One of my "red light" foods is peanut butter. Once I have a little bit of it, I can't seem to stop. As a result, there hasn't been a jar in my house in a long time. Sure, I've tried the reduced fat variety, but honestly, the nutritional profile isn't that much better than your standard P.B., so why bother?
Which is why when I caught wind of PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter, I was intrigued. According to the nutrition information on the website, the stuff has 54 calories for two tablespoons. And yet...powdered peanut butter that mixes with water? This could either be the best thing ever or the most horrifying thing I've ever put in my mouth.
In the interest of science, I decided to give it a try. With the 4-jar minimum and shipping and handling, I had to shell out twenty bucks. I figured if it ended up being tasty, great, and if not, well, I'm sure it would produce some comedy at least.
The package arrived a few days ago. Here is what the stuff looks like when reconstituted:
And here's a close-up of the faux peanut butter:
I am pleased to report that this stuff TASTES GOOD. It really tastes like peanut butter! I spread it on some toast and wow, was it awesome. My next thought was "hmm, I wonder if it works well in baking or cooking...." Clearly I need a hobby.
Anyway, I decided to make some peanut butter oat bran cookies using a recipe from my box of oat bran hot cereal. Here's the recipe, and no I don't know the nutritional value. Run it through the eTools recipe builder if you plan on making them for yourself:
Peanut Butter Oat Bran Cookies
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c unbleached white flour
1 1/2 c Hodgson Mill oat bran cereal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix melted butter with sugars. Add egg (or whites); mix well. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients; mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Criss-cross on each cookie with the tines of a fork. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 36 cookies.
The verdict? PB2 cooks well! These cookies tasted good, although they were slightly dry. I expect that's more a function of the oat bran, though. The peanut butter taste was right on.
I can't believe this product actually is worthy! I'm very excited, because this opens up a whole new realm of Thai recipes for me. There are tons of peanut sauce recipes I've always skipped because I haven't wanted to keep a jar of peanut butter in the house. But having this lighter option (that can be made one serving at a time) is much easier to control. Now Bell Plantations just needs to make it available in grocery stores....
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