January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day. This sticky and delicious food is so loved that it is given its own national day.
Keep reading for some fun ways to celebrate this national day, interesting peanut butter facts, and learn the history of this delicious food.
There’s also a recipe at the bottom for soft and chewy peanut butter cookies that’s delicious. Try making the cookies yourself to celebrate this day!
How to observe National Peanut Butter Day
The obvious way to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day is to grab a spoon and go at it with a jar of the stuff. Here are some other ideas!
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- Read the book “Peanut Butter and Cupcake” to your child.
- Watch the movie The Peanut Butter Falcon to celebrate the day.
- Share your love of peanut butter with an I ❤️ peanut butter mug.
- Get this free January word search printable and locate National Peanut Butter Day in it.
- Enjoy the taste of peanut butter without the calories by using PB2.
- Scoop your peanut butter with a personalized peanut butter spoon.
- Get your fix of peanut butter with one of these delicious peanut butter recipes.
- Use the hashtag #NationalPeanutButterDay to spread the word about the day on social media.
Who invented peanut butter?
In the United States, many people believe that George Washington Carver was the inventor of peanut butter. However, this information isn’t correct.
Mr. Carver promoted the 300+ uses for peanuts – citing peanut butter being one of those uses – but he didn’t actually invent it.
The first commercial-style peanut butter was made in 1884 by Marcus Gilmore Edson developed a process to make peanut paste from milling roasted peanuts between two heated plates.
Edson marketed peanut butter as a nutritious protein substitute for people who had trouble chewing solid food.
Peanut butter facts and history
Brush up on your knowledge of peanut butter with these fun facts.
- The earliest peanut butter spreads were made by the Aztecs and Incas about 1000 BC. This paste was not early as creamy as the peanut butter we love.
- George Washington Carver showed us 300+ uses for using peanuts and that included making peanut butter.
- The inventor of peanut butter was Marcus Gilmore Edson.
- Dr. Ambrose Straub patented a peanut butter making machine in 1903. Americans were first introduced to peanut in 1904 at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis.
- To make a 12 ounce jar of peanut butter, you will need about 540 peanuts!
- Men like chunky peanut butter, but women and children prefer the smooth type.
- There is a record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most peanut butter and jelly sandwiches eaten in one minute. The record is 6 sandwiches set by Patrick Bertoleti in 2012.
- Americans spend more than $800 million in a year on peanut butter.
- One episode of the program Lost featured an imaginary jar of peanut butter being eaten by Claire.
- The average peanut farm is 200 acres.
- 2 Peanut Farmers have been elected president of the USA – Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson and Georgia’s Jimmy Carter.
- One of Bill Clinton’s favorite sandwiches featured peanut butter and bananas.
- During Girl Scout Cookie Season, bakers use about 230,000 pounds of peanut butter each week to bake Tagalongs and Do-si-dos.
- Peanuts grow underground like potatoes do.
- Peanut butter was originally made for people who had no teeth!
- Each year Americans consume enough peanut butter to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon.
- Peanut butter is a good source of vitamin E, B6, niacin, calcium, potassium and iron.
More peanut-themed national days of the year
National Peanut Butter Day isn’t the only time during the year to celebrate peanuts and peanut butter. There’s a list of peanut-themed national days of the year below:
- March 1 – National Peanut Butter Day Lover’s Day
- April 2 – National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
- June 12 – National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
- July 23 – Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day
- September 13 – National Peanut Day
- November 20 – National Peanut Butter Fudge Day
- Entire month of March – National Peanut Month
- Entire month of November – National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
For more reasons to celebrate this month, be sure to check out this list of national days in January, and these national food days in January.
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Recipes for Peanut Butter Day
Peanut butter is used in all sorts of recipes from bars to savory dishes and the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. One of the best ways to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day is with your favorite peanut butter recipe. 
- Vegan and Dairy Free Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies.
- No Bake Peanut Butter balls with chocolate and coconut.
- Healthy peanut butter breakfast bars.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter and Chocolate layer bars.
- Fudge Brownies with a peanut butter frosting.
- Peanut Butter and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe.
- No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate bars
- Make your own peanut butter in 5 minutes.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
- Peanut Butter Avocado Cookies
- Peanut Butter banana Belgian waffles with dark chocolate
- Healthy low carb peanut butter chocolate smoothie
And my favorite: Make some soft and chewy peanut butter cookies to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day.
Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Grab a glass of milk and make a batch of these soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. They are amazing!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room at temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line your baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, place balls of dough on to the baking sheet.
- Use a fork to press down the ball of dough to flatten, making a criss-cross pattern. (To make this easier, dip the fork in water between each cookie).
- Bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet and then transfer to wire racks.
- Store in an airtight container for a few days. They also freeze well.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.