The Evolution of Peanut Butter

Peanut butter. That glorious smell of a fresh jar. Crunchy, smooth, organic and natural. So many varieties and everyone has their favorite. There’s always that peanut butter we grew up with on our PB&J’s. However, most peanut butter lovers don’t experiment beyond that. The Jif and Skippy’s world we love has expanded and turned into quite an evolution.

We’ll start with powdered peanut butter. I can feel your skepticism already, but hear me out. It’s made from peanuts still, just grinded up into a fine powder that can be used to flavor anything. Put it in greek yogurt, oatmeal or your favorite baked goods. It’s very low calorie and low fat, at only 35 calories per tablespoon. Add some water and make your own spreadable peanut butter with it. Highly recommended in the nutrition world.

If you’re like me, you love crunchy peanut butter. Jif naturals – crunchy, is my favorite. A peanut butter I recently discovered from the classic Trader Joe’s has created a new spot in my heart. Crunchy, salted, flax and chia seed peanut butter (insert drool here). If you don’t like crunchy pb, well then I’m sorry for you because you can’t experience this tasty treat. The flax and chia seeds add health benefits that Jif could never compete with. Definitely a must try for the crunchy pb lovers out there.

Another favorite brand of peanut butter that I love is Peanut Butter & Co. which is actually a small sandwich shop in New York City. They sell their products at Wal-Mart as well (thank goodness) and is affordable. Their dark chocolate peanut butter is delicious with strawberries and pretzels. It tastes like Nutella but made with peanuts and not hazelnuts. The other kind I like is their cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butter. It has actual raisins in it, which yes sounds weird but raisins and peanut butter on toast is good so why not just add the raisins to the jar for simplicity? It’s also great with apples and in oatmeal.

This next peanut butter will blow your mind, because it’s not made of peanuts, it’s made of almonds. I fell in love about 2 years ago when I found Barney’s crunchy almond butter. It can be found at Wal-Mart, however it’s very expensive for a little jar. The taste is different from peanut butter but goes with the same things. Something else crazy about almond butter, they have unlimited flavors. I’ve seen everything from honey maple almond butter to red velvet cake almond butter and coconut almond butter (pictured above). It’s crazy the things they come up with but I can say it’s delicious. If you’re not willing to spend 15 big ones on a whole jar, I suggest getting Justin’s single packets from Wal-Mart. The vanilla almond butter is the best from that brand, and only costs 1 big one.

I’m sure some of you are thinking I’m crazy to like these weird and oddly flavored peanut butters. It’s a hype that a lot of people love and try new flavors everyday. I wouldn’t be opposed to having a red velvet cake flavored spread on my toast in the morning that’s for sure. Jif will always be the pb I grew up with, but new flavors and spreads are something I enjoy trying.

Photo by Kim Hutchison