Hold on to your hats! Today I’m sharing my family’s prized secret recipe for peanut butter and jelly. 🤫 This recipe has been passed down for generations, and while it’s admittedly a bit complicated, I’ve included a detailed video so that yours turns out perfectly every time!
Lunchtime Bliss
I might get in trouble for this one. While I’ve shared family recipes before, this one has always been kept under lock and key, passed down from generation to generation only under a vow of secrecy.
But today I’m breaking the rules and sharing it with you. I think that you’ll find I’ve never shared a recipe as sophisticated, complex, and yet purely wholesome (potentially organic!) as this one.
This is my son’s favorite lunch (he has mature taste!), and despite the fact that it’s time-consuming to make, I think it’s important as a mom that I take the time to make him homemade lunches. Yes, it’s involved, but at the end of the day he can taste the love baked into it and that’s what matters.
What You Need
Only the finest ingredients will do:
- Bread. Only the fluffiest brioche or homemade bread, please.
- Peanut Puree. For best results, grow the nuts yourself and cream them with a mortar and pestle, as I do. Please note that the peanuts will take approximately 15 weeks to grow and then they will need to dry for an additional 3-4 weeks before they can be used, so you must plan ahead.
- Fresh Fruit Reduction. Use only hand-harvested summer berries that have been reduced on the stovetop until you can taste the sunshine. Heavenly.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make This Incredible Recipe
This recipe is one of the more complicated ones on my site, but follow my instructions carefully and you should be fine!
- Slice your fresh homemade brioche into two pieces. They should be precisely the same width (use a ruler) or the recipe may not work.
- Delicately layer berry puree on one side of the brioche.
- Aggressively top the berry puree with a thick layer of peanut puree. Make sure it is entirely covered (careful, it’s slippery). It would be nice if there were a simpler way to do this but despite many attempts I have concluded this is simply how it must be done.
- Top with remaining brioche slice. Squish together firmly. For best result, cut into a star shape and DO NOT MICROWAVE.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely not. Please do not even think about this.
Since this dish is particularly complex to assemble, I always like to make mine in advance and in bulk.
I recommend making 40-50 sandwiches, cutting into stars (not optional), wrapping tightly in 10-12 layers of plastic wrap and then freezing. When ready to serve, thaw overnight (only during a full moon, otherwise your results may vary) before enjoying.
Enjoy, and Happy April!
More Recipes You Might Like
This recipe is complex! I recommend taking a look at the how-to VIDEO below before attempting it at home!
Secret Family Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 slices Freshly baked brioche bread
- 1 ¼ Tablespoon Freshest hand-picked berries that have been reduced on the stovetop to a sweet jam by an Italian grandmother May substitute French grandmother
- 2 Tablespoons Finest quality peanut puree for nut-free options please reconsider
Instructions
- Gently squeeze brioche to test freshness. Do not use if not fresh.
- Spread reduced berry jam over one side of one slice of fresh brioche.
- Aggressively cover jam spread with a thick layer of peanut puree. For best results make it look tidy.
- Top with remaining slice of brioche.
- Squish well, cut into star-shape (please do not argue with me on this) and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Vicki
Ha ha, I got it!
Marcy Baer
Too funny!! Thanks for sharing this family treasure, I can’t wait to make it. Just waiting for the brioche to cool. Happy 4/1 to you and yours,
Steve
You might want to warn people about a potential pitfall in this recipe. When I put the bread slices together I accidentally did it so the peanut puree and jam were on the OUTSIDE! This caused many problems, as you can imagine, although it still tasted good. OK, seriously…loved your post. Happy March 32nd everyone.
Anne
This is awesome!
April Driggers
HA! I think this is way too much for my culinary skill set! <3 You're awesome… (and that's no joke!)
Giovanna
I really wanted to know why it is so difficult to make the most favorite sandwich of just about every American child (those who are not allergic to peanuts). The more I kept reading, the smarter I realized what day it was. I think this is a little extreme for a PB&J. What child would even know the difference?
Darcy russak
Can I use matzah during Passover instead of bread( never mind the forbidden peanuts and purée!)
You are too funny! Thanks for the much needed laugh!!
Kimberly Boyle
Ok I must admit you had me until
I realized it was April 1st!!!! Excellent. Well done my friend. Well done.
Carla
You’re one funny Mommy. When I saw the email…..I said to myself….Myself…I can’t wait to see how this is described.
However….one disappointment. I was waiting to see the magnificent star shaped sandwich.
As a fairly current country song says……Life is Short, Make it Sweet…
Thank you….
Annabel
I attempted to make this and it came out really good.. however it was extremely difficult. Very time consuming, and the jelly just wouldn’t spread on 😂😂 happy April fools day!
Sophia
Haha! This gave me a good laugh (I have to admit I was a bit confused at first)! 😂 Happy April!
Diana
I was to, I was like is this a joke!! Jokes on me!! Now I want a PB&J sandwich!!
Becca
🤣 It took me up until “this is one of the more complicated recipes on the site…” to get it.
Happy April!
Joanna
Perfect!
Especially for April 1 😉
Sam
🤣
Ellie
As luck would have it, I had just enough handmade peanut grind to make this today! Unfortunately, I did have to use spring berries- however, my Italian grandmother swore that my great aunt tried it once and it was fine, so we were able to make it work. It was outstanding! The texture of the brioche absorbed and enhanced this unique flavor pair. The star shape really made the difference, as did the tips for delicate and aggressive layering. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers after the next full moon. Thanks so much for sharing this family recipe. I will make this for years to come.
((This cracked me up!!! Thank you so much for the laugh today!!))
Iram
I seriously love your sense of humor! You are so funny 🙂