PB & J Blondies - SKIPPY Peanut Butter and Jam Blondies #AD

On Saturday (2nd April 2022) it is officially National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. Peanut butter and jelly (or jam) has been one of my favourite sandwich fillings for a very long time. I don't remember when or where I first enjoyed it, but it's a combination that I love. 

Jelly is generally made from fruit juices, whilst jam is made from real fruit, but here in the UK jelly is a completely different food, and I would not recommend using it in a pb & j sandwich!

For National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day 2022 I've decided to make some PB & J Blondies. if you're not familiar with blondies, they are similar, in the way that they're made, to brownies. They're relatively simple to make and, just like brownies, the key is to not over bake them, so they keep a soft and chewy texture.

I've used my go to blondie recipe, which can be adapted with different flavours and ingredients, and swirled creamy SKIPPY Peanut Butter and Bonne Maman jam through the batter, and scattered a few salted peanuts on the top.

SKIPPY® Peanut Butter: Extra Smooth and Extra Crunchy varieties are currently available in major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Costco, Ocado and the International section of Tesco.

Take a look at my TikTok to see how I made these delicious blondies, and scroll down to see the full recipe.

@thecrazykitchen #ad SKIPPY peanut butter pb & j Blondies #ad #skippy #peanutbutter #blondies #baking #cakes #nationalpbjday #recipe #food ♬ For cooking and work videos. Marimba is an impressive song - Junya Ota

SKIPPY Peanut Butter & Jam [Jelly] Blondies

250g unsalted butter
350g caster Sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

300g plain flour

2 eggs

100g SKIPPY Extra Smooth Creamy Peanut Butter

75g Strawberry Jam / Conserve / Jelly

30g salted peanuts

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C / gas mark 3
• In a saucepan, melt the butter and bring it briefly to the boil and stir in the sugar
• Add the vanilla
• Remove from the heat
• Mix the flour & baking powder together
• Add the flour & baking powder to the saucepan, and mix well
• Beat the eggs
• Add the beaten eggs to the saucepan, and beat until smooth
• Pour into a baking tray lined with non stick baking paper, and smooth out
• Warm the SKIPPY Peanut Butter in the microwave for a few seconds to soften
• Drizzle the SKIPPY Peanut Butter over the batter, and swirl
• Spoon jam onto the batter, and swirl
• Sprinkle with salted peanuts
• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, but check after 25 minutes. The tops of the blondies should be golden brown but the centre should still be soft.
• Be careful not to overcook - blondies need to retain their fudginess - it will firm up as it cools down
• Cool in the tray and cut into squares when cold

BLONDIES ARE LIKE A GIANT CHEWY COOKIE

Recipe commissioned by SKIPPY Peanut Butter

More delicious SKIPPY Peanut Butter recipes :

 

Peanut Butter Magic Cookie Bars #AD

In my 2.5 years living in America some years ago, one of the great things I brought back with me (aside from 2 children) was a recipe for 7 layer magic cookie bars. It was a clipping that I'd saved from a Sunday newspaper, with a coupon for condensed milk. The coupons were always for the expensive brands so I rarely used them, but I kept the recipes all the same. In fact I returned home with a box full of recipe clippings and think I still have them somewhere, despite now being able to Google any recipe that I would ever need.

7 layer magic cookie bars were just that - 7 layers, with the magic being how easy they are to make. There's no mixing or rubbing in or blending involved, unless you include the crushing of the biscuits and chopping of nuts. They are pretty effortless though, and totally moreish, and perfect with an afternoon cuppa right before a lockdown afternoon nap.

As the recipe originates from America, the 'biscuits' (that's a TOTALLY different thing in America) were Graham crackers, which are generally substituted in UK recipes with digestive biscuits. The nuts used are generally walnuts or pecans, but as I'm using peanut butter I'm using peanuts. You could use unsalted, but I like a touch of saltiness to balance out all that sugar!

Look at all of those layers of sweet & salty peanutty goodness. Just perfect for National Peanut Butter Day 2021 on 24th January!

The best way to eat them is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm SKIPPY Peanut Butter poured over the top. SKIPPY Peanut Butter is packed full of sweet American peanuts (over 90% in fact), and the Smooth, Extra Creamy variety is so smooth that when it is warmed up it could be mistaken for a sauce, which is perfect poured over puddings in these cold winter months.

Take a look at my TikTok to see how I made them, and scroll down to see the full recipe.

@thecrazykitchen

#SKIPPY Peanut Butter Magic Cookie Bars #peanutbutter #foodtiktok #cooking #cookies #foodporn #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #nationalpeanutbutterday #AD

♬ Coffee for Your Head - Vinyll

Peanut Butter Magic Cookie Bars

75g butter
200g digestive biscuits, crushed
100g SKIPPY Creamy Peanut Butter
397g can of condensed milk
75g dark choc chips
100g salted peanuts
50g desiccated coconut

• Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuits
• Pour into a 13" x 9" baking tin or dish, spread out & flatten down a little
• Warm the SKIPPY Peanut Butter in the microwave for around 30-60 seconds and then mix with the condensed milk
• Pour evenly over the biscuits
• Scatter the chocolate chips, salted peanuts and coconut over the top
• Bake in a preheated 170 C oven for approx 25 minutes, or until golden brown
• Allow to cool in the tin before slicing into bars or squares

For an indulgent dessert, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of warm SKIPPY Creamy peanut butter

Recipe commissioned by SKIPPY Peanut Butter

Quick & Easy Breakfast - SKIPPY Peanut Butter Banana Wrap #AD

The school term is upon us once again, and for many it's the first time their children have been back in the classroom since March. My two school age children have been lucky, and were in the year groups that welcomed pupils back before the end of the summer. My youngest is starting high school and will be catching the bus just after 8am, which will be a bit of a shock to the system after weeks of late nights, lay ins and leisurely breakfasts. I'm pretty sure that after a few early nights he'll settle into his routine and once again be an early riser, but I'm not so sure about myself. Leisurely mornings have been lovely, and some days I take full advantage of not having to start work until midday.

Some days, when there's not enough time for a bowl of cereal or toast, we might just be in need of a grab & go breakfast. I absolutely love love love peanut butter, and so do my kids (the husband says he can't stand it but manages to eat my home made chocolate peanut butter ice cream without any trouble!), so peanut butter is a go-to quick breakfast or snack for us, whether it's on a cracker, sliced apple or with a banana (sometimes spooned straight from the jar into the mouth!). When we have a little more time we love peanut butter on toast or crumpets with sliced apple, banana or strawberries on top - I can see you turning your nose up at this, but you seriously have to try it! Check out my TikTok which will be sure to make your mouth water!

@thecrazykitchen

SKIPPY Peanut Butter on crumpets 3 ways ##AD ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##SKIPPYPeanutButter ##strawberry ##apple ##banana ##peanutbutter ##breakfast

♬ Level Up - Ciara

On those rushed mornings, we will sometimes have a SKIPPY Peanut Butter banana wrap, as they are so quick to make, taste great, and are also very portable, so great for grabbing to go, especially if you make them the night before and keep them tightly wrapped in the fridge. They are so simple that I feel a bit of a fraud calling this a recipe, but sometimes some of the simplest ideas are a revelation to others, so I'm going with it. In this recipe I've added strawberry jam, because that PB & J combo really is good, as is ground cinnamon instead of the jam.

SKIPPY Peanut Butter has been enjoyed by millions of Americans for more than 80 years, and as the Super Chunk and Smooth varieties can be now found in most major UK supermarkets the UK can go nuts about SKIPPY Peanut Butter too. SKIPPY Peanut Butter is made only with high quality sweeter peanuts from the USA, and is a really good source of protein, providing 22.1g per 100g.

SKIPPY Peanut Butter Banana Wrap

1 Tortilla wrap

SKIPPY Peanut Butter - extra smooth or extra crunchy

Strawberry jam or cinnamon (optional)

Banana

• Lay the wrap on a plate or chopping board
• Spread generously with your chosen SKIPPY Peanut Butter
• Spread with strawberry jam or sprinkle with cinnamon, if using
• Lay your banana across the middle of the wrap - you may have to straighten it out a little
• Roll up tightly around the banana, using the SKIPPY Peanut Butter as glue to hold the wrap in place
• Slice in half at an angle 
• Warm up in the microwave for approx 20 seconds if you want the peanut butter to ooze out
• Drizzle with warmed peanut butter & EAT!

You can find more great SKIPPY Peanut Butter recipes on their website here.

Recipe commissioned by SKIPPY Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter & Salted Pretzel No Churn Ice Cream

It's 4th July this week, which marks Independence Day in the United States. Despite having two American born children, and living there for 2.5 years, I haven't yet experienced July 4th celebrations actually in the United States. The day is equivalent to one of our bank holidays (with lots more celebrations), and most people get a day off work, spend time with their friends and family, and eat, drink and party!

I've climbed aboard the 4th of July bandwagon this year and created an all American inspired ice cream. It was during my time spent in America that I first began to love pretzels, whereas before they were just the salty sticks that were last to be eaten from the Christmas snack selection. I now have a few recipes on this blog that involve using salted pretzels in the way that I feel they should be eaten; in desserts! I have recipes such as Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts with a Pretzel Crust, Chocolate Pretzel Easter Nests, Salted Pecan & Pretzel Brittle and Sweet & Salty Marshmallow Squares.  The sweet & salty combination isn't for everyone, but I personally think it is amazing, and genius of the person that originally came up with the idea.

The sweetness coming from the condensed milk caramel, the hint of saltiness from the pretzels, and the nuttiness from the extra crunchy Skippy peanut butter combine together perfectly to create this ever so easy no churn ice cream. The husband, who claims to be a peanut butter hater, absolutely loved this, as did the rest of the family, who managed to plough their way through this batch in under 24 hours! Of course I may have helped them a little, and I may also have eaten some for breakfast. Allegedly. I made a second batch at the weekend and used chocolate covered pretzels this time, and my daughter claimed that it was the best ice cream she's ever eaten!

Skippy Peanut Butter is the original American style peanut butter made from the finest American peanuts, and it's now widely available to buy in the UK from most major supermarkets (Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Ocado, Tesco and Costco). The nutty pieces in the crunchy version worked really well blended into the ice cream, along with the creaminess of the smooth version that I swirled through right before freezing.

To make the cones worthy of being at 4th of July celebrations I dipped them in white chocolate and then into red, white and blue sprinkles, and now they could take pride of place at any American or British summer event.

Peanut Butter and Salted Pretzel No Churn Ice Cream by Helen Jessup on Scribd

Americans Go Nuts for Skippy Peanut Butter, and now you can too in my nutty 4th July giveaway, in association with Skippy, where one lucky winner can win themselves a cool Skippy branded skateboard, complete with helmet and safety pads, along with 2 jars of Skippy peanut butter and spatula (to make sure you get every last bit out of the jars!), worth £120.

COOL SKATEBOARD DESIGN

To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

in collaboration with Skippy

5 Halloween Party Treats {using SKIPPY peanut butter}

 

Autumn is well and truly upon us, and Halloween is fast approaching. Over the past decade or so Halloween in the UK has become a much bigger deal, but I'm not sure we'll ever catch up with America, who manage to celebrate the Halloween/Fall season so much bigger and better.

Another thing that seems to be a lot more popular in America is peanut butter. Whether it's peanut butter cups, peanut butter crackers, or pb & j sandwiches (peanut butter & jelly [jam] for those that were wondering), there's no escaping the peanut butter in America. I absolutely love peanut butter, as do all 3 children, and I'll add it to my cooking at every given chance (TIP: stir a spoonful of smooth peanut butter into a curry to thicken the sauce).

SKIPPY is an authentic American peanut butter that's widely available in the UK, in both smooth and crunchy varieties, including a whopping 1.1kg jar that I recently spotted on a trip to London. 

These Halloween treats all use SKIPPY smooth peanut butter, and they can be made quickly, as well as being prepared in advance, leaving plenty of time for trick or treating.

Spider Cookies - makes approx 18

240g smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

160g caster sugar

1 medium egg

mini peanut butter cups

edible googly eyes

black icing

• beat the peanut butter, caster sugar & egg together until combined
• roll into balls and place onto a baking sheet, spaced well apart
• press down gently with the back of a fork to flatten a little
• bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 12-15 minutes
• cool on a wire rack
• decorate by sticking the eyes to the peanut butter cup with icing, and sticking to the centre of each cookie
• ice the legs on either side of the body

False Teeth

slices of red apple

smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

mini marshmallows

• spread one side of each pair of apple slices with peanut butter
• stick marshmallows onto half of the slices, and top with the other apple slice

Graveyards - makes 6

2 tbsp smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

4 tbsp double cream

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Oreo cookie, roughly crushed

3 Lotus Biscoff (or similar shaped biscuit)

black icing

• beat the peanut butter, cream, cream cheese, sugar & vanilla together until smooth
• divide the mixture between 6 shot glasses
• top with dirt (Oreo cookie crumbs) and a gravestone (half a Biscoff with 'RIP' iced on)

Bloodied Mummies - makes 8

ready rolled puff pastry sheet

smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

raspberry or strawberry jam

caster sugar

edible googly eyes

• cut 8 rectangles from approx 2/3 of the pastry sheet
• slice the remaining pastry into thin strips, approximately the same length as the width of the rectangles
• spread each rectangle with peanut butter, and top with jam
• lay the strips of pastry onto each rectangle to look like Mummies bandages
• sprinkle with caster sugar & place onto a baking sheet
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden
• whilst still warm, press the eyes into the sticky jam

Ghastly Ghosts - makes 6

3 small bananas
1 tbsp smooth SKIPPY peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
desiccated coconut
edible googly eyes

• slice the bananas in half, making sure that they stand up
• warm the peanut butter and coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds, and stir until smooth
• spoon the peanut butter sauce over the bananas and coat with coconut
• stick the eyes onto the ghosts and place in the fridge to set

For more Halloween inspiration, take a look at my Halloween Pinterest board and follow the #SPOOKYSKIPPY hashtag on social media

this is a commissioned post for SKIPPY

Brtish Sandwich Week - Peanut Butter & Strawberry Bagel

If you weren't already aware, this week is British Sandwich Week (8th - 14th May 2016), the week where we celebrate the good old British food staple. The sandwich is one of the easiest meals to make & take with you, wherever you go. Pop your creation in a sandwich bag or wrap it in foil, and you're good to go.

To help celebrate sandwich week, Skippy Peanut Butter have invited me to develop a sandwich using one of my very favourite sandwich ingredients, peanut butter. Personally I love a peanut butter & apple or banana sandwich, but neither of these fruits are great eaten later once they've been sliced. However, juicy strawberries are a great alternative for packing in the kids lunchboxes, and although it may seem like an odd combination, lovers of the classic PB & J sandwich (peanut butter and jelly, or jam as we call it this side of the pond), will see where I'm coming from.

Instead of using sliced brown or white bread, I made the sandwich a little more exciting with the use of Tiger Bagels, but plain or cinnamon bagels would work just as well.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Bagel

Bagel
Skippy smooth or crunchy peanut butter
sliced strawberries

• slice the bagel in half and spread both cut sides generously with peanut butter
• lay slices of strawberry on one half of the bagel, and top with the other bagel half

My kids absolutely loved this, and the youngest would happily take it to school in his lunchbox.

This post has been commissioned by Skippy Peanut Butter

Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake

A few years ago I fell in love with Reese's Peanut butter cups. I don't exactly remember when I had my first, but I suspect it was shortly after the birth of my first baby, whilst living in America. I craved peanut butter during that pregnancy but laid off it, as was the advice at the time due to allergies. I've since discovered Reese's Nutrageous bars, which are amazing, although I haven't had one for ages. I've also made my own peanut butter cups and featured them previously on this blog.

A while ago I had a conversation with fellow blogger Heather about a peanut butter cream pie, which I think she'd eaten in a Perkins Restaurant in Florida, and I promised I would try and recreate one, one day. This isn't quite a cream pie as it doesn't have a pastry crust or cream on top, and neither does it have the layer of chocolate ganache that a peanut butter cream pie in Perkins has, but surely a peanut butter cheesecake has to be a good substitute when the real thing is over 4000 miles away. Next time I think I'll add a layer of chocolate ganache, and maybe a layer of peanut butter or mini peanut butter cups, but I must say that this was pretty damn good as it was.

   

Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake - makes a 20cm cheesecake

200g digestive biscuits, crushed

50g butter, melted

400g full fat cream cheese

450ml double cream

60g caster sugar

250g peanut butter

8 Reese's peanut butter cups, halved

caramel sauce (optional)

• Mix the crushed biscuits and butter together and press into the base of a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin & place in the fridge to firm up
• Whisk together the cream cheese, double cream and caster sugar until well combined and smooth
• Whisk in the peanut butter, until stiff peaks form
• Spread the filling over the base and level off
• Place in the fridge overnight, until fully set
• Remove from the tin before serving and decorate with peanut butter cups & caramel sauce

Home-made Mini Peanut Butter Cups

I'm a little bit partial to peanut butter, it's one of my weaknesses, and like nothing more than peanut butter on a crumpet with a coffee in the morning. It's good with a banana, apple or celery too as well as a great thickener for curry (just don't tell the husband as he supposedly hates the stuff).

Unless you buy the 'whole' peanut butter then it usually has added sugar as well as other ingredients, and to be honest, I don't really think they need to add the sugar. I once watched a machine pumping out freshly made peanut butter in a deli in Pittsburgh and was amazed by it - the peanuts went in at the top and the peanut butter came out of the bottom, nothing added apart from a little oil.

I can now make my own peanut butter at home, albeit on a smaller scale than the machine I saw that day, thanks to the Peanut Butter Maker from find me a gift.

Not knowing how the machine would perform on my first attempt I just bought a cheap 200g packet of salted peanuts for 48p rather than more expensive unsalted roasted nuts.

I set the machine up as per the instructions and popped a little sunflower oil in the oil dispenser before turning it on. The machine is quite loud and it spat a few bits of peanut out at me when I first turned it on, but after that it whirred and crunched away for a few minutes and produced a container of semi crunchy peanut butter. I say 'semi' crunchy as it seems to be half way between crunchy and smooth varieties. Hanna said 'it tastes just like peanut butter' - well would you fancy that! 

Unlike many home made versions of popular foods, this actually works out cheaper to make considering a 340g jar of SunPat is £1.79 and 400g of smart price peanuts only 96p, and there are no additives or sugar in it either - you could rinse the salt off the peanuts if you preferred but we like a little saltiness in our peanut butter. It's not just peanuts that you can use in the machine either - you can make your own nut butters out of any nuts that you like.

Apart from enjoying the peanut butter on crumpets I hadn't thought about what to do with it, until I spotted a picture of some Reese's peanut butter cups on Instagram and remembered that I had bought a mould a few months ago with the sole purpose of making some. They are really quite easy to make, as well as perhaps being a good way to ensure that you don't eat too many. Also, the husband loved them - I knew one day he would cave and eat peanut butter without it being disguised in a curry!

Home-made Mini Peanut Butter Cups

• Melt some of your favourite chocolate
• Pour a little chocolate into the base of each mould* & allow to set slightly
• Spoon some of the home made peanut butter** into the mould
• Cover with more melted chocolate
• Allow to set fully before removing from the mould

* If you don't have a mould you could use mini cupcake cases

** I know some recipes out there call for sugar to be added to the peanut butter, as well as other ingredients, but I like the slightly salted taste of the peanut butter rather than a sweet taste, it goes well with the chocolate.

I was sent the Peanut Butter Maker for the purpose of this review

Mini Reese's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecakes

I'm not a fan of Hershey's chocolate in any form....apart from Reese's. Peanut butter cups melt in your mouth with a hint of saltiness, and Nutrageous bars are THE BEST chocolate bar ever - a combination of roasted peanuts, caramel, peanut butter and chocolate, what more could you want in a chocolate bar.

Myself and Emma have challenged ourselves to come up with a mouthwatering recipe using a Reese's product, and share our results. Along the way Leanne has joined in too. I can't wait to see what they've come up with but in the meantime, here's mine. The base is brownie-like and the topping is a variation on a cheesecake recipe I spotted on Pinterest. In hindsight I should've baked them in cases as they were quite difficult to remove from the silicone muffin pan. I also made some in individual jars as I'm trying to find some dessert recipes to make in jars for Christmas - I think I might need smaller jars though as these contain quite a large portion!

Mini Reese's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecakes

Base
80g Dark chocolate
80g Peanut Butter ( I used smooth)
100g Dark brown sugar
2 Eggs
50g Cocoa powder

Cheesecake
300g Cream cheese
100g Caster sugar
60g Peanut butter (smooth)
2 Eggs
30g Cocoa powder
Reese's miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped


Topping
Cream cheese
toffees
Dark chocolate spread

• In a pan melt the chocolate, peanut butter & sugar
• Remove from heat & allow to cool a little
• Beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture and stir in the sifted cocoa powder
• Spoon a tablespoon of mixture into the muffin pans & smooth - I filled 6 muffin cases & 3 jars
• Place a miniature peanut butter cup on top of the base, pressing down a little

• Beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and peanut butter together until smooth
• Beat in the eggs and then the sifted cocoa powder
• Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the bases
• Place the muffin pan into a larger roasting pan & pour boiling water around the sides
• Bake in a preheated 160 C oven for 20-25 minutes until 'just' baked 
• Allow to cool fully before removing from the pans
• For the topping beat equal amounts of melted toffees or dark chocolate spread with cream cheese and spread onto the cheesecakes
• Decorate as desired - I used a sliced Reese's Nutrageous bar