It adds richness, saltiness, and a touch of sweetness.
Published August 15, 2024
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My household is pro-butter. I have cooking butter, baking butter, fancy butter, and usually at least one kind of flavored butter on hand in case of emergencies.
My husband has always picked on me for my fondness for butter. When I enjoy a scone or muffin, I usually warm it up and add butter, as if there isn’t quite enough baked right in. I learned this pro move from my mom, so I guess my love for butter is in my DNA.
Recently, inspired by a rabbit hole, I dove down on Reddit (where all of my best ideas come from!) I realized that butter would also greatly improve the humble peanut butter sandwich.
Why I Add Butter to Peanut Butter Sandwiches
My middle son, who is currently three, eats a peanut butter sandwich almost daily. While he’s made great strides over the past few months, thanks to formal feeding therapy, he is an incredibly picky eater. We learned through the help of a feeding specialist that the best way to encourage kids to expand their list of new foods is to present them in a low-stress way.
So when we introduce a new food, we add it to his plate along with a “comfort food,” which in his case is a PB sando. It’s a quick and easy item to add to his plate that gives me peace of mind that he’s eating enough and gives him the comfort and confidence to experiment with something new. As a classically trained chef, I never thought feeding my kids would be so difficult, but parenthood keeps you humble.
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As you can imagine, since he is very selective with what he eats, I keep a running tally of how many healthy fats, proteins, and whole grains he’s consumed. In an effort to get a few more calories in him, I’ve recently started adding a thin layer of high-quality butter to his classic peanut butter sandwich.
Of course, as our resident line cook, I had to taste it, and it’s safe to say I’ll never eat a PB sammie without it again. While it seems so basic and simple, butter elevates the flavor by adding richness, saltiness, and sweetness, improving the texture, too. The butter’s creaminess cuts through the peanut butter’s thick, sometimes chalky texture.
How To Make the Best Peanut Butter Sandwich
As a self-proclaimed expert, here are the key elements to the perfect peanut butter sandwich:
- The peanut butter. We are very, very brand loyal to Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter. It’s made with just organic peanuts and salt and has a nice consistency. Unlike other all-natural peanut butter, this one doesn’t separate easily and is never oily. If you are not a Costco shopper (what are you even doing??), I suggest choosing unsweetened peanut butter and adding something like honey to taste if you like things on the sweet side. Sweetened peanut butter tends not to taste like peanuts to me, something no one has time for in a PB sandwich!
- The bread. My son is a creature of habit, so his bread of choice is Dave’s Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Bread, which is fine with me considering it packs five grams of fiber and protein per slice. Plus, it’s super tasty. I prefer homemade sourdough, but considering the hoops I jump through to get my kids to eat dinner, that is not always an option!
- The butter. I love the Naturally Softer Butter from Kerrygold. It’s lightly salted and easy to spread, even on fridge-cold bread. The flavor is unmatched. I learned that this specific butter is gently churned from the summer milk of grass-fed cows. Summer milk is highest in naturally softer milkfat, which churns into a softer and more spreadable butter. Who knew??
