13 Delicious Peanut Butter Snacks You Can Make Yourself
Peanut butter is irresistible, inexpensive, and probably in your pantry right now. With every two-tablespoon serving containing 28% of the recommended daily allowance of protein for kids under the age of 10, plus a generous helping of B vitamins, iron, folic acid, and fiber, peanut butter is not a delivery system for healthy foods your kids might not otherwise eat (such as cut-up vegetables). And for adults, peanut butter is a perfect stand-alone food that can support weight loss (as long as you're not in the habit of decimating an entire 16-ounce jar in one sitting). It's also a lip-smacking ingredient in lots of healthy recipes, including these 30 peanut butter recipes. But because many of us are still spending a lot of time at home with our kids, we thought it would be fun to focus on our favorite recipes for kid-friendly peanut butter snacks, with an emphasis on those that are easy enough for you to make with your kids.
Find out how cooking together with the kids helped bring this family closer together.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
This kid-friendly recipe for peanut butter-infused cookies that come bearing Hershey's Kisses is straightforward enough for even a beginning baker to tackle. So go ahead and make them with your kids, bearing in mind that your biggest challenge will be getting your kids to wait, semi-patiently, for the dough to chill. You can even start the process with homemade peanut butter—here's our recipe if you're feeling ambitious.
Get our recipe for Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies.
Peanut Butter Cookies
This cookie recipe is special for two reasons. First, it manages to spin a mere four ingredients—peanut butter, an egg, salt, and a sugar substitute—into moist, well-structured cookies. Second, it contains no added sugar (here are the icky things that happen to your body when you eat sugar).
Get our recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies.
Peanut Butter Cups
This low-carb, low-sugar recipe transforms peanut butter into candy reminiscent of Reese's peanut butter cups, but with nine essential amino acids, thanks to the addition of hemp seeds. Candy plus vegan protein? Yes, please.
Get our recipe for Nut Butter Cups.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dip
Yogurt plus peanut butter plus a drizzle of honey makes the perfect dip, especially if you add chocolate chips to the mix. This dip is a perfect delivery system for fresh fruit.
Get our recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dip.
Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Bites
This cool, refreshing snack pairs peanut butter with bananas just like Elvis supposedly used to do. Although Cool Whip is one of the four ingredients, you don't have to rely on it if you don't want to (and here's why you wouldn't necessarily want to). You can use this Cool Whip alternative, or you could make homemade whipped cream from whipping cream, which isn't as heavy as heavy cream.
Get the recipe from The Creative Bite.
Nutella Peanut Butter Clusters
Who doesn't love Nutella? You can't go wrong with these clusters, which require only Nutella, peanut butter, flake cereal, and a mere 10 minutes.
Get the recipe from Pinch of Yum.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls
These energy balls are packed with peanut butter, flaxseeds, and rolled oats and rely on maple syrup as a sweetener, rather than refined sugar. The recipe specifies that you'll be best off with smooth peanut butter that tends toward the drippy, which makes homemade peanut butter a perfect choice (just make sure you keep the oil that rises to the top mixed in). If you want to use store-bought peanut butter, here are the top peanut butter brands, ranked.
Get the recipe from The Big Man's World.
Three-Ingredient, No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls
With just peanut butter, a sticky liquid sweetener like agave or maple syrup, and some coconut flour, you're ready to roll your own three-ingredient no-bake peanut butter balls, which are vegan, paleo, and low carb and can be stored in the freezer.
Get the recipe from The Big Man's World.
Three-Ingredient, No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
This recipe for peanut butter cookies is a lot like ours, except it's made with good ole sugar. It won't be keto-friendly, but you also won't have to go out to look for a proper sugar substitute or spend any time debating the merits and risks of sugar substitutes.
Get the recipe from Cooking Classy.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut butter and chocolate are two great flavors that taste even better combined. This recipe takes your typical peanut butter chocolate chip cookie and elevates it because it's gluten-free, too.
Get the recipe from Minimalist Baker.
Confetti Peanut Butter Snack Bites
Not everyone thinks chocolate is the perfect pairing for peanut butter. If that's you or your kiddos, no judgment. We want to bring to your attention the incredible peanut butter pairing that is butterscotch chips, along with rice crisp cereal, rolled oats, and fruit-flavored mini marshmallows.
Get the recipe from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars
When you make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars for your kids, you might want to consider using this peanut butter, which just might be the best on the planet. That way, your kids might not even notice that this recipe includes not one but two healthy kinds of cereal as the main ingredients.
Get the recipe from Half-Baked Harvest.
Peanut Butter M&Ms Truffles
These smooth, creamy, chocolate-dipped peanut butter truffles are kind of like cake pops, but without the cake, which you and your kids will never miss when you/they break the chocolate shell with your teeth and let the sweet, tender, gooey peanut butter truffle melt in your mouth. Sure, this isn't the healthiest snack you could give your kids. However, if you had to choose a cake pop with health benefits in mind, wouldn't you choose the one with peanut butter as the main ingredient?
Get the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.
