Peanut Punch
Peanut Punch gives me instant nostalgia whenever I think of it. I remember being a young student dressed in mandatory uniform and just counting down the hours until school was over. Once that final bell rang my classmates and I would burst through those school gates to either board the school bus, wait for our ride to pick us up or begin our walk home in the hot Caribbean sun. The one thing that united us besides our excitement to finally go home was buying a fraco (fray-co) from the fraco man. If you’ve never had fraco before it is basically the Caribbean version of a snow cone, only it’s served in a cup and the ice isn’t shaved. It’s more of a finely crushed ice and is flavored with different juices, syrups, milk or other beverages. While cherry and condensed milk hold a special place in my heart my favorite flavor, hands down, without a doubt is peanut punch. Being the best flavor ever it was a little more pricey than the others but worth every single cent.
Buying fraco was an experience. Not only would you get your drink but you could meet up with all your friends, catch up on what happened during the school day, share lots of laughs and most importantly gossip. If you didn't have a dollar to buy a fraco for yourself you would either share or beg to borrow money because going into debt for food and drinks was totally acceptable. There was also the debate of who was the better fraco man. I'm not going to name names but one was definitely better than the other.
Peanut punch wasn't just limited to fracos though. I would also have them at home albeit without the perfectly crushed ice. I don't recall who exactly taught me how to make it but my grandfather stands out in my mind. His peanut punch was a little extra though. He would at oats and sometimes bananas to his which was super delicious and filling. I will list the recipe for both my take on peanut punch and a version inspired by my loving grandfather affectionately called Papa.
I tried to find some background on where peanut punch may have originated and why it is so popular but couldn't pin down anything reliable. What I did notice however was that peanut punch is extremely popular across cultures and has many variations including alcoholic versions. Personally, I have never had an alcoholic peanut punch. The recipes below are alcohol-free. I also don't usually drink cow's milk due to dietary restrictions so my peanut punch uses almond milk while my grandfather’s uses cow's milk.
Whitly's Dairy Free Peanut Punch
INGREDIENTS:
1 Jar of Creamy Peanut-Butter (18 oz jar. I try to use all natural or original when possible)
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg
4 Cups of Almond Milk (original, not sweetened or vanilla)
1 Cup of Ice
¼ Granulated Sugar
Papa's Peanut Punch
INGREDIENTS:
1 Jar of Creamy Peanut-Butter (18 oz jar)
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg
4 Cups of Whole Milk
2 Frozen Bananas
1/4 Cup of Old Fashioned Oats
¼ Granulated Sugar
STEPS:
Add milk to the blender. Adding the milk first ensures that the peanut butter will not stick to the sides and blades of the blender.
Add peanut butter, spices and blend until smooth. Also, add the oats in this step is you are making Papa's Peanut Punch.
Once ingredients are combined add your frozen ingredients. Add your ice if making Whitly's Peanut Punch and add frozen bananas if making Papa's Peanut Punch. Blend until smooth stopping to stir and ensure there are no large chunks.
Adjust thickness by adding more milk if necessary. Enjoy immediately.
