Different flavors from P.B. Loco. There are 28 gourmet peanut butters in this article: a different flavor for every day of February.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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February 2006
Updated April 2009
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Flavored Peanut Butter Bonanza
Gourmet Peanut Butter: It’s Not Just Creamy & Chunky Anymore
When we were growing up, there were two kinds of peanut butter: creamy and chunky. Then one day, chocolate-ribbon peanut butter appeared as a specialty item: a hallmark occasion. Today, chocolate seems so old-hat: White Chocolate Raspberry is our favorite sweet flavor, when we’re not reveling in Onion Parsley or Thai Ginger & Red Pepper.
Today’s gourmet flavored peanut butters make exciting sandwiches—and also hors d’oeuvres, pasta sauces and a myriad of other dishes we never imagined when dishing up those sandwiches with strawberry preserves or grape jelly.
To show you what’s happening in the world of gourmet peanut butter, we’ve highlighted the lines of three prominent artisan producers. All have recipes on their websites, for everything from the expected (smoothies, shakes, sandwiches and desserts) to the unconventional (breakfast dishes, appetizers, soups, salads and main dishes).
P.B. Loco
P.B. Loco produces peanut butters with a very smooth and creamy style, using a small amount of partially hydrogenated oil as a stabilizer to prevent oil separation. They point out that “the amount of trans fat in our products is approximately 150 times less than what is needed to reach the FDA’s 0 grams trans fat cut-off.” Plain flavors are $5.95, specialty flavors, $6.95 per 16-ounce recyclable plastic jar. Read our full review of P.B. Loco, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
Classic & Savory Flavors
- Asian Curry Spice
- Dreamy Creamy
- Munchy Crunchy
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Sweet Flavors
- Dark Chocolate Duo
- CocoaBanana (Chocolate Banana)
- Jungle Banana
- Raspberry White Chocolate
- Sumatra Cinnamon and Raisin
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Sunland Flavor Infused Peanut Butter
Formerly known as “Peanut Better,” this company was acquired by Sunland Foods, which still makes the same exciting flavors—coarser, rustic-style “natural” peanut butters (which means that they are made without hydrogenated oils or preservatives). They’ll keep for at least three months if stored in a cool, dry place; there’s no need to refrigerate. If the oil starts to separate, just stir it back in. All are excellent, but the savory flavors, rather unexpected in peanut butters, are dynamite! Certified USDA Organic, and certified kosher by Orthodox Union. $5.00 per 10-ounce glass jar (organic flavors), $4.00 per 16-ounce jar for natural flavors. Read our full review of Peanut Better/Sunland, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
Savory Flavors
- Hickory Smoked*
- Onion Parsley*
- Spicy Southwestern*
- Thai Ginger and Red Pepper*
*Asterisked flavors are organic; the others are all natural. |
Sweet Flavors
- Banana Peanut Butter Spread
- Caramel Peanut Butter Spread
- Cinnamon Peanut Butter Spread
- Dark Chocolate*
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread
- Vanilla Cranberry*
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Peanut Butter & Co.
This brand grew from a Greenwich Village café of the same name, with a menu consisting entirely of peanut butter creations. Since 1998, PB fans have made pilgrimage to dine there, and it even spawned a cookbook with a foreword by Jerry Seinfeld, obviously a fan.
Standard & Savory Flavors
- Crunch Time
- The Heat Is On
- Old Fashioned Crunchy
- Old Fashioned Smooth
- Smooth Operator
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Sweet Flavors
- The Bee’s Knees
- Cinnamon Raisin Swirl
- Dark Chocolate Dreams
- Mighty Maple
- White Chocolate Wonderful
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Standard flavors, $5.00, specialty flavors, $6.00 per 16-ounce recyclable plastic jar. ILovePeanutButter.com.
 You can purchase the cookbook on Amazon. Then you can start making the 80 recipes—everything from PB cakes and cookies, to baked apples with PB, to PB BLTs, to pad thai.
Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change.
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