NoNuts Golden Peabutter (on toast)
Sorry to have held out on you for so long – I’m finally going to fess up about that mystery trip to Legal, Alberta. I went to see the makers of this stuff I’ve been spreading on my toast for the past couple weeks – NoNuts Golden Peabutter – it’s just like peanut butter, but made out of roasted golden peas. Nut free!
I had heard of it awhile ago, but (to be right up front about it) wasn’t too hip on trying the stuff. Although I love nut butters, I’ve never been sold on hemp butter, regular (green) pea butter and the like. I am a peanut butter fan. But this stuff – it works. And now that kids are going back to school, they likely won’t be able to bring peanut products with them regardless of whether or not they have allergies, for the safety of those who do.
So I went and hung out with the owners, Norm and Caryll, for a couple hours, after I got myself completely lost coming out of Edmonton (this is after my pants fell down carrying 3 watermelons down Jasper Avenue). Norm showed me all their cool toys. Caryll filled me with pea butter treats – cookies and those marshmallow-butterscotch chip squares I absolutely adore. (They taste exactly the same as those made with peanut butter. And I love that she used good old white marshmallows, instead of the fruity coloured kind.) The rest of her recipes can be found on their website.
Caryll’s Rocky Roads
1/2 cup butter
3/4 NoNuts Golden Peabutter
1 12 oz. pkg. butterscotch or chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallowsMelt butter, peabutter and butterscotch chips in a saucepan over low heat, or in a bowl in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and stir in marshmallows. Pour into an 8″x8″ pan and chill until firm; cut into squares. Makes about 32.
We had them on the show this morning, so I’ve been nibbling on PB&J (that’s peabutter & jelly) and cookies for most of the afternoon.
Caryll’s Pea Butter Cookies
1 cup NoNuts Peabutter
2/3 cup sugar
1 large eggPreheat the oven to 350F. Mix everything together in a bowl. (It will be soft at first, and then stiffen up.)
Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet; press with a fork and bake for 12-14 minutes, until set. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen (depending how big your cookies are).
This stuff isn’t hard to find – it’s actually available in grocery stores across Canada, and even at some in the US. (If a store doesn’t carry it, ask!)
One Year Ago: Leftover Vegetable Lasagna and Chocolava Cookies
August 26 2009 04:58 pm | cookies & squares
Elaine on 26 Aug 2009 at 5:36 pm #
What the what?? Pea butter? Pea guacamole, I can believe. Pea crostini, I’ll serve it proudly. Pea BUTTER? It’s blowing my mind.
Erin on 26 Aug 2009 at 5:48 pm #
Still aiming to try Pea Butter Satay Sauce. . . I’ll report in when I do!
JulieVR on 26 Aug 2009 at 5:50 pm #
Now THAT would work smashingly!
Elaine – it’s made from golden peas though! not the peas you’re familiar with. Very few people grow them!
Anonymous on 26 Aug 2009 at 6:25 pm #
is there less fat that in regular peanut butter?
Heather on 26 Aug 2009 at 7:06 pm #
Actually I have heard that rendition of Spiderman! Love the Ramones.
Carrie on 26 Aug 2009 at 7:10 pm #
Thanks Julie! My 2 yr old nephew was recently diagnosed as highly allergic to peanuts and peanut butter has always been my sister’s favorite food. I’ll have to pick some up for her!
Laur on 26 Aug 2009 at 8:07 pm #
OMG, I have that album! http://www.amazon.com/Saturday-Morning-Cartoons-Greatest-Hits/dp/B000002OYG. And I bought it before I had kids!
Barb on 27 Aug 2009 at 5:41 am #
I’m intrugued enough about pea butter that I will look for it to try. Does it comapare in cost to the real stuff?
Cheryl Arkison on 27 Aug 2009 at 6:18 am #
The nanny made blondies with that stuff last week. Pretty tasty.
I must show The Monster that clip – she will be in heaven. The Ramones and Spiderman? You just described perfect music to her.
erin on 27 Aug 2009 at 7:05 am #
Julie,
Thanks so much for the comment about using this at nut-free schools. My kids aren’t huge fans of peanut butter, but there are a few things I have stopped making because they can’t take them to school, and now I might just try this instead!
Tartelette on 27 Aug 2009 at 7:11 am #
Wow! Another new to me product! I wonder how it would work with your peanut butter sauced noodles I make all the time (way back in the archives!)
Charmian Christie on 27 Aug 2009 at 8:32 am #
What a great option for people with nut allergies.
Never heard the Ramones’ version of Spider Man before, but like it! Still can’t get the a cappella version by Moxy Fruvous out of my head. It messes with the lyrics but is fun…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYh7x9UX0vI
Hilary on 27 Aug 2009 at 9:18 am #
On a sandwich does this actually taste like pb? Seeing as peanut butter is probably my all-time favourite foodstuff I don’t think I’d be keen on trying this, but hey, if I ever have a kid with an allergy (I hope not!!) I suppose I could try it out.
Sprout on 27 Aug 2009 at 9:45 am #
I have a nephew with a nut allergy so I was excited to pick some of this up at my local Safeway this morning after reading this post. To answer a few of the questions, it has a little less fat than the peanut butter I had at home (5g versus 6g per tablespoon) (plus peabutter has no sodium!). It cost me just over 6$ for 510g jar – which I think it quite comparable to other but butters. Taste…delicious! Not exactly like peanut butter, but very close. It actually reminded me a bit of cashew buttter, very nutty tasting and really good!
JulieVR on 27 Aug 2009 at 9:48 am #
Sorry I’m slow on the uptake here! It is a little more expensive (grown and produced and packaged locally, vs Kraft, Skippy and Jif), and contains 5 g fat per tablespoon, but only .5 g saturated fat, vs. 8 g for creamy Kraft PB, which also contains 1.5 g saturated fat.
la petite chef on 27 Aug 2009 at 9:57 am #
Love the sound of this!
Looks delicious!
Thanks for the recipe
Great site and pics!!
pauline on 27 Aug 2009 at 1:43 pm #
Hey Julie do I get a gold star for guessing it had something to do with peas, when you talked about Legal. They have been making this product now for quite a lot of years, I’m just going to have to try it don’t really know why I haven’t tried it sooner.
JulieVR on 27 Aug 2009 at 1:44 pm #
Yes, Norm and Caryll bought the company in 2004. I think it’s just catching on though! Apparently they are redesigning the label too.
Tina on 27 Aug 2009 at 5:56 pm #
My neighbour whose daughter had a severe peanut allergy (it has since downgraded to moderate) told me that since peanuts are legumes (not actually nuts), her daughter couldn’t have pea butter either – since peas are also legumes. I suppose this could differ from person to person, but it is something to keep in mind.
JulieVR on 27 Aug 2009 at 6:15 pm #
Interesting! I’m sure it does vary from person to person – is she just avoiding all legumes as a precaution? From what I’ve read, people with peanut allergies have a higher risk of developing allergies to tree nuts, but there isn’t a high level of cross-reactivity with other legumes (like peas, beans, lentils etc.) which are tested for allergic reaction separately from nuts. Apparently legumes and chick peas cause the most allergic reaction to those with a legume allergy. Yes, something to consider!
DJ on 27 Aug 2009 at 7:15 pm #
Hi Julie
My daughter is allergic to peanuts but can eat, and loves, the pea butter. I assume the pea butter cookies have flour in the recipe – could you tell us how much?
Thanks
Cindy on 27 Aug 2009 at 9:04 pm #
Julie, great to see about the pea butter. I developed a peanut allergy while I was in university and missed peanut butter toast terribly. I found out about the pea butter a few years ago through a work contact and in my opinion it comes pretty damn close to peanut butter (although my husband thinks it could stand a dash of salt). We’ve found it bakes up beautifully – trying it with a peanut sauce recipe is our next step. Plus it’s an Alberta product – even better!
JulieVR on 28 Aug 2009 at 2:19 am #
Nope – no flour in the cookie recipe! This is my absolute favourite peanut butter cookie recipe (whether they are made with peanut butter or pea butter) – they contain only peanut or pea butter, sugar and an egg (or just the white, which is what I generally use).
Natalie from Ottawa on 28 Aug 2009 at 5:07 am #
Hey Julie,
Thank you so much for the review. I’ve been extremely hesitant at trying this stuff, but now I am convinced that it is worth a try. Am I correct to understand that you can this product measure for measure in baking recipes that ask for peanut butter?
Natalie
KelleyK on 31 Aug 2009 at 2:34 pm #
Thanks – I want to try this! I looked for it today at the Sobey’s in Tuscany (Calgary) but couldn’t see it, so I’ll keep looking or maybe I was looking in the wrong spot. Just wondering – the ingredients/nutritional information on the product website says there is icing sugar in the peabutter, but 0 grams of sugar are listed. Does that make sense?
JulieVR on 31 Aug 2009 at 2:49 pm #
Just because there’s such a small amount that in the analysis it works out to 0g per tablespoon (serving).
Lisa on 01 Sep 2009 at 10:43 am #
You are heaven-sent. We were informed at the beginning of the school year that our campus is nut-free. As you might understand, this was devastating news to my 4 year old who is only mildly addicted to peanut butter. I’ve been taxing every ounce of creativity to come up with other great options and, thankfully, she’s not a picky eater. But this is wonderful. Do you know if I can find it in the States? I’ve obviously got somemore research to do, but this would go a long way toward making me the coolest mom on the planet!!!
Jill on 01 Sep 2009 at 11:15 am #
I’ve been sending my son and husband (who’s a teacher) to school with PB&J and PB&H sandwiches for awhile now. Its a great product! I have been able to find it in Calgary at both Superstore and CO-OP.
Evelyn on 02 Sep 2009 at 4:48 pm #
Two of my daughters have peanut allergies, so I’ve been eating this stuff for years. I’ve used it interchangably in recipes called for peanut butter and it works great. It’s a pity they can’t/don’t make a chunky variety. That’s the only improvement I can think of.
That’s odd that kid’s with peanut allergies are more prone to tree nut allergies. They are totally unrelated. Both of my daughters have soy and peanut allergies (also a legume). Maybe that’s rare?
Susan H. @ The Food Allergy Chronicles on 18 Mar 2012 at 12:28 pm #
Hi Julie! Both my boys have peanut/tree nut allergies. My oldest also has dairy,egg,beef,sesame,fish,shellfish,mustard and raspberry. Both have asthma and my eldest suffered for years with eczema…we got it all! It’s been quite the journey! I am a huge peanut butter fan but refuse to have it in the house. I had been wanting to try Peabutter for awhile but was always nervous it would not live up to the real deal. Boy was I mistaken! NoNuts Peabutter is not exactly like peanut butter but it sure comes close…it is the perfect foil…love it on toast with banana or in a sandwich! My boys are afraid of it! May try baking with it and tempt them with cookies!