Big Spoon Roasters Cowgirl Cookie Peanut Butter

Rating: 9/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth/Crunchy, Flavoured
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Anything that works with coconut and chocolate - pictured is my Greek yoghurt overnight oats, home-squeezed mango puree, banana coins, shredded coconut, A-grade cinnamon with a huge dollop of Cowgirl Cookie PB; or for moments where you care not for decorum, straight out of the jar with a big spoon (ha ha)

This is not a straight nut butter: it includes granola so is more a nut/granola butter (I know granola butter is more of a concept in the US, definitely rarer to find local to me) so my blog's categorisation is slightly wrong. For all intents and purposes though I will rate it as a novelty/flavoured peanut butter. I have also seen a rise on social media recently of nut butters with mix-ins (we love to see it) which I have decided will fall in the same tag.

This is incredible - so very moreish. In the words of an influencer recording a video with their hand behind the jar to show the label to the camera, I am obsessed.

The ingredients list: peanuts, pan-roasted pecans, granola, coconut nectar and maple syrup, dark chocolate chips (sourced from French Broad Chocolate of Asheville NC), vanilla and sea salt. It seems like it would be too much, but they have the flavour balance on point. Close your eyes and you can taste all the notes. My one very tiny textural fault is that because of the relative size of the pecans, you might get a spoonful where you are missing one.

It's a novelty product - I'm not going to pretend for one second that I care about versatility here. But it's a limited edition jar - you enjoy your delicious treat made even more special by its transience. If you can get your hands on it, buy for a sweet and salty dessert-masquerading-as-breakfast dollop on your morning Greek yogurt bowl, or on your toast, or even as a dessert topper (if I were more of an ice cream person, I would mix this through a really good vanilla ice cream or coconut sorbet and add a swirl of passionfruit - yum).

Or just spoon it straight out of the jar - I quite literally cannot judge 😉

Meet The Cast

Thanks to my kind workmates who brought back a bunch of new peanut butters for me to try (yes - I sent a list!) from the east coast of the USA, I have an updated photo of my current nut butter rotation as well an updated profile photo of the entire cast / team behind the blog (me!).

It’s been a year since I started this project and I’m feeling a shift in the air: more quick fire updates, more content. I’m thinking peanut butter snacks/desserts I encounter while travelling or even traipsing about my own city, breakfast no-recipe recipes, and tangentially related commentary.

Get in nut butter enthusiasts, we're going on a ride! 🎢

Fix & Fogg Everything Butter

Rating: 7/10

• 🥜 Category: Mixed, Smooth/Crunchy, Plain
• Country of origin: New Zealand
• Serving suggestion: With overripe fruit mixed into overnight oats to make it thick and give it a savoury note; thinned with hot water and mixed with a solid combination of sweet-leaning flavours that can hold up to the intense savouriness & nuttiness (e.g. pandan, cinnamon and coconut) to make a spread, topped with a quick fruit compote

The very first time I opened this jar, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t have a lot of hope. It was giving off the same energy as opening that cupboard in the corner of the kitchen that hasn’t seen much sunlight because it’s a little awkward to get to and where you stash stuff you know you won’t use that often as well as the canned goods you know you’ll need when you forget to do a grocery shop and need to rely on pantry staples but are otherwise uninspiring… just me? This jar smelled - please forgive me for lack of creativity - dank.

But I have since spent a bit of time with it. I have in fact taken multiple spoonfuls just out the jar while I'm prepping my overnight oats. I’ll give you a summary of why; because of the combination of nuts and seeds, the texture is really addictive - thick and crunchy, and the taste is complex and leans very heavily savoury. When you pair it with really ripe, really sweet spring/summer in-season fruit (think overripe bananas and tropical fruit), spread it on toast, and add a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon and cardamom... It's great. Breakfast haters will never understand the joie de vivre that a perfectly balanced tasting morning meal inspires.

Not as versatile as a solid peanut butter, or a milder mixed nut butter, but in the right context this baby shines.

Noya ABC Butter

Rating: 8/10

• 🥜 Category: Almond/Brazil/Cashew, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: Australia
• Serving suggestion: Delicious as a toast topper with cinnamon and sliced fruit (any kind), or spooned generously over the top of overnight oats made with Greek yoghurt and a quick berry/banana compote

You know I'm a peanut butter girl through and through, but lately I have been experimenting with different kids of nut butters (in addition to the staple - not a replacement!!!). Ya gal cannot walk past a good deal, so when I saw Noya was on sale I thought I'd pick out the ABC because 1) I thought the acronym was cute and 2) I remember liking the Noya pistachio spread when I bought it a millennium ago.

And boy is my life better for it - this spread is lovely, spreadable and light with a subtle roasty toasty flavour. I can snack on whole almonds endlessly, but I am not the biggest fan of them if they are by their lonesome in nut butter form. The cashews in this add the creaminess and sweetness that balance the grittiness and musty note of almonds. And I can't quite pick out the specific note that the brazil nut brings to the party, but it doesn't detract from the vibe, and I am glad to know that I am getting my selenium in.