6 Creative Ways to Use Peanut Butter
Hello, folks! Got a jar of peanut butter sitting in your cupboard and not sure what to do with it? Don’t worry – I’ve got you covered. Today, we’re diving into six easy, fun, and downright delicious ways to make the most of that glorious spread. Whether you’re a peanut butter addict or just want to use it up, these recipes are perfect for beginners or anyone looking for simple, budget-friendly ideas. Let’s crack on, shall we? Don’t worry if you don’t have 2kg of peanut butter at home either, just pick what you want to make!
1. Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
Who doesn’t love a cookie with a surprise in the middle? These beauties are crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and packed with peanut butter goodness.
Step 1
This recipe needs a bit of prep to get the filling soft in your freezer. Make the filling by mixing the icing sugar and peanut butter together until fully combined. Roll into balls shapes, don’t worry if they don’t perfectly hold shape, repeat with remaining mix and place on a lined tray into your freezer to firm up. After 15 mins, you should be able to take them from the freezer and roll them into better balls that hold their shape.
Step 2
After you’ve done that, put them back in the freezer, preheat your oven to 170fan/190c or equivalent and make the filling. Add the peanut butter, butter, both sugars, egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth with an electric whisk. Add in the flour, salt and bicarb of soda to form a dough.
Step 3
Take the dough balls out of the freezer, roll out your dough about ½ inch thick using more flour if needed and wrap the peanut butter ball fully in the cookie dough. Repeat with the others and roll the cookies balls in sugar on a tray. Place on a lined baking tray well spread apart and bake for around 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and cracked, allow to cool slightly before serving.
2. Peanut Butter Truffles
Fancy something a bit posh but ridiculously easy? Enter peanut butter truffles. These bite-sized delights are made by mixing peanut butter with just a few ingredients, rolling them into balls, and coating them in chocolate. Perfect for a quick homemade gift or a cheeky snack to keep in the fridge. They’re rich, creamy, and seriously addictive, they also look really fun too!
Step 1
Nice easy one this, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave on 20 second blasts, until melted, careful not to burn it. Stir in between until you are happy. Now in another bowl mix your peanut butter to loosen it up vigorously with a spatula for a minute or so, add in the icing sugar and pour over the melted chocolate, stir well to combine, add some salt if you wish.
Step 2
Chill this in the fridge to help make shaping easier or freezer if you are in a hurry. Then roll up a bit like the cookies above into balls. To decorate the truffles melt the dark chocolate and drop the chilled peanut butter balls into it, and then roll it in the bashed pretzels. You can play around with this doing just dribbles of chocolate too if you like. They should set pretty fast if the peanut butter balls are cold enough. Repeat with remaining mix, if they need help setting put them in the fridge. Keep in an air tight container until wanting to serve, very addictive things indeed!
3. Peanut Butter Fondue
This one’s a showstopper and so much fun to share. Peanut butter fondue is as simple as melting peanut butter with a splash of cream and a hint of sweetness. Dip fruit, marshmallows, or even biscuits into this warm, creamy sauce. It’s perfect for parties or just a bit of indulgence on a cosy night in.
Step 1
Probably the easiest recipe of the lot. In a saucepan (or microwave if you are careful!) melt the butter and sugar together, stirring often, add in the chocolate chips and peanut butter and continue to warm and stir until a nice consistent mixture is achieved. Add in the double cream off the heat, stir through to blend in (do not return to the heat once the cream is in) and your fondue is ready for dunking. If it’s too thick add more cream but it will thicken as it cools down. Serve with your favourite things dunked in on a stick, great for sharing.
4. Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
A childhood classic with a peanut butter twist! These no-bake treats are ridiculously simple – just melt peanut butter and mix it with Rice Krispies for a chewy, crunchy snack. Extremely addictive.
Step 1
Line a large baking tin with parchment along the bottom, loose bottom tin would be even better, and lightly spray oil the sides. Grab a saucepan and melt the butter, marshmallows, peanut butter, plus the salt (if using), stirring frequently. Add the rice krispies and stir until well coated. Do this fast as it’ll cool down quick and you want to make sure you cover them all really well whilst the mixture is warm, a big bowl can help if your pan is not big enough, but just work quickly.
Step 2
Press the mixture into your prepared tin with a spatula and give an optional spread of peanut butter all over the top of them, you can warm it up and drizzle if you like too but I liked the thick coating added on top. I think the pretzels and chocolate combo from the truffles would work really well together too.
5. Flour-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
This cake is a game-changer – no flour, but all the flavour. The peanut butter acts as a binder, creating a rich, fudgy texture that pairs perfectly with the chocolate. It’s gluten-free, super easy to throw together, and the kind of dessert that’ll have everyone asking for the recipe.
Step 1
Preheat oven to 160fan/180c or equivalent. Line and butter the bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform round tin – really useful for getting it out later! In a mixing bowl add the chocolate, butter and 110g of the peanut butter together, warm over a large pan of simmering water, stirring often making sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl, until well combined. Take this off the heat, you could also do this step in the microwave if you are careful.
Step 2
Next up after a few minutes so the mixture can cool a touch whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar, then the eggs (1 at a time), whisking fully until combined. This is your batter ready. Pour It into your prepared cake tin. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, test with a toothpick that it is baked through in the middle. Leave it in the tin to cool whilst you prepare the topping which makes this look super good!
Step 3
The chocolate chips can go in a bowl, leave them to one side. Warm up the cream in a small saucepan until just about to simmer, remove from the heat quickly and pour all over the chocolate, stirring well until it’s smooth and glossy. Pour this over your cake in the tin. You can optionally use the remaining peanut butter (3tbsp or more) and warm it up to drizzle over the cake, this can then be scraped around using a bamboo skewer to create a really cool look on the top of the chocolate cake. Leave to set before removing from the tin and slicing into portions.
6. Peanut Butter JAM (JELLY) BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING
A bit of a twist on a classic this one! The jam is also a well known combo with peanut butter (it’s peanut butter jelly time etc) and it adds sweetness!
Step 1
This first step is a bit messy, but fun! Basically make sandwiches, spread peanut butter on half the bread slices, jam on the other and join them together – 1 slice of peanut butter bread, with the jam one and then slice in half, then half again to make 4 little triangles. Repeat with the rest of the bread slices, making lots of triangles. You can remove the crusts if you wish from the bread, it’s your call! Place these into a baking dish, don’t worry about squishing them a touch.
Step 2
Pre-heat your oven to 130fan/150c or equivalent. Get a mixing bowl and whisk in the cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt, it should only need a whisk to break down the yolks and make it consistent. Now pour this mix over the sandwich triangles. Don’t bake it immediately, the bread will absorb some of this mix and puff up slightly, leave at least 15 mins of so.
Step 3
Bake for an hour, at the half way point turn it around to help it cook evenly. If you feel like it’s catching too much at the end cover with foil, but you really want to bake it all through fully and get a nice golden colour, a little extra colour on the exposed crusts looks good! Take shovels of it out with a slotted spoon and serve with ice cream, custard or on it’s own! You could even warm some jam and do a cheeky drizzle on top!
Barry’s Top Tips
- For recipes that require melted peanut butter, a quick zap in the microwave works a treat! Just go slow to avoid burning it in very short blasts stirring as you go.
- Smooth peanut butter works best for these recipes, but if you love the crunch, use crunchy peanut butter for extra texture or make your own homemade peanut butter.
- Want to mix it up? Swap peanut butter for almond butter, cashew butter, or even chocolate hazelnut spread in some of these recipes. A bit of Nutella in the stuffed cookies would make them more gooey for example once baked!
So there you have it, six cracking ways to make the most of peanut butter. Whether you’re baking, snacking, or just experimenting in the kitchen, these recipes are fun, easy, and delicious. Give them a go and let me know which one’s your favourite! Don’t forget to tag me in your creations – I’d love to see them.
Catch you next time,
Barry