Forget Classic PB&J Sandwiches – Add This Pantry Staple For A Swicy Finish

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Along with a classic mac and cheese, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich may be among the most quintessential comfort foods. They're both simple yet tasty, and pack a lot of flavor with just a few ingredients. Plus, each has its own tweaks that can take it to a whole new dimension. You can turn a box of mac and cheese into a whole meal with just a can of soup, and you can upgrade your PB&J with some salty cheese. But there's one simple add-on to the standard PB&J that won't overpower the original flavor while still giving it a huge boost. For a bit more sweetness and a hit of heat, you should be using hot honey on your peanut butter and jelly sandos.

For the uninitiated, hot honey is just what it sounds like, but "spicy hot" (aka trendy swicy) not "stove-top hot." It's honey infused with dried chile flakes, chile powder, or whole peppers. It's probably most famously drizzled on pizza or served with fried chicken sandwiches, but it's exactly the condiment you need to take your PB&J to the next level. A little hot honey will add more nuance to your regular recipe, taking it from sweet and salty to full-on salty and swicy, so you'll get more flavor in every bite. And even if you're a bit timid about the spice level, you can get your sandwich just right, with only a kick rather than a blaze of heat in the mouth.

The original PB&J came with a surprising 'J' that's not quite as common these days — currant or crabapple jelly — rather than grape, strawberry, or raspberry. However, this new trick can go with whatever jelly or jam you tend to use and will complement the sweet and tart flavors. Sure, it may be a surprise to read that hot honey is a "pantry staple," but you can make it easily with some things you already have at home. The simplest and quickest way to make it is with a couple of tablespoons of dried pepper flakes per cup of honey, and it will be ready to eat right away. Ideally, you would heat up the honey on the stove to get the infusion going, but just mixed room temp with flakes will still give you plenty of flavor.

That said, Mike's Hot Honey (apparently America's #1 brand) has a nice sweet heat and is ready to go right out of the bottle. If you're making it homemade, you can add some fresh jalapeños for more spice, and a little apple cider vinegar to round out the flavors and thin the viscous liquid so that it's easier to spread or simply pour on. If you want it nice and mild, just go light on the chile powder or flakes. When you're making your sandwich, the honey fits beautifully right above the jelly as a spread (so it soaks into the bread), or you can simply give a drizzle between the jelly and PB.

So, when you're making your next peanut butter and jelly, take it from simple to slightly spicy with an easy add-on. And once you're on board, you might find more uses for hot honey in the kitchen.