We ate things in our childhood that are hard to let go of—for instance, hot dogs, ramen, hot chocolate, etc. Thankfully nowadays, there are vegan versions of pretty much anything.

Thankfully, one of everyone's favorite childhood foods was and always will be vegan. And no, I'm not talking about Oreos!

I’m talking about peanut butter jelly sandwiches! The accidentally vegan go-to treat of our childhoods. The vegan food our parents didn't realize they were giving us. A straight-up classic dish!

So if someone ever asks, hey, are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches vegan, you tell them, heck yes, they are!

The ingredients in a peanut butter jelly sandwich are:

1. Peanut Butter - Ensure you buy natural peanut butter where peanuts are literally the only ingredient.

2. Jam/Jelly - Try to buy more homemade, local, natural, low in sugar spreads.

3. Bread - Most of which is vegan. You can make your PB & J even healthier by choosing more natural whole wheat loaves.

So how do we elevate this dish for adult life? How do we turn peanut butter and jelly into something to share with our friends and eat with tea or coffee?

My answer to that, put it on puff pastry and roll it!

Enter vegan peanut butter jelly rolls. 

This recipe is straightforward and utterly delicious. Eat it as a snack, breakfast item, or hot treat with the family. It utilizes puff pastry, jelly (jam), peanut butter, and blended tofu to become a heart-warming, protein-filled sweet treat.

Wait for a second. Is puff pastry vegan friendly, though?

Guess what? Most puff pastry is accidentally vegan!! See the theme here? Accidental vegan treats!

I love to use Tenderflake. The ingredients in it are:

"Flour (Wheat), Modified Palm And Canola Oil Margarine (Soybean), Water, Sea Salt. May Contain: Milk."

They need to say it may contain milk for legal reasons, but this puff pastry is vegan!

Puff pastry is great for people like me that suck at baking and therefore don't enjoy it.

To prepare this puff pastry, all I did was let it defrost in the fridge the night before the day I was using it.

Make sure to use it within 24 hours of defrosting it, though!

Once it has thawed, you can roll it to your desired thickness and get started!

When making this recipe, I thought to myself, what goes well with peanut butter and jelly? I wanted to up my vegan peanut butter jelly game.

I thought about how it might be nice to add something creamy to the mix. I finally stumbled upon a sweet vegan tofu ricotta recipe.

It told me to take firm pressed tofu and blend it with a bit of vanilla extract and maple syrup to taste.

Blending tofu with these sweet ingredients leaves you with a creamy sweet tofu spread! You can even add some lemon to taste for a more acidic punch. I did not use lemon in this version, but I would try it next time!

How to make vegan peanut butter jelly rolls

Ingredients:

• One block of puff pastry (defrosted)

• 1/4 cup of low sugar jam

• One block of a firm (pressed) tofu

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp. maple syrup

• 1/3 cup peanut butter

• 2 tbsp. liquid sweetener of choice (I used date syrup from how not to die, you can use more maple syrup or agave)

• Water or plant-based milk, 1-4 tbsp. to thin peanut butter

• Cinnamon to sprinkle once finished (optional)

Directions:

• Press out your firm tofu. Wrap in towel and press under the cutting block.

• Preheat oven at about 425 F.

• Roll out the puff pastry until it is a nice large flat surface.

• Spread your jam/jelly.

• Blend pressed tofu with maple syrup and vanilla extract. Sweeten to your preference.

• Mix sweet tofu spread in with the jam all over the surface of the puff pastry.

• Roll your puff pastry into one long "log."

• Cut into 1-inch chunks.

• Place on a lined baking tray with swirls facing up.

• Bake according to puff pastry box instructions. I preheated my oven to 425 and cooked the rolls for 10-12 minutes.

• Take 1/3 cup peanut butter, mix with sweetener of choice, and thin according to your preference with water or plant-based milk. I used date syrup because I had that on hand. I would probably use maple syrup or agave if I didn't have date syrup. Thin it out until it is as chunky or runny as you prefer.

• Once the rolls have baked through, let them sit for a bit before spreading on your peanut butter spread.

• Generously spread your peanut butter mixture along the top of your rolls.

• Try not to eat them all in one go, or go for it! No regrets.

• NOTES: If you want to use date syrup, I used about 3 Tbsp. To make date syrup, we used the recipe from Michael doctor Greger from how not to die. You'll need 1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup boiling water, 1 tsp blended lemon peel. For more information on this date syrup recipe, check it out here.

I hope you enjoy this straightforward recipe that will transport you back to your childhood! I’ve been enjoying these as a great breakfast snack. Tag me on IG if you make them!