It’s a darn good thing I clicked over to YumSugar today, or I would never have known it’s National Peanut Butter Day. Gimme a P! Gimme a B! Gimme a yay!

For us ‘Murikans, peanut butter has to be the ultimate comfort food. Who among us (well, except for the horribly allergic) weren’t weaned on a steady diet of PB&Js? Maybe you swapped out the J for some bananas for your first gourmet venture at age eight or so. And don’t even get me started on Fluffernutters. (Can you believe they still make Fluff, and still with the same retro packaging?)

Today, as with so very many classic ingredients, peanut butter has gone gourmet. No longer are your choices restricted to Jif versus Skippy, or smooth versus crunchy. Now, you have a rainbow of peanut buttery goodness to choose from. So what do choosy mothers choose now?

Well, we don’t yet have a comprehensive survey of PB-lovin’ moms out there, but we do have some top-notch spreadalicious love right here on ThisNext. Two of us blogging ninjas ourselves are personal fans of San Diego’s Spread’s spreads. They go beyond the one-note symphony of peanut butter, blending in ingredients both exotic and everyday for something new and fun. I personally have tried the mango-red pepper, the dark chocolate-curry and the cherry-almond, and I can attest to their nutty yumminess.

If you’re not in San Diego, but in one of a rather scattershot selection of cities ranging from Appleton, WI, to Aurora, CO,  you can sample some of P.B.Loco’s quirky creations featuring their flavorful blended peanut butters. But you can still get their goods at home by buying online. Combinant flavors include CoCoBanana, Raspberry White Chocolate and … Sun-Dried Tomato? Loco indeed!

The old “you’ve got your chocolate in my peanut butter” schtick is no longer limited to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. (Not that there’s anything wrong with them.)  The natural pairing of PB and C makes its way into the creations of both Spread and P.B.Loco, not to mention Greenwich Village’s Peanut Butter Co. ThisNexter KitttenCouture most especially likes their Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. Or, if you prefer you peanut butter in your chocolate, perhaps we could tempt you with a scoop of Delicious Creamy Spoon Fudge?

Of course, outside the good old U. S. of A., peanut butter is a relatively exotic affair unto itself. Our friends in the Old World have a sweet spreadable of their own, the hazelnut-chocolate Nutella. But then, it’s not World Nutella Day yet, is it?