Peanut Butter Lover’s Day 2016: Celebrate With Facts And Recipes

Peanut Butter Lover’s Day is Tuesday, and people across the country are sure to celebrate America’s favorite sticky snack. Whether you enjoy a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something a bit more creative, like Ants on a Log, grab a spoon and indulge.

Peanut butter as we know has been around for only a little over a century. Two U.S. presidents — Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter — were peanut farmers. One acre of peanuts yields 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches, which is a good thing because the average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before graduating from high school.

Americans eat enough peanut butter each year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and peanut butter is consumed in 90 percent of U.S. households. Peanuts contribute more than $4 billion to the U.S. economy each year, and Americans spend almost $800 million a year on the popular spread. Not everyone is a fan of peanut butter, though; the snack has its own phobia, called archibutyrophobia.

While many people prefer a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peanut butter can be used to make a variety of sweet treats. Peanut butter bars are great with a glass of cold milk, and are easy to make. Check out the recipe here. On the healthier side are peanut butter banana blender muffins, which can be made in seconds by mixing five ingredients in a blender. That recipe is here.

Homemade peanut butter is delicious, and this recipe from the Food Network’s Alton Brown scored four and half stars on the network’s website. To make peanut butter, all you need is 15 ounces of shelled and skinned roasted peanuts, kosher salt, honey and peanut oil. It only takes five minutes to make the recipe found here.