Are you American? If there's one thing the US does leagues better than the rest of the world it's peanut butter.

I still like our local peanut butter. But American is soooo much better.

Jelly is your first mistake. Adult tastes are much more likely to prefer jam.

Organic strawberry jam, old-fashioned (i.e., no added sugar) peanut butter and wheat bread sweetened with honey rather than sugar, that's the ticket.

Honestly, peanut butter and honey is where it's at.

And don't just spread each one on your bread - mix them together on a plate and then spread the mixture on buttered bread.

What was your ratio roughly? I’ve found you need less peanut butter than you think and more jelly than you think. When it’s right it’s usually a nice mix of sweet and salty. However it’s of course not for everyone!

As a non American who has tried this and enjoyed it as a kid, I have to say the jam has to be grape to hit the spot. Where I live that's an unusual one, I don't usually see grape marmalade when grocery shopping, and the few times I tried to make a PB&J using other jam/marmalade I was very disappointed. Blackberry jam is probably the most passable one though, out of the easy to find flavors.

Its better if you use fresh, coarse ground (not chunky) peanut butter with a little salt and honey in it. Our local grocery store had a grinder in the store where you can make your own. I also prefer to use preserves or jam, not jelly.

For bread, if you can get good fresh bread, its amazing, if not, lightly toasted (but not buttered) honey-wheat is my go to.

You can also make a fluffernutter by substituting the jelly/jam/preserves with marshmallow fluff. Use the good fluff stuff with the red lid though, not the generic stuff. It really does make a difference.

Another good one is peanut butter and banana slices with honey, or peanut butter and apple slices.

In Taiwan, we put peanut butter + honey on our burgers.

What kind of jelly? I use grape jam

PB&J is about the nostalgia too. You have to have started eating it as a kid. 😉

peanut butter and slices of banana. 👍

Deffo need a glass of milk with it

I'm about 20 years older and have never eaten one.

Did you toast it

Medium layer of peanut butter on one half of one side of bread. Very thin layer on the other half of that side. Jelly/jam on top of the very thin layer- medium thick but not so much that it will ooze everywhere. Foldover and eat. Ratios are tricky and specific to the individual. Nothing else that's peanut butter and jelly flavored fully matches the real deal, but I occasionally do a mixed shot of peanut butter and blackberry liqueurs for dessert.

You gotta try peanut butter and cheddar cheese. It’s amazing

Tbh I hated them as a kid. Still prefer just peanut butter but now have issues with that being a trigger scent. Husband says pbj is better when the jelly is actually strawberry honey butter I've made. I'm sure it is, that stuff is tasty.

Did?

Op I agree with you and I grew up eating them. The sweet and salty is ok, but the texture is just off to me. It's two different "slimy" textures combining in soft bread without a supporting texture element, and it tends to make the bread soggy.

Did you get special bread for it?