Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are a beloved American food. I read that the average American child eats 1,500 PB&Js until she graduates from high school. But for people growing up outside the United States, peanut butter sandwiches are not a common treat. I never had a PB&J until I came to the United States in my early twenties. I didn’t even have peanut butter before coming here nor had I heard or imagined peanuts on bread. Peanuts weren’t a thing in Germany, but interestingly, with the spread of international cuisines and alternative non-dairy and plant based diets, all kinds of nut butters are now available in German grocery stores too.
While I didn’t grow up with Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, I have learned to love them. I would make a PB&J once in a while, but if I ate peanut butter, there had to be a sweet counterpoint to the nutty and oily peanut butter. But the jelly in my fridge would invariably turn moldy, because I didn’t eat it often enough. Big disappointment when your mind is set on a tasty PB&J. Below, I am sharing my favorite versions and how they came about as I was trying to solve my jelly problem.
Grilled Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips
For me, this version started as an afternoon snack. That 3 or 4 pm craving for something sweet with a cup of tea, trying to make it to the end of the workday. I was working a new job remotely (several years before this became the norm during the pandemic). I had bread, peanut butter, and …? I remembered I had chocolate chips in the freezer that I meant to use for some unknown baking project and needed to be used. I spread the peanut butter on the bread, topped it with chocolate chips, added another slice and placed it in a pan heating it just like a grilled sandwich. After flipping the bread, the outside was crispy and the inside warm, the chocolate melted, so delicious.
Peanut Butter and Dried Figs or Dates
The non-grilled morning version was supposed to be lighter. Chocolate was for the afternoon. Luckily, Carlos likes dates and dried figs. So, not too long ago, I decided to put slices of dried figs on my peanut butter sandwich. No surprise, it was really good. Then when we ran out of figs, I substituted with dates. Not only does it taste delicious, but it has no added or refined sugar, are whole fruits with fiber (if you care for that kind of thing) and I never had a problem with mold.
Peanut Butter and Cheddar Cheese
Don’t call me crazy, this is actually good. Carlos and I were going on a hiking trip and were emptying our fridge to make sure nothing was left that could go bad. The morning we were leaving, I made sandwiches. There was peanut butter and cheddar left. I was wondering if I had imagined or actually read somewhere that cheese would be good on peanut butter just like on regular butter. The heck, we will find out. This was the beginning of our love with peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. They are surprisingly tasty, savory but somehow seem to have a hint of sweetness, maybe because the brain remembers all the sweet toppings of other peanut butter sandwiches. This is my favorite breakfast sandwich.
Savory versions
There are lots of other options, using different nut butters, different jellies or jams, adding banana, but even more adventurous versions I have encountered (not made at home) add peanut butter (and onion jam) to burgers, or crispy bacon to another grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich version.
The combinations and variations are unlimited. There is no need to try them all or let go of your personal favorite, of course, but don’t be afraid to experiment if the fancy strikes you.