Don't know a peanut-person? Try our full complement of lists. —Ed. Do you have a real "nut" in your life that you find it hard to shop for? Look no further than these creative gifts for the peanut and peanut butter lover in your life. Sir Francis Bacon Peanut Brittle: Crispy and crunchy, sweet and salty, in a fun package that is sure to elicit smiles all around. Available online at baconpeanutbrittle.com, $15.95 PB&J Sandwich Cookies: Okay, so you can't buy these anywhere (you have to make them yourself), but if you're looking for an edible gift for someone, these are the cookies to bake for them. Recipe and full instructions available online at thepartyworks.com, free! Peanut Butter & Jelly... More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he chimes in with some nuttiness. The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies View the complete recipe here » The phone rang the other day. It was my mother. Those of you who have read my posts before may recall that while I'm more of a from-scratch kind of guy, my mother is more, well semi-homemade. "We're doing the office cookie swap next week, and I thought I should bring in some peanut butter cookies. Did you know that if you take a tube Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough and mix... More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he'll chime in with some nuttiness. [Photograph: National Peanut Board] Did you know that peanut plants sprout yellow flowers? [Flickr: shel_bel] The title of this post might be a little ambitious, but for something that is such a big part of American culinary history, there sure are many questions about peanuts. To start, you might find it interesting to know that peanuts are technically not a "nut" at all, but a legume. Nuts tend to grow on trees, while peanuts, like many beans, grow underground. Maybe you already knew... More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he'll chime in with some nuttiness. [Photographs: Lee Zalben] While I was in Alba for the White Truffle Festival this year (don't ask what The Peanut Butter Guy was doing at an Italian Truffle Festival), I had some time to indulge my sweet tooth with one of my favorite European confections. In Spain it's called turrón; in France it's called nougat; and in Italy it's called torrone (pronounced TUH-ro-nay). Torrone is a soft nougat made from honey, sugar, egg whites, and roasted nuts. The nuts vary from region to... More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he chimes in with some nuttiness. [Photographs: Lee Zalben] Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie View the complete recipe here » Even though they call me the Peanut Butter Guy, which sounds like a rather salt-of-the-earth position, but I'll be honest. I can be a bit of a food snob. Don't get me wrong, I love diners, street food, penny candy, and all sorts of simple fare. But when I cook and bake, it's mostly from scratch. When I develop product recipes with my team at Peanut Butter & Co.,... More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he chimes in with some nuttiness. [Photograph: Lee Zalben] Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Soup View the complete recipe here >> Peanut butter and pumpkin. The two sound nice together in theory, but how do they taste? I've made peanut butter pumpkin pies and a peanut-pumpkin seed brittle before—both of which were delicious. Everyone always expects The Peanut Butter Guy to have some kind of peanut-inspired dish on his holiday table. This year I wanted to try to steer things in a more savory direction so I thought about soup.... More

"Boiled peanuts are considered the caviar of the south." Wes Shannon. [All photographs: Herb Pilcher] A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending some time with Wes Shannon, a peanut farmer in Tifton, Georgia. My company Peanut Butter & Co. only uses peanuts grown in the United States, and we try to maintain a tight connection with these farmers. While I had met Shannon before, this was my first visit to his farm. He took a break from the harvest to talk to me about peanuts and peanut farming. He even let me drive the tractor and dig up some of the peanuts! How are peanuts grown? Well, we usually plant peanuts in mid-May. The soil is good... More

Butterfinger, Reese's (the cups and the pieces), Snickers, Oh Henry, Baby Ruth, Mr. Goodbar, Payday, Watchamacallit—so many Halloween candies involve peanuts or peanut butter. Here are some fun ways to eat them, not that there's anything wrong with the straight-from-the-wrapper approach. More

The inspiration for this recipe is the favorite after school snack of apple wedges with peanut butter. There's something about the cool, crisp, tart apples paired with the rich, creamy, salty-sweet taste of peanut butter. Why not multiply it by pie? More

Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he'll chime in with some nuttiness. This week, he questions the authenticity of Kung Pao chicken. [Flickr: Lewi Hirvela] They call me "The Peanut Butter Guy." Everyone just assumes I know everything there is to know about peanuts and peanut butter, even the most esoteric and tangential of facts. I was out with some friends the other night at a popular Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Of course I ordered the Kung Pao chicken. In part, because wherever I go, everyone always expects me to order the dish on the... More