Peanut butter and chocolate lovers have history. That’s right. This A-list celebrity couple of the confectionery world go way back. Is there a more audacious pairing? What do peanut butter and chocolate lovers have in common with other sweet obsessed duos? Who know. Who cares. As long as we can still celebrate that one true salty-sweet union that makes peanut butter and chocolate lovers so extra special.
In 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (creator of Kellogg cereals) patented the manufacturing of peanut butter using steamed peanuts. The resulting bland food product (today’s peanuts are roasted to enhance their flavor) was marketed as a protein substitute for people with no teeth. Less than a decade later, Dr. George Washington Carver, one of the country’s brightest inventors and botanists, earned the title of father of the peanut industry when he developed more than 300 uses for the humble legume.
Fortunately, Chocolate Pizza Company has found the 301st use – introducing the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Lovers Gift Basket, with all things peanut butter (and chocolate).
We’re talking Peanut Butter Wings, Peanut Butter Avalanche Slice, Peanut Butter Sparklers, dark chocolate Slice topped with peanut butter candies, chocolate covered peanut butter crème-filled cookies and even peanut butter truffles. Beautifully presented with overwrap and bow. Treat your favorite peanut butter lover to a holiday surprise they will never forget!
The late Elvis Presley was a peanut butter fanatic with at least 2 well documented sandwich varieties being attributed to the king. The most famous was the peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich that was usually grilled or fried in bacon fat. The lesser known culinary craving was called, Fool’s Gold Loaf, and consisted of a loaf of Italian bread stuffed with a pound of bacon, peanut butter and grape jelly. I imagine that one was an acquired taste.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is one of countless celebrities who love peanut butter but he is one of the few who have a sandwich named after him at New York City’s famous peanut butter sandwich shop, Peanut Butter & Co. The “Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Comedy Special’” is made with a sliced bagel, peanut butter, drizzled honey and cinnamon.
And, of course, there is the much revered, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The classic peanut butter icon that is as American as apple pie. The average American eats 2,500 “PB&J” sandwiches before they graduate high school and annually Americans consume more than 700 million pounds of peanut butter. While the roots of this sandwich royalty can be traced far back in history, the real popularity of the PB&J came in World War II. American troops overseas frequently dined on field rations of peanut butter (or what they called, monkey butter), grape jelly and bread. When the soldiers returned stateside after the war, they brought their taste for the quick and tasty sandwich home with them. Bingo! Instant classic.
Just for grins, the world record for the largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich belongs to folks in Grand Saline, Texas. Those longhorns put together a mammoth PB&J in 2010 using 700 lbs of bread, 500 lbs of peanut butter and enough jelly to bring the behemoth in at a whopping 1,342 pounds.
Chocolate Pizza Company is definitely a fan of the versatile and oh so tasty peanut butter because it pairs so well with rich chocolate. Like strawberries and champagne, burgers and fries, eggs and bacon, peanut butter and chocolate were made for each other. The combinations are literally endless and our chocolatiers love exploring taste combinations.
Our most famous “PB&C” (peanut butter and chocolate) creation is Peanut Butter Wings®. We take crisp, rippled potato chips, cover them in fresh, creamy peanut butter and drench them in gourmet milk or dark chocolate for a taste that people have described as heavenly. The combination works because of the salty-sweet play on your taste-buds and the contrast between the crunchy chip and the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. The thicker, rippled in the potato chips hold just the right amount of peanut butter which is why we don’t mess with ordinary chips. If you noticed that little circle-R behind the name, that’s because these hummers are so unique they carry a federally registered trademark.
Chocolate Pizza Company’s best-selling grab-and-go item also honors the peanut butter legacy. Peanut Butter Sparklers® can be found on or near the checkout counter of thousands of retailers across the country. Start with an 8-inch salted pretzel rod, dip most of it in creamy peanut butter, cover that in rich milk chocolate and finish it with a splash of peanut butter candies and voila you have a true gourmet snack item. The original Sparkler is still our most popular but we offer varieties for the holiday season and springtime.
So the next time you’re craving that irresistible taste of peanut butter (and chocolate), browse our pages and discover all the ways we elevate this remarkable food to new confectionary heights.
Or, just order the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Lovers Basket.
