A candy peanut butter spread is peanut butter with confectionery pieces and
flavour worked through it. That makes it a shortcut ingredient: it brings
fat, sugar, salt and crunch in one spoonful, so it can replace two or three
components in a simple recipe.
Seven things to do with a jar, in rough order of effort. None of them
requires baking.
1. Two-ingredient fudge
Equal parts spread and white chocolate, both melted gently and stirred
together, poured into a lined tin and chilled until firm.
The spread supplies the fat and the flavour; the white chocolate supplies the
set. Cut into small squares — it is rich, and normal-sized pieces are too
much.
The one thing that goes wrong: overheating the white chocolate, which
seizes. Melt it in short bursts and stop while lumps remain, then stir them
out with residual heat.
2. Stuffed dates
Split a Medjool date, remove the stone, fill with spread, press closed.
This is the highest ratio of impressiveness to effort in the whole list. The
date's caramel notes and the peanut butter's salt do the same job as a salted
caramel, and it takes ninety seconds.
3. Dipped pretzel rods
Dip two-thirds of a pretzel rod in warmed spread, then roll in crushed
biscuit or more candy pieces. Chill on paper until set.
Warm the spread only slightly — enough to loosen it, not enough to make it
runny, or it will slide off as it cools.
4. Swirled through ice cream
Soften ice cream for ten minutes, dollop spread across the surface, drag a
knife through twice — no more — and refreeze.
Two passes gives ribbons. Four gives you beige ice cream. Under-mixing is the
entire technique.
5. Filled brownies, without making brownies
Take shop-bought brownies, split them horizontally, spread the filling
through and sandwich them back together.
Fifteen minutes in the fridge afterwards firms the layer so it does not
squeeze out when cut.
6. Banana toast, upgraded
Spread on toasted brioche, sliced banana on top, brief blast under a grill
until the banana caramelises at the edges.
Toast the bread first and separately. Bread under a grill with a wet topping
steams rather than crisps.
7. No-bake energy balls
Mix spread with rolled oats until it just holds together, roll into balls,
chill.
Ratios vary by how loose your spread is, so add oats gradually rather than
measuring. The mix should be tacky, not dry — if it crumbles when rolled, add
more spread, not water.
The jars
Two things worth knowing before you start
Warm it, don't melt it. Most of these want the spread loosened, not
liquid. Ten to fifteen seconds in a microwave, stirred, is usually enough.
Fully melted spread separates as it cools and the texture never quite comes
back.
Candy pieces soften in contact with moisture. Anything with crunch worked
through it will lose that crunch within a day of meeting ice cream, fruit or
cake. These are all recipes to make and eat, not to make ahead.
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