New apartment means empty fridge and empty cabinets. Unfortunately we have very limited cabinet space, so only 1 shelf is devoted to peanut butter. Because of this, space is precious and expectations are high – only the best jars are allowed to grace my shelves. The two latest shipments from the Peanut Butter of the Month Club did not disappoint, featuring a caramel flavor from Sunland as well as a recently-recommend jar from Krema. In addition, I picked up a few jars before leaving California of brands that I never tried. That and more coming up next on the Peanut Butter Boy. Read on for details…
Reviews:
Sunland Caramel Peanut Butter
= 75%
I didn’t know this flavor existed but it is literally dessert in a jar. I previously tried
Sunland raspberry peanut butter and was not impressed. This one however, is different. It has a very authentic caramel flavor and while it’s quite sweet, it’s not overly sweet. I think it’s uses are pretty straightforward: on a spoon, with an apple, or baked into a
peanut butter apple pie.
Sunland Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
= 75%
Sunland is certainly redeeming itself. Again, this
peanut butter is very sweet but not overly so. It is smooth and creamy and is almost as thin as chocolate syrup. I would recommend stirring it and then refrigerating it, the resulting texture should be closer to a chocolate fudge sauce. But as is, this
peanut butter is perfect for drizzling on desserts, such as on top of some
banana pudding.
East Wind Smooth Peanut Butter
= 85%
I’ve reviewed many
East Wind peanut butters, so I was surprised to receive a new one from the club. I love this brand of
peanut butter and wish it was more available. This variety is very smooth and has a strong fresh peanut taste. Despite being so smooth, it is very thick and not suitable for making flavored
peanut butters because it tends to thicken even more. I added a touch of salt and it was an excellent
peanut butter but not quite as good as their equivalent
crunchy variety.
Krema Crunchy Peanut Butter
= 85%
Someone recently recommended this brand to me and the following week it showed up at my doorstep. There are a ton of large chunks in this
peanut butter and they are deliciously crunchy and satisfying. Between the chunks it is creamy and smooth. Again, I added some kosher salt – I believe that
peanut butter needs some salt to bring out its true flavor. The one downside to this
peanut butter is that it is very sticky but that’s how it should be, right? This is a perfect
peanut butter for a classic
peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Laura Scudder’s Nutty Peanut Butter
= 60%
Despite living in California for 2 years, I never got around to trying this
peanut butter until the last week. Luckily, I wasn’t missing much. There is an abundance of small chunks in this
peanut butter but they aren’t that crunchy, they’re almost mushy. The salt level is good and there is a pleasant roasted peanut flavor but overall a fairly bland
peanut butter.
Adams Crunchy Peanut Butter
= 50%
This natural
peanut butter is very similar to Laura Scudder’s Nutty variety except a much paler color (see photo to the right). The color of
peanut butter generally represents the level of roasting with a darker color and stronger flavor resulting from a longer roast. As expected, this pale
peanut butter has very little peanut flavor and despite having the same amount of sodium per serving, it doesn’t taste as good and salty as Laura Scudder’s. Again, there are numerous small chunks in this one but they aren’t very crunchy and overall disappointing. This Smuckers-owned brand needs an overhaul.
Best Yet Crunchy Peanut Butter
= 75%
I previously reviewed
Best Yet Creamy and was fairly impressed. It reminded me of my favorite traditional store brand
peanut butter, America’s Choice. Similar to the creamy variety, there is a touch of sugar which gives it a great overall taste – perfect on a spoon and great for pb&j sandwiches. The chunks are very nice in this
peanut butter and while it’s nothing spectacular, it’s a good run-of-the-peanut-mill no-stir
peanut butter.