I've been a self-proclaimed peanut butter hater for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Miami, it wasn't a big deal, since arepas were the norm over PB&Js. Enter first semester of freshman year of college, where revealing to someone that I hate peanut butter brought on some pretty strong reactions— "are you a satanist?" being one of the most memorable. Now it's the end of the semester and I've decided to try and figure out what all the hype is about. If everyone around me is such a big fan, it should be pretty easy to get myself to like peanut butter, right?
I asked 5 pb-loving friends for suggestions on their favorite peanut butter-flavored snack. Using mostly Jiff peanut butter, I then tried a snack a day for 5 days—and by try I mean took a teeny-tiny bite. Here's what happened:
Day 1: Justin's Peanut Butter Cups
Justin's PB Cups got rave reviews from everyone around me, so I thought they would be easy to fall in love with. Sadly, this first trial was a complete failure. My first bite made me think my whole life had been a lie—it was completely delicious. Once I looked though, I realize I hadn't bitten past the outer chocolate layer, and of course that was going to taste good.
I take another extremely hesitant bite, and the second I tasted the peanut butter, I was completely disgusted. I will say it wasn't as bad as I expected because of the high chocolate to peanut butter ration, but I still gladly gave the rest of the package away to my friends.
Day 2: Oreo With Peanut Butter
This was literally one of the least pleasant things I've ever eaten. I went the extra step of opening the Oreo and spreading the peanut butter inside, but it didn't help at all. I was convinced my love for Oreos could help turn me into a peanut butter lover, but as soon as the peanut butter flavor hit my tongue I nearly gagged.
My friend had to literally beg to take a bite (yes, I'm dramatic but I'm owning it) and it goes without saying that Oreo did not see more love from me.
Day 3: Apple With Peanut Butter
As much as it pains me to say it, this was actually kind of good. It wasn't incredible and I can't say I'll be craving an apple with PB anytime soon, but I did manage to take multiple bites! At this point, I definitely thought this might be working, and who knows, I might be a reformed peanut butter aficionado by the end of the week.
Day 4: Peanut Butter Mixed With Honey Over a Banana
I had high expectations going into this, because the apple with peanut butter had actually been pretty good. I was extremely disappointed. This was probably the worst of all the combinations I tried. The textures were too similar and the banana seemed to only enhance the peanut butter flavor, not mask it.
Day 5: Plain(ish) Peanut Butter
A spoonful of peanut butter does not make the medicine go down. By day five, I had realized I really do have an aversion to peanut butter, and there was no way I was going to eat plain peanut butter. I thought eating it with a little bit of honey would help mask the taste a little. I was wrong, and didn't even swallow the spoonful of peanut butter with honey I had intended to eat.
Final Results:
So I'm still a peanut butter hater, and I really don't see why so many people are obsessed with it. I did realize that I am maybe a bit (or very) dramatic about my hatred towards peanut butter. I actually can swallow peanut butter, and it's really not that bad! The pb-apple combo might actually make an appearance in my near future. For now though, I think I'll just stick to almond butter and Nutella as my spreads of choice.