25 Grown-Up Versions of Peanut Butter & Jelly

25 Grown-Up Versions of Peanut Butter & Jelly

“Adult PB&J: Let’s start off simple by upgrading PB&J’s two main ingredients. Swap the peanut butter out for almond butter, because almonds are all the rage right now & apparently better for you. You could also try sunflower seed butter as another alternative. Then, instead of the usual plain jellies, use Gingered Carrot Cake Marmalade that includes Grand Marnier, because making something more adult usually means adding alcohol to it. Feel free to upgrade your bread to something other than pre-sliced loaves while you’re at it.

Banana Bread PB&J: You’ve probably had peanut butter & banana, but substituting banana bread for regular bread is straight-up sorcery. Plus, it allows you to keep jelly in the equation without worrying about the slippery texture pushing out the bananas with every bite. (Clearly, we’ve studied every sort of PB&J-related dilemma. You’re welcome.)

Burgerized PB&J: Being an adult means you’re granted special privileges not afforded to kids. You can stay up as late as you want & you’re finally allowed to operate a grill. Because this is America, you should use these freedoms to your advantage by adding peanut butter & jelly to your burger, especially since it easily allows you to add some bacon to the mix. And for the record, being an adult also means you get to make up words like “burgerized.”

Crȇpe avec PB&J: If you don’t speak French, “avec” means “with,” & “crȇpe” means “crȇpe.” Now that we’ve got that intensive language lesson out of the way, feel free to start adding PB&J to your crȇpes. It tastes great & makes you feel great. Maybe not physically, especially if you eat several, but emotionally. & saying “crȇpe” will win you some class points that you’ll immediately lose when following it with the words “PB&J.”

Deep-Fried PB&J: If your regular PB&J seems too healthy (Fruit? Nuts? What am I, on a diet?) then consider deep-frying the whole thing. Just remember that deep-fried food tastes best fresh, so be sure to eat it right away... but not immediately after removing it from the fryer, of course. Option to include a homemade white chocolate ganache!

French Toast PB&J: There’s a lot going on here, but it’s actually a simple procedure when you break it down. (It’s also delicious.) Start by making two slices of French toast. However, before flipping the bread, spread peanut butter on one slice’s grilled side & jelly on the other slice’s grilled side. Sandwich them together & finish cooking the French toast as if it’s a grilled cheese sandwich.

Fresh Fruit PB&J: Sometimes you gotta eat healthily. The next time you make a PB&J, add something a little fresher...like fresh fruit! Whether it’s strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, or even pomegranate seeds. You might even find that you like it better this way!

Grilled PB&J: No fancy ingredients here; just a different way to prepare the classic version of PB&J. Once the sandwich is constructed, lightly butter both sides & simply prepare it exactly as you would for a grilled cheese sandwich.

PB&J Bread: If you were intrigued by the banana bread PB&J recipe but are also some kind of banana-hater who thinks that bananas are the Banana Runts of fruit, then this is the recipe for you. On the outside, it looks like plain ol’ bread. But on the inside, it holds a secret stash of PB&J.

PB&J Cake: Your parents were right when they told you kids can’t eat cake for breakfast. But now that you’re an adult, go nuts. Besides, a cake is basically bread, right? So you’re not being immature, you’re being innovative.

PB&J Club: No, this isn’t a social club for PB&J lovers...unless you’re nominating me as president, in which case I totally accept. (This is so unexpected; I have so many people to thank.) It’s simply a triple-decker PB&J sandwich, because sometimes grown-up versions of foods are just the same foods in grown-up-sized portions. If you want to add bacon to make it more club-like, we won’t stop you. In fact, we insist.

PB&J Cups: You don’t see a lot of kids cutting carbs or going vegan, which is why these breadless, animal-less PB&J cups are the perfect snack for adults...even loaf-loving carnivores.

PB&J Donuts: Kids eat donuts, but true adults make donuts. & then eat them. & then hide the leftovers so their kids can’t have any.

PB&J Fudge: For some reason, kids nowadays don’t seem to enjoy fudge as much as desserts like cookies, chocolate, or other types of candy. Maybe because it’s usually served in small pieces, maybe it’s too rich, or maybe it’s the weird texture that’s not quite hard but not quite soft & sometimes grainy. Regardless of the reasoning, fudge has somehow become more of an adult treat. Or maybe, once again, we just don’t want to share.

PB&J Granola: Combines oats, peanut butter, honey, jelly, vanilla, & cinnamon into the perfect snack - & it only takes 20 minutes to make a whole batch. Once it’s done, you can pair your perfect granola with yogurt, or fruit, or chocolate if you’re not into the whole health thing.

PB&J Ice Cream Sandwiches: In addition to being a grown-up version of PB&J, these sweet treats are also grown-up versions of ice cream sandwiches. They use peanut butter cookie dough in place of the cookies or cookie crust, & add jelly to the ice cream center. & the best part, compared to other sammies, the ice cream here is much more likely to stick to the dough & not fall out the sides.

PB&J Muffins: Muffins are like grown-up cupcakes, so PB&J muffins are like a grown-up version of regular PB&J, right? Either way, we don’t really care, because these are irresistible. I mean, just look at them sitting there all crumbly & so forth. Do you think a kid could handle this without getting it all over their face & the floor? Nope, & you probably can’t either, but it’s okay because no one will yell at you for making a mess.

PB&J Pancakes: We told you about cake & we told you about French toast, so you probably expected a PB&J pancake in here somewhere. & seriously, what better brunch food could there be, as these bad boys mix a classic breakfast food with a classic lunch item in a way only an adult could conceive...probably somewhere between mimosas number three & four.

PB&J Quesadillas: If you were intrigued by the grilled PB&J but want something a little lighter & healthier, sub out the bread for a whole wheat tortilla. Not only will you consume fewer carbs & less food in general, but you also won’t need to butter it up for grilling. Simply coat your pan with cooking spray & toss on the tortilla.

PB&J Smoothies: It’s almost as simple as throwing a PB&J sandwich in a blender. (But not quite, so don’t do that.) Just combine almond butter, peanut butter, strawberries, & a banana; then mix & drink! Feel free to mess around with the amounts to your liking.

PB&J Smoothie Cocktails: You’ll need to buy Van Gogh PB&J Vodka for the full effect, & then add milk, ice cream, a banana, raspberries, & some extra peanut butter. Blend well, add toasted peanuts as a garnish, & drink responsibly.

PB&J Squares: Foods in bar form are the best way to eat breakfast on the go - just ask anyone who has ended up with a lap full of milk & cereal during their morning commute. A lap full of peanut butter & jelly drippings is just as bad (trust us on this one), which is why these PB&J bars are the perfect morning snack.

PB&J Sushi: Don’t worry, there’s no actual seafood in this PB&J sushi. (Unless… No, no, the world isn’t ready for that yet.) Instead, it’s basically a fancier way to serve PB&J - which is perfect for parties! No recipe is needed, as this one is a cinch. Using white, flour tortillas - or crust-less bread flattened with a rolling pin - simply spread on your peanut butter & jelly of choice, cut the tortillas or bread into thin strips, roll it up tightly, & serve.

PB&J Toast: Think slathering toast with mashed avocado is the only way to add some flavor & health benefits to regular bread? Then you’ll love switching things up with this PB&J toast made with your choice of nut butter, nectarines, rgb(0, 0, 0)berries, & honey. You get vitamins, protein, & carbs, making it a perfect pre-workout meal. Plus, we still think avocado looks like weird alien food, no matter how delicious & healthy it is.

PB&J Waffles: Like the grilled version, feel free to prepare your favorite version of the classic PB&J for this one. So what exactly makes it “grown-up” then? Well, how many kids do you see out there operating waffle irons? It takes focus, a good sense of timing, and, in case you didn’t know, waffle irons can get hot as heck. (We’ve had numerous ouchies in the past.) So once your meal has been produced, you can eat it with the proud feeling that you just adulted pretty hard...even if it is just a PB&J sandwich you smashed in a waffle iron.”