Behind the scenes: The making of the 'world's best peanut butter'

(BPT) - Peanut butter is one of those foods that evokes sensory memories baked in from childhood: classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that "ants on a log" celery stick creation, plus a wide assortment of candy and treats. If you've been a peanut butter fanatic since you were a kid, or even if you're not — chances are you've never tasted anything quite like Hell's Kitchen Peanut Butter.

While typical mass-produced peanut butter is probably what you grew up with, this is something entirely different. Created only in small batches with care and expertise, Hell's Kitchen Peanut Butter uses high-quality ingredients and a tried-and-true production method to make peanut butter that food critics have called "The world's best peanut butter."

Peanut butter origin story

The late Chef Mitch Omer first made his own peanut butter for his indie downtown Minneapolis restaurant Hell's Kitchen, which he opened in 2002 long before Gordon Ramsay of the TV show came on the scene. It instantly became a hit.

The peanut butter was put on the map when food journalist Lynne Rossetto Kasper swooned over it on her "Splendid Table" NPR show years ago.

"When hundreds of emails poured in asking how to buy the irresistible peanut butter, we were blown away, since we had no clue about that pivotal broadcast," said Cynthia Gerdes, co-founder of Hell's Kitchen. "And the orders have poured in ever since."

Despite the constant high demand for the crunchy concoction, Hell's Kitchen still makes the prized peanut butter by hand in small batches, but not by choice. They've reached out to many co-packers in the past for help with scaling up production, but the viscosity of the peanut butter does not work well with automation machines; it's too thick. So the ingredients, production process and quality have remained unchanged, to the delight of its legions of fans.

Just how good is it? Jane and Michael Stern of Roadfood.com said, "This could very well be the best peanut butter on the planet." Over 23 years and thousands of nationally shipped orders later, not one customer has requested to return a jar of peanut butter — enforcing the delicacy's high praise.

Although Omer sadly passed away in 2016, Hell's Kitchen (now owned by its 95 employees) continues to make their legendary crunchy peanut butter by hand in extremely small batches.

Hell's Kitchen Peanut Butter Recipe

If you've always wondered how to make really high-quality peanut butter, this recipe is for you. Chef Mitch Omer wasn't afraid to share the recipe, often saying, "Why the hell wouldn't I?"

Ingredients

• 3 cups salted raw Spanish peanuts, skins on
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup sweet cream butter
• 1/3 cup peanut oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place peanuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place on center rack of the oven. Roast peanuts for 10 minutes. Open oven door and check for color: Peanuts should be golden brown when done. If peanuts require more time, rotate pan and cook for another 5-7 minutes. (If they look like espresso beans, start over.)
• Remove from oven, cool to room temperature.
• Place peanuts in food processor with a steel chopping blade and process on low until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Don't over-process, you want a chopped/chunky consistency.
• Dump ground nuts into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add brown sugar and salt. Mix on low about 1 minute.
• Add peanut oil and butter into food processor and blend on low until completely emulsified, about 11 seconds.
• Scrape oil and butter into peanut mixture. Mix on low until smooth and creamy.
• Add honey slowly on low until fully incorporated.

How to enjoy Hell's Kitchen Peanut Butter

The restaurant celebrates its renowned peanut butter in a variety of ways on its menu, from a simple breakfast offering on toast or an English muffin to being featured in their lunchtime Peanut Butter Bacon Double Smashed Burger and desserts like the Kiss My Lips Peanut Butter Chocolate Mallow Cup.

In other words, you can enjoy both sweet and savory uses for their famous creation — and you may never be able to go back to mass-produced peanut butter again.

The legendary peanut butter is available for purchase in-store, or on the Hell's Kitchen website.