Cravings for certain foods can be triggered by memories of long ago. It happened to me the other day when looking at some old photos from my days in Winnipeg.
One summer there, when I was about six years old, my parents had set up our tent in the backyard to air it out. My friend and I thought it was the perfect place to play. When lunchtime arrived, my mom asked if we wanted to eat in the tent.
We excitedly said yes, and she put a small table and chairs inside, and moments later came out with a lunch you could not call gourmet — peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of Cheesies, accompanied by cool glasses of Freshie, a Kool-Aid-like drink.
The thought of that sunny, happy day made me crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I quickly prepared one, minus the Freshie and cheesies, which are not staples in my kitchen. While enjoying the sandwich, thoughts of my childhood switched to pondering who first thought up this simple, but tasty combination.
From an online search I learned that the style of peanut butter we enjoy today was invented in the latter part the 19th century and grew in popularity during and after the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
On the food history-rich website, foodtimeline.org, I found excerpts from the book Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea. Author Andrew F. Smith notes the first published reference to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich occurred in 1901. It appeared in an article in the Boston Cooking-School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics, written by Julia Davis Chandler.
The combination was a hit with young people, but it took a while for all levels of society to get a taste for it. In the early 1900s, peanut butter was considered a delicacy and served at upscale events and fancy tearooms. For example, at New York’s Ye Olde English Coffee House, they served a peanut butter and pimento sandwich. The Vanity Fair Tearoom offered peanut butter with watercress.
Andrew F. Smith says in the 1920s, peanut butter sandwiches moved down the class structure as the price of peanut butter dropped due to the commercialization of the industry. The invention of sliced bread also meant children could make sandwiches themselves. Thus, peanut butter sandwiches became a top meal option for kids during the Depression.
Adding jelly to that peanut butter sandwich really took hold after the Second World War.
During that conflict, peanut butter and jelly were part of U.S. military rations. The story goes that soldiers added jelly to their peanut butter to make it more enjoyable. Those who made it home from the war now had a taste for the combination, and sales of peanut butter and jelly increased dramatically in the United States.
Goodness knows how many gazillion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been eaten since then, particular when you consider they became as popular in Canada, a place where jam often replaces the jelly.
The sandwich is most frequently made on room-temperature bread, but during my trips to the southern United States I have enjoyed the sandwich grilled, with a golden crust and a warm, gooey, sweet and peanutty middle. That grilled sandwich tastes awesome with a cool glass of milk and, as you’ll see by today’s recipe, is easy to make.
The combination of peanut butter and jelly also works well in other foods. To showcase that, today I also offer you a recipe for peanut butter and jelly cupcakes, and jelly-stuffed peanut butter cookies.
RECIPES
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
Peanutty cupcakes centred and topped with grape jelly make a special treat to enjoy after an active day outdoors.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 18 minutes
Makes: 12 cupcakes
For the cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup 2 per cent milk
12 tsp grape jelly (I used Welch’s brand)
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with large paper baking cups (don’t use the giant-size ones).
Place the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the peanut butter, sugar and butter in a large bowl, or bowl of your stand mixer, and beat until well combined. Mix in the eggs,
one at a time.
Beat in the milk, alternately with the flour mixture, until a smooth batter is formed. (Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once or twice during this process to ensure the wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.)
Fill each paper baking cup half full with the batter. Set 1 tsp of the grape jelly in the centre of the batter in each baking cup. Now divide and fill each baking cup almost to the top with the remaining batter, ensuring that the grape jelly is completely covered by it.
Bake the cupcakes in the middle of the oven for 18 minutes, or until they spring back when touched in the centre. Cool cupcakes on a baking rack to room temperature, and then finish as described below.
For the frosting and to finish
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 Tbsp milk
12 tsp grape jelly
To make frosting, place butter and peanut butter in
a bowl and beat to combine. Beat in the icing sugar and milk until well combined and the mixture has lightened.
Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a ring of frosting on each cupcake as shown in the photo. Set 1 tsp of the jelly in the centre of each ring.
Refrigerate cupcakes until the frosting is set, and then loosely tent with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Cupcakes can be made up to a day before devouring.
Jelly-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
To make these delectable treats a small spoon of jelly (or jam) is sandwiched between two small peanut butter cookies. I used strawberry jelly, but you could use any flavour that appeals to you.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 12-13 minutes
Makes: 20-24 cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy-style)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 cup strawberry jelly or jam
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Place the sugars, peanut butter, butter and egg in another bowl and beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until well combined.
With lightly floured hands, roll the dough into small, 1/2- to 3/4-inch balls and set them on the baking sheets, spacing each ball about two inches apart. With a floured fork, press each ball into a 1/2-inch-thick disc.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 13 minutes, or until very light golden brown. Cool the cookies to room temperature. Top and spread the bottom side of one cookie with a teaspoon of the jelly. Set on another cookie, bottom side down. Repeat with the remaining cookies and jelly, and then enjoy.
Grilled PBJs
Grilling a PBJ (peanut butter and jelly sandwich) takes the popular sandwich to another level. You end up with a golden crust, and a warm and gooey, sweet and peanutty middle.
Serve with a cool glass of milk and smile.
Preparation time: a few minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Makes: 2 sandwiches
4 slices white or whole wheat bread
2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup peanut butter, or to taste
3 Tbsp grape, raspberry, strawberry or other flavoured jelly, or to taste
Butter one side of each bread slice. Top and spread the unbuttered side of two of the bread slices with the peanut butter and the jelly. Top with the other slices of bread, buttered side up.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium, to medium-high heat. When hot, add the sandwiches and grill three minutes per side, or until the bread is nicely toasted and the peanut butter and jelly is warm. Slice the sandwiches in half and serve