As a child and even young adult, I detested nuts and peanut butter. Nuts whole, chunked or finely ground into a paste were of no interest to me or my taste buds. But eventually, I gradually gained appreciation for nuts. It started with almond milk, progressing to a handful of pecans, and eventually welcoming peanut butter into my diet. Now it’s to the point where at least an ounce of nutty goodness is a part of my daily eats. But it wasn’t until I found Peanut Butter and Co that I tried flavored peanut butter.
Tasting Notes for Peanut Butter and Co
I think what I like most about the story of Peanut Butter and Co is how they actually had a storefront. It isn’t often that you stumble across a peanut butter shop, but in New York City, they had a deli beckoning peanut butter lovers from miles around. They closed that location in 2016, but we’re glad they still make their packaged peanut butters!
And their peanut butter is pretty darn tasty, too. It comes in a myriad of flavors. I’ve included tasting notes for the ones we’ve tried, but please do leave your own rating and review below.
White Chocolatey Wonderful
They changed the names of their chocolate varieties to “chocolatey,” but the formulas still appear to be the same. This was tops on my hit list. White chocolate far exceeds any other chocolate in my opinion, but is so hard to find without dairy. I’ve had to resort to making my own. But this gem offers a little glimpse of white chocolate via the addition of cocoa butter and vanilla. The flavors marry beautifully for a sweet treat that is hard not to eat by the spoon. To balance the dessert-like quality, we enjoyed it with sliced apples. Rating: Indulgence-Worthy
Ingredients: peanuts, cane sugar, cocoa butter, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, palm oil, lecithin (from sunflowers), salt.
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 180 calories, 13g fat, 12g carbs, 2g fiber, 7g sugars (includes 6g added sugars), 6g protein.*
Dark Chocolate Dreams
Imagine the flavor of dark chocolate enrobed peanut butter cups melting in your mouth. The rich, but sweet rather than bitter, chocolate flavor hit my taste buds first, followed by the hit of peanut butter. It was just as you would expect from the iconic dessert, but in a blended butter form. Again, good by the spoonful, but begging to be served on graham crackers (organic or gluten-free!). Rating: Deliciously Nostalgic
Ingredients: peanuts, cane sugar, cocoa (processed with alkali), cocoa butter, palm oil, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, lecithin (from sunflowers), salt.
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 170 calories, 13g fat, 11g carbs, 2g fiber, 7g sugars (includes 6g added sugars), 6g protein.*
Bee’s Knees
Perfectly sweet with a kiss of honey, this could easily become a daily craving. I’ll try to hold out – sticking with unsweetened nut butters in my regular regimen. But if you prefer a nicely sweetened peanut butter on your bagel, or perhaps an all-natural “frosting” on that muffin, then I recommend Bee’s Knees (note: this is the only non-vegan flavor that I spotted). Rating: Everyday Match-maker
Ingredients: peanuts, cane sugar, honey, palm oil, natural flavor, salt.
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 180 calories, 14g fat, 10g carbs, 2g fiber, 6g sugars (includes 4g added sugars), 6g protein.*
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl
The flavor: marvelous. The execution: needs a little work. Tony devoured most of the jar, saying that it tasted great, but they needed to fix the raisin issue. When I finally got a taste, I saw exactly what he meant. Whole little raisins are dotted throughout this sweetly-spiced spread, making it difficult to …. well, spread. We liked it, but would hesitate on buying it again, unless they start chopping or partially blending in, the dried fruit. (Update: It looks like they now blend the raisins in more!) Rating: It’s Complicated
Ingredients: peanuts, cane sugar, raisins, cinnamon, palm oil, salt.
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 160 calories, 11g fat, 14g carbs, 2g fiber, 9g sugars (includes 5g added sugars), 5g protein.*
More Peanut Butter and Co Flavors
We haven’t tried the Mighty Maple, which I imagine is quite delicious. Peanut Butter and Co also offers Pumpkin Spice seasonally, in fall. And they have a Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread if you’re ready to move beyond peanut butter or need a dairy-free Nutella substitute.
More Facts on Peanut Butter and Co Flavored Peanut Butters
Price: $4.99 per 16-ounce jar
Availability: Peanut Butter and Co Peanut Butters are sold at Target, Sprouts, and several other grocers in the U.S. You can also order them online from the company’s website, or on Amazon.
Certifications: Peanut Butter and Co Peanut Butters are Certified Gluten Free, Certified Vegan, Certified Kosher Pareve, and Non-GMO verified.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Peanut Butter and Co Flavored Peanut Butters are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, and plant-based. Most varieties are vegan.*
For More Product Information: Visit the Peanut Butter and Co website at www.ilovepeanutbutter.com.
*Always read the ingredient and nutrition statement prior to consumption. Ingredients, processes, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company or product. Contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. No food product can be guaranteed “safe” for every individual’s needs. You should never rely on ingredient and allergen statements alone if dealing with a severe food allergy.
For Peanut butter lovers
Peanut butter lovers should not pass this brand up! The flavor range is sweet, with frosting-worthy white chocolate, a peanut butter cup twin, the classic honey-peanut butter combination, and a bagel’s best friend: cinnamon raisin.
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I’m very fond of the stuff that comes out of Lee Zalben’s shop (the white-chocolate flavored stuff in particular), but there’s a point of nomenclature we need to discuss: most of what he makes isn’t peanut butter, but peanut spread. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, once you start introducing extraneous flavors like white chocolate, dark chocolate, maple, and hot tamales, it’s no longer peanut butter, but a peanut spread.
It would be more accurate to say that most of what PB & Co. makes contains peanut butter as an ingredient, but the product sold in those jars is not peanut butter per se.
So how can they call it peanut butter? They don’t, not exactly. The name of the company is “Peanut Butter & Co.,” so they can put that on the label. But it’s a firm name, not a product description. Dark Chocolate Dreams is described as “peanut butter blended with dark rich chocolate.”
For my money, they should be required to identify it as a peanut spread on the label, but let’s face it, with the Republican jihad against government regulatory agencies over the last generation, places like the FDA are understaffed, underfunded and demoralized.
This is more of a rant than I planned to go on and is for your information. This is probably the point where I should mention that I’m the author of “Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food,” which was published by Columbia University Press earlier this year.