Satisfy Your Peanut Butter Cravings Together with these Fruits

For those of us who enjoy peanut butter, it’s always good to find new recipes and pairings that work well. Pretty much every fruit you can think of can be paired with peanut butter and turn out tasting great, but there are a few combinations that I would highly recommend.

Whether you want healthy ideas for your kids, yourself or even a party, I am sure you will find some of the recipes and combinations interesting or intriguing enough to try, and I know that you will not be disappointed at all. Here are a few recipes that combine fruit and peanut butter in an interesting way to make a great snack for you to satisfy your cravings for peanut butter!

Apple

Probably the simplest recipe on this list, Apple on it’s own is a great fruit when paired with peanut butter and can make for some great snacks, though with a few additions, you will find that the simple Apple is one of the nicest pairings you can find. These mini bagels are not only tasty and nutritious but incredibly easy to make!

Here is a simple apple and peanut butter snack that is quick and easy to make and tastes great, you will need:

• ¼ cup of peanut butter spread
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 granny smith apple
• 2 tablespoons of cranberries (optional)

Procedure:

• Mix the peanut butter with the honey in a small bowl. Cut the top and bottom ¼ of the apple and cut remaining apple into 6 horizontal slices.
• Spread 3 of the apple slices with the mix, if used sprinkle the cranberries on top and place the remaining apple slices on top.
• You now have 3 mini fruit and peanut butter bagels!

Apple and Cherry

Apple and cherry can make an excellent pairing combined with peanut butter. But no need to stop with simply paring the fruit with the peanut butter (although this tastes great too!). You can also make tasty snack bites with just a few simple ingredients added and a little preparation as with many of the recipes on this list.

Before I get into the recipe, I will say that this one really goes down well with children, whether it’s to pack a lunch or simply for a snack at home it is one of the sweeter recipes on this list.

For this you will need:

• ½ cup of peanut butter
• ¼ cup of dried cherries
• 1 cup of Instant Oats
• ½ of an apple
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
• 2 teaspoons of honey (if you want to add that little extra sweetness to the recipe)

Procedure:

• Firstly, you must place all the ingredients into a food processor until the texture is like that of dough.
• Then remove one tablespoon of the mixture out and roll into a ball. (repeat until the mixture is all rolled into balls).
• Wrap the balls in plastic or place in a container and put it in the refrigerator for between 4-7 days.
• Enjoy a healthy snack of fruit and peanut butter!

Banana

Bananas are often used with peanut butter and for a good reason! They combine in a tasty and nutritious way, there’s not much to say other than… it just works. Another bite-sized snack that will satisfy that peanut butter craving in a healthy and balanced way. There is even a little chocolate in this one to add to the taste without compromising the healthy nature of the snack. Again, I can’t make more of a point out of the fact that this one also goes down great with kids, plus the chocolate covers up the healthy side of it and makes it much more interesting for children.

To make peanut butter, chocolate and banana energy bite you will need:

• 1 ripe banana, mashed in a bowl
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• ¼ cup of honey
• ½ cup of mini chocolate chips
• 1 ¾ cups of oats
• ½ cup of peanut butter (creamy/smooth)

Procedure:

• To make this quick and healthy snack, you must first combine the oats, chocolate and chia seeds in a large bowl.
• Then in a separate smaller bowl (microwavable) combine the peanut butter and honey and microwave for 20-25 seconds. Add the vanilla extract and mashed banana. Stir until the mix is smooth and creamy.
• Pour the smaller bowl that you have just microwaved into the other bowl and stir, if it seems too close to liquid add extra oats.
• After all of this place the mixture in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes, shape into small balls and enjoy another treat of fruit and peanut butter.

Orange and Dates

These are two fruits that are often forgotten when thinking of making a healthy peanut butter based snack. But they really, REALLY shouldn’t be! The combination is very interesting on its own, but when combined in the recipe below, you can make some delicious breakfast bars! For this you will need:

• ½ of an orange
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 250g of Medjool dates
• 50g of walnut pieces
• 30g chia seeds
• 180g whole flax seeds
• 120g of oats (large)
• 75g of pumpkin seeds

Procedure:

• To make the breakfast bars, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a square baking tin with parchment paper. Tear the dates and place into a saucepan, squeeze the orange into the pan (dispose of the orange), add the vanilla and the cinnamon. Cover with 350ml of cold water, bring it to a boil and cook until the dates have softened somewhat then turn off the heat.
• Mash the mix until creamy and then add the peanut butter.
• Combine all the other dry ingredients separately and add to the mix, stir until the mix is evenly spread.
• Pour the mix into the prepared tin and spread evenly again, bake for approximately 25-35 minutes until the top and edges are golden. Let it cool and then cut into healthy breakfast bars.

Strawberry and Banana

Strawberries and bananas go well with peanut butter on their own, but when combined you can make some amazing snacks. There are dozens of possibilities with these two fruits, but here I am going to recommend a smoothie recipe for a quick, easy and different snack!

You will need:

• ½ of a cup of strawberries (frozen)
• ½ of a cup of milk or almond milk
• ½ of a cup of ice cubes
• A banana
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

Procedure:

• Blend and enjoy, trust me you won’t regret this one!

Lemon (or Lime)

Many people likely won’t like the sound of this, and I agree, on its own, it wouldn’t be too great I don’t think. But when made into the right snack this can go from a random pairing to a winning one. Below I have included a recipe for peanut butter, lemon, cheesecake bites. They are a winning alternative to the usual unhealthy cheesecake, and I personally find them make for a fantastic snack after a workout.

This recipe will make 10 mini cakes:

Base:

• 40g of ground almonds
• 30g peanut butter (crunchy)
• 10g whey protein (no flavoring)
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Filling:

• 125g quark
• 60g of cottage cheese
• 1 egg white
• 5g of stevia
• 15ml of lemon/lime juice
• 1 ½ tablespoons of whey protein (flavored)

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Firstly make the base, get a mixing bowl and combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, ground almonds and the whey protein. Mix into a powdery ball of dough.
• Take small lumps with a teaspoon and place this into a micro muffin tin.
• Now place that on the side and get started on the filling.
• Combine the cottage cheese, stevia, e.g., white, quark, juice, and protein powder and combine until smooth. Blend all ingredients together and place a teaspoon of the mix into the bases you made earlier.
• Bake for 5-10 minutes until the sides go brown and the mixture is solid and place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
• Finally, enjoy the guilt-free peanut butter and fruit cheesecake!

Strawberry

The classic strawberry, a staple of peanut butter combinations for decades with the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But this isn’t the only thing that can be made with strawberries, there are plenty of other recipes out there.

Here is one of my favorites, you will need:

• 1 cup of unflavored Greek yogurt
• ¾ of a cup of peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• An array of strawberries

Procedure:

• Simply whisk the Greek yogurt with the peanut butter, slowly add the cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly until you have a smooth, thick pink concoction.
• Dip your strawberries and enjoy this simple yet tasty peanut butter based snack.

Cherry and Dates

This is another winning combination with a variety of different snacks that you can choose to make, my personal favorite is something that you can make right now in a matter of moments. Unlike many of the recipes on this list, there is no baking required, all you need are the correct ingredients and a refrigerator, and you are ready to go! It is an extremely easy to make a snack, extremely healthy and you can make it in no time at all!

All you need is:

• 1 cup of dates
• 1 cup of peanuts
• 1 cup of cherries (dried)

Procedure:

• Mix them in a food processor until doughy, roll into 8 balls and place in the refrigerator to solidify.
• Finished, you can now enjoy them as a simple and healthy snack.

This recipe can be applied to a variety of fruits, but in my experience, this is the one to try.

Pomegranate, Apples, and Bananas

This is a very interesting combination, one that I would highly recommend to anybody who wants to satisfy that peanut butter craving in a new, tasty and healthy way. The idea of this recipe is to create fruity, peanut buttery sushi roll style snack and it turns out quite well.

Here’s what you will need:

• Sprinkles
• Bananas
• Apples
• Peanut Butter
• Pomegranate Seeds

Procedure:

• Peel the banana and spread peanut butter on the banana top and slice to create the “sushi roll” style look.
• Slice the apples and spread with peanut butter and top with the sprinkles once more.
• This is a quick and simple way to create a tasty and healthy snack that has a novelty side to it.
• Enjoy!

Berries

Last on the list is an excellent one, it is easy to make and is amazing on a hot day when you want to once more, satisfy that peanut butter craving! All you need is 5 minutes to make this snack, and it tastes great and looks even better, almost as if it is something you would find in a Michelin star restaurant desert menu!

All you will need is:

• ¾ of a cup of Greek yogurt (plain is what I find works best, but this is up to you)
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (must be creamy, not crunchy)
• 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
• 1 cup of assorted berries of your choosing, whole or chopped, this is up to you.

Procedure:

• Simply add the yogurt, maple syrup, and peanut butter to a small bowl, whisk until it has combined completely and is fully smooth.
• Add ½ of this mixture to a glass or parfait glass (if you have one). Place the assorted berries on top of the yogurt, place more yogurt and berries as layers until you are satisfied with the size.
• Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes (skip this step if everything is nice and cold already).
• Enjoy a classic Yogurt Parfait with a twist of peanut butter!

Hopefully, you found some of these suggestions helpful. Peanut butter is a fantastic snack food, and all too often it is combined in an unhealthy way. I hope you found some new and interesting ways to get your peanut butter fix and in a way, that won’t break the wallet or the belt anytime soon!