Mitch and Sinead try out a selection of fancy nut butters
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There used to be two types of people in this world: crunchy or smooth.
Oh how times have changed.
You may have noticed the peanut butter section in your local supermarket has, well, spread considerably in recent times. And that the humble peanut has found itself swirled with sweet stuff and sandwiched between the likes of more elitist nuts, the macadamias and hazelnuts of the world.
For a PB fan, it's exciting, but also a little bit daunting.
Initial reactions involved some confusion: The product has a 5-star health rating, which Mitch and Sinead thought was surprising to see on a "caramel" flavoured product.
Struck by the extremely sweet flavour, Mitch concluded: "It isn't five bloody health stars."
Sinead agreed it sounded too good to be true. Does this mean you can eat this by the spoonful and not feel guilty about it?
Both acknowledged it was more of a dessert, and decided parents shouldn't be spreading it on their kids' toast for breakfast.
However, the sugar and fat component isn't much different to Sanitarium Original Crunchy Peanut Butter.
Nut Brother's Peanut Butter Salted Caramel has, per 100g, less fat than Sanitarium's product: 43.3g of fat compared to 49g. But it has slightly more sugar: 7.3g compared to 6.7g.
Forty Thieves - Salted Macadamia Butter with Maple & Vanilla $14.99 (235g jar)
Forty Thieves - Salted Macadamia Butter with Maple & Vanilla. Photo / Forty Thieves
A combination of macadamia and cashew nuts, this nut butter had the most liquid texture.
While Mitch nodded in approval, he said it wasn't something he'd ordinarily pick on a supermarket shelf.
Sinead thought it was tasty but felt the maple and vanilla notes were lacking.
Again, out taste testers agreed the butter was more suitable for dolloping on ice cream than making a morning meal out of. Indeed the 40 Thieves website recommends stirring this particular one through coconut ice cream, pouring over weekend pancakes or drizzling over fresh fruit salad. With their range of nut butters they suggest "a spoonful or two for a little extra energy before a workout, or to keep you going in the afternoons."
Pitted against old school peanut butter, this one comes in with a lower fat content, at 45.1g compared to 49g per 100g. And sugar is marginally lower too: 6.5g versus 6.7g.
The verdict
While Mitch and Sinead were impressed by the gourmet spreads, opinions differed about which was best.
Mitch felt while the 40 Thieves Salted Macadamia Butter was surprisingly delightful, he wouldn't eat it on toast for breakfast.
As a coffee lover, Fix & Fogg's Coffee & Maple took the top spot for him.
Sinead deemed the Nut Brothers Salted Caramel her favourite, but said she wouldn't buy it because she couldn't trust herself to stop at just a spoonful of the moreish spread.
Ultimately, our taste testers agreed at least two of these fancy challengers to good old crunchy peanut butter don't belong at the beginning of the day, but would be delicious on ice cream at the end.
