My Top Peanut Butter Treats in NYC

December 6, 2011

While I love that CBS New York took the time to compile a list of NYC’s Best Peanut Butter Eats, it seemed, in my professional peanut butter-eating opinion, to be missing a lot of the awesome peanut butter delights that NYC has to offer. So after much lip-smacking research and nary a calorie neglected, I made my own list of faves.

If peanut butter is your drug of choice, here’s what you simply must eat in NYC:

Momofoku Milk Bar: Candy Bar Pie You know it’s good when I can’t be bothered to take the extra 3 seconds to whip out the good camera. Sorry for the crummy shot, but never you mind- go eat this right now. This pie boasts a deep dark chocolatey crust, salty notes from the peanut butter and pretzel, sweet notes from the caramel and chocolate coating and something that all of Momofoku’s stellar treats have: lots of butter. When you take your first bite of it, you have to fight your eyes from rolling in the back of your head in overwhelmed delight. Reviewed in greater detail here.

Peanut Butter & Co: Everything It’s really hard for me to pick anything specific here for you to try because everything on their menu is made with peanut butter and everything’s delicious. Some of my favorites over the years have been The Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sandwich and the Fluffernutter Milkshake, but it’s also fun just to swing by their adorable shop, hang out for a bit and stock up your pantry with their tasty flavored peanut butters. Taking out-of-towners to restaurants like this one (super-specialized single ingredient-focused joints) is one of my favorite activities because they are rare in other cities and seem extra magical and delicious because of it. And everyone loves peanut butter!

Molly’s Cupcakes: The Ron Bennington & Peanut Butter Nutella Cupcakes We literally squealed with glee when our favorite Chicago cupcakery made its way to NYC. I love this place. You really can’t go wrong with a cupcake at Molly’s but if it’s peanut butter you seek, you simply must get both of the above flavors. Yes, not one - both. Both are super rich with lots of peanut butter and chocolate goodness. The combo of Nutella and peanut butter in the latter haunts my dreams but Taste Testers favorite, the crazy good Bennington is below. Did I mention that their shop has swings?

We look excited - but you’d look excited if you were swinging toward this cupcake, wouldn’t you? The Ron Bennington is chocolate cake, peanut butter filling and chocolate ganache with a crushed butterscotch topping. Reviewed in greater detail here.

Bouchon Bakery: Nutter Butter This choice is just a straight-up “duh” for this list. This cookie (the one in the pic below, on the top right) is huge, insanely delicious, buttery, packed with peanut butter flavor and just plain makes me want to do a dance. It’s the standard-issue store-bought Nutter Butter on steroids. Delicious, delicious steroids. But you can’t go wrong at Bouchon either - everything else in this shot is amazing as well.

Sweet Revenge: The Sweet Revenge Cupcake I’ve always loved Sweet Revenge’s wine bar / dessert bar concept because when my friends want drinks and I want desserts, we need not argue. Everyone can get their fix in the same place: here! The last time we went, Taste Tester was sincerely disturbed that there was no chocolate ganache filling in his cupcake, so I don’t know if they’ve changed the recipe, but the ganache is key. This cupcake is on the dry side, but the combo of dry peanut butter cupcake with luscious peanut butter frosting and rich ganache filling make for a true winner.

Sigmund Pretzelshop: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Chunk Cookie This one (on the left, below) makes the list more for originality than anything else. I just really enjoyed the combo of soft pretzel, peanut butter and chocolate. It’s a winner in my book. Now only if they sold it on every street corner like all the other soft pretzels of NYC.

Magnolia Bakery: Peanut Butter Heath Bar Blondie Are you a Charlotte or a Samantha? That depends: which one of them loved peanut butter? Magnolia may be famous for it’s Sex and the City scene and some very sweet cupcakes, but they also feature a dense, delicious and sincerely overlooked peanut butter blondie. Reviewed in greater detail here.

The Treats Truck: Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie It’s the perfect texture and full of peanut butter flavor. Plus, since it’s called a “sandwich” it can technically pass for a meal… right? Reviewed in greater detail here.

Okay, now that we’re done with the list, what do you say less talk, more eating?! Go get em!