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Cream-Nut Milk & Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters

 

Mighty Tastee! Since 1910

Stamped with the Made in the United States of America seal.

Cream-Nut is natural peanut butter made by the Koeze Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

History:

The Cream-Nut story begins when Sibbele Koeze emigrated to America from the Netherlands in the 1880’s. He built upon his Old World commitment to handcrafted, artisanal food and in 1910 established a thriving produce business.

What Sibbele Koeze started with his dedication to quality, value, and service, remains the story of Koeze Company today. Sibbele’s son, Albertus, went to work for his father and soon after directed the Koeze Company’s entry in the manufacture of fine hand-crafted peanut butter. Now, more than eighty years later, Albertus’ grandson, Jeff, is still making the same heritage, all-natural peanut butter.

To make a vintage product, we use vintage machinery. Albertus would feel right at home with our classic peanut butter equipment. Though more costly to run and maintain, this machinery allows us to slow down the process and focus on the craftsmanship of Cream-Nut peanut butter.

Selected Virginia peanuts are carefully roasted to a rich dark color, then coarse ground to perfection. To insure attention to detail, we produce small batches, one at a time. We add nothing more than a pinch of salt. There are no artificial colors, preservatives, or sugar, and it’s never homogenized. The result is the best tasting, all-natural peanut butter available. Prized in West Michigan for generations, we’re proud to introduce Cream-Nut to a national audience.

While visiting Brooklyn, my homie Shane Welch, picked up a box of these and demanded that we try one right there on the spot. We were hanging out at a local bar that shall remain nameless for preservation. But with beers and vodka/sodas, these were an excellent treat.

Shane said that they were some of his favorites, but I had never had them before. And after having tried them, I enjoyed them quite a bit myself. They are like caramel turtles only better because it's made with natural peanut butter and not caramel.

If you can find these little gems, get them! I would like to try the peanut butter on it's own next.

Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate. The dark chocolate look slightly ashy, but they were much richer. I think I like them better.

Jacques Torres, DUMBO, Brooklyn

I stopped by Jacques Torres in Brooklyn while visiting over the July 4th weekend. Our friend Cathy Erway, who was showing us the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, told us we NEEDED to try the iced hot chocolate. With the weather being as hot and humid as it was, it was a life saver and unbelievably good.

We also tasted some truffles in the store as well. I didn't buy any to bring home, as it was just too hot to carry around. But I did enjoy the Grand Cru truffle.

Chocolate covered pretzels and marshmallows. 

Chocolate bars and blocks. Word on the street is, Jacques Torres shouldn't be calling his "Jacques' Bean To Bar" a bean-to-bar chocolate bar. Word is, he sources the beans from other companies. But this is a rumor that I never asked about or contacted their company about... yet.

The label bean-to-bar is mostly irrelevant to the average fan of chocolate for the time being. But as chocolate makers grow and the demand picks up for real bean-to-bar chocolate bars, if the rumor is true, they better come correct about it.

Truffles and bark.

Chocolate covered things. Popcorn, nuts, and cornflakes.

 

After checking out the store and buying 72% hot chocolate cocoa, and Jacques Torres French Kiss cookie mix, we headed over to a small park right at the Manhattan Bridge for a a nice little break to sit by the water and people watch.