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This Is The World's Most Expensive PB&J Sandwich

The bread is baked with edible gold!

Generally, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is cheap to make. All you need is two slices of bread, peanut butter, and your favorite kind of jelly. However, some people—including restaurants—take this classic sandwich a step further and turn it into a gourmet experience. While some gourmet PB&J sandwiches may rack up a pretty penny, there's one sandwich that exceeds the cost of the rest. Located in the West Loop of Chicago, you will find PB&J—which is actually short for Pizza, Beer, and Jukebox. Although the title doesn't exactly pay tribute to the beloved sandwich, it does have a signature menu item—a $350 peanut butter and jelly sandwich. According to the restaurant, it is officially the world's most expensive PB&J sandwich.

What's in the world's most expensive PB&J sandwich

Under the "Not So Secret…" section of their menu is where you'll find The Golden Goose. This sandwich is made with Maison Dutriez's Red Currant Jam, which is the world's most expensive jelly and hand seeded using goose quills. The process of seeding this jam with a feather quill is one that has been used since the 14th century. A jar of it prices at 18 euros, which is around $21.

Next is the Adams All Natural Peanut Butter, which only contains peanuts and salt (unlike other peanut butter spreads that have a good amount of palm oil in them).

Between the jar of Adam's peanut butter (priced at $5.49) and the red currant jam, this peanut butter and jelly sandwich doesn't seem like it should cost a whopping $350. Until you read what kind of bread they use. The Golden Goose is served with toasted edible Gold Leaf Bread, which is considered the world's most expensive bread and can easily have a price tag of around $120 to $150 (sometimes more). This bread is baked with edible gold and dusted with an edible gold leaf topping, which is how the price of this sandwich skyrockets.

The Golden Goose is then drizzled with New Zealand Manuka Honey, which is the rarest honey you can buy and prices around $39 for an 8.8 oz. jar. Between all this incredible detail, it makes sense why the world's most expensive PB&J would be priced at $350—and why the PB&J restaurant in Chicago requests customers to order the sandwich one day in advance.

When you purchase The Golden Goose, you are also handed the remainder of the Manuka Honey and the Red Currant Jam jars used for the sandwich.

assembling the golden goose peanut butter and jelly
Courtesy of PB&J West Loop

Part of the proceeds go towards charity

If you need even more convincing to shell out $350 for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, here's even more incentive—part of the proceeds are donated to Chicago HOPES for Kids, a local Chicago charity that focuses on empowering children experiencing homelessness. The charity works to protect academic support in Chicago's homeless shelters.

It's not the only PB&J they sell.

While the Golden Goose is certainly the biggest shocker on the menu, the "Not So Secret.." section does offer a few other peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for customers to enjoy at a more approachable price. Their classic Wonder Bread PB&J is served at $5 a sandwich, or you can order a whole loaf of Wonder Bread PB&J sandwiches that serves 8 people for $35.

They also offer the Elvis Style sandwich—toasted wheat bread, chunky peanut butter, honey sliced bananas—for just $7, and you can add bacon for an additional $2.

The Not Your Mama's PB&J is made with a splash of maple-bourbon honey, drizzled on toasted multigrain with almond butter and a berry compote—all for just $8.

And of course, for the peanut butter and jelly connoisseur, there's the Make Your Own where customers can choose a bread, a spread, a jelly, and a garnish for just $10. And no, the Gold Leaf Bread is not an option, you'll have to order the Golden Goose if you want a bite of that dusty gold crust!

Read more: 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback

Kiersten Hickman
Kiersten Hickman is a freelance health and nutrition journalist. Read more about Kiersten
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