pan. Simple and cheap, I use this style of peanut butter for cooking and baking so as not to waste the more expensive and tastier natural peanut butters. Good flavor and good enough for a PB&J. I still prefer Wegman’s brand a little better though, but not everyone has access to the fabulous grocery store that is Wegman’s.

Crown Creamy

= 75%

Similar in texture to a traditional Skippy-like peanut butter but tastes a little more like actual peanuts. The other difference is a bit more sugar which makes for a very tasty peanut butter. It’s very thick and creamy but spreads easily. A cool fact about Crown is that apparently they used to sell their peanut butter in a drinking glass with a lid. After finishing the jar, you could keep the glass to use for drinking purposes. That got me thinking, I bet if you put a full jar of Crown peanut butter in the microwave for about a minute, you’d have a most delicious beverage! Crown is a southern US brand, which may explain the higher sugar content (those Southerners like their tea sweeeeet!), but makes a great Pancake topping or classic PB&J.

Crown Crunchy

= 70%

Just like the creamy, the crunchy variety has plenty of added peanut chunks. This variety tastes less sweet due to the added peanuts but actually has more sugar – go figure. It’s good, but the full experience of this peanut butter is better uncovered with the creamy variety. Great for some Peanut Butter Cereal though. And just look how classically old-school that jar is? How could you not?

Additional Info:

Can’t get enough? Check out all of my peanut butter reviews to discover the best and worst peanut butter out there!

Peanut Butter Apple Crisp

Nick — Wed, 06 May 2026 12:33:57 +0000

* Updated from the recipe archive!

Apple picking – a common fall activity enjoyed by thousands of people ever year. Yet somehow, for the past 5 years we’ve tried and failed to apple pick. Apple picking is the type of party you don’t want to be fashionably late to, yet we always were – and there were never any apples left. But last year we did it! A successful 26lb haul of fresh picked apples. We tried to remember all the varieties we picked but couldn’t, there were just too many! Enjoy my first apple crisp ever – naturally a peanut butter one!

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour (or oat flour, for gluten-free)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
6-10 apples, cored and sliced

Directions:

1. Place the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and stir together. Add the butter and peanut butter and cut it in with a knife, then mix with your hands until all the butter and peanut butter is evenly incorporated.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the apples in a deep 9×13 baking dish until the dish is completely full. Top with the crisp mixture to cover the apples. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until apples are very tender and the topping begins to turn a medium-dark brown.

A Soup-er Pasta Sauce

Nick — Sat, 02 May 2026 12:22:10 +0000

I love leftovers, especially during the week when there’s no time to buy groceries and cook an entire meal, unless you like eating dinner at 10:00pm. I can eat the same thing 4 or 5 nights in a row but not all people have that kind of stamina or dedication (you know who you are). Using leftovers in a creative way is often difficult, unless you enjoy lasagna shakes or chicken and broccoli popsicles. But I gotta hand it to myself – and I was pretty excited about it – this is one of the best uses for leftovers I have ever come up with. I mentioned previously that I had an excellent leftover use for the peanut butter sweet potato soup and here it is, a delicious pasta sauce!

Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

1 cup peanut butter sweet potato soup
14 Mama Rosie’s Low-fat whole grain raviolis (or 2 servings of your favorite pasta)

Directions:

1. Prepare the ravioli or pasta according to the directions on the package. Heat up the soup in the microwave or the stove. Serve the pasta and pour the sauce on top. Garnish with grated parmesan.