Blackberry Peanut Butter Smoothie

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich is very popular here in North America. Most kids love and consider it as a comfort food. In fact, it is the only lunch offered by most elementary school cafeterias when a child has either run out of lunch money or forgotten to bring a lunch from home. This beloved peanut butter and jelly combo has even been made to fit into a jar and is the inspiration for today’s creamy and luscious Blackberry Peanut Butter Smoothie.

According to this source, a blackberry is not a true berry but an aggregate fruit. Interestingly, they are distinguished from their raspberry relatives by the torus (receptacle) when the fruit is picked. If it remains on the plant, it is a blackberry. If it leaves a hole in the fruit, it is a raspberry. Who knew! I often wondered why there is a hole in raspberries and now I know. Curiosity satiated! 🙂

Blackberries have a sweet tart flavor and is often eaten fresh with a sprinkling of sugar and cream or in salads. I recently used them in this lovely Cara Cara Orange Blackberry Salad which I really enjoyed. They contrasted beautifully with the oranges. Blackberries can also be used in jams, sauces, pies, and smoothies. Although the are almost black in color, their juice is a lovely shade of purple. They are actually red when green (unripe).

In this recipe, I have combined the blackberries with thick Greek yogurt and creamy all natural peanut butter. This smoothie is quite thick and is better eaten with a spoon. The taste of the peanut butter is definitely discernible but not overpowering. If you like your smoothies a little sweet, a teaspoon of honey may be added. I did not use any sweetener at all but enjoyed it just the same. This Blackberry Peanut Butter Smoothie is like a healthier version of a PB&J sandwich.

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Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎