Several months ago someone asked me if I had an idea for a homemade version of “Uncrustables” sandwiches. For those of you unfamiliar with Uncrustables…they are basically crustless sandwiches that are crimped around the edges to seal the filling inside. The most popular variety being peanut butter and jelly. I remember thinking at the time that was a really good idea and actually made several attempts to make some..but for the life of me couldn’t figure out how! So I shelved the idea for future consideration.
Today I took the idea down off the shelf and gave it another shot! Thanks to the inspiration from Cute Food For Kids! After reading Tiffany’s blog post about Pocket Sandwiches I realized the important piece of equipment I’d been missing…..a plastic cutting board! DUH! :-) I couldn’t wait to give it a try!
How To Make Homemade “Uncrustables”:
First you will need two slices of SOFT bread. It can been wheat or white, or whatever kind you fancy, but it needs to be fairly soft in order to stick together. If yours is a little dry, try sticking it in the microwave for a few seconds. For my son, I use homemade gluten-free bread.
Trim off the crusts (thus the term “crustless”).
Add a glob (yes, that’s a technical term) of peanut butter to one crustless slice, and a glob of jam or jelly to the other slice.
Spread the PB&J on the bread, but not all the way to edge.
Place the two crustless slices together and then grab a small plastic cutting board (or something similar) and press each edge of the sandwich together. Trim any excess bread.
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Crazy simple huh!?! And I don’t know why…but these little gems were SO TASTY! There’s just something about food with a “filling” I guess. I had eaten two sandwiches before I knew it. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing…except to illustrate how tasty they were. ;-)
I really was quite astonished at how easy this idea turned out to be. When I first was trying to figure out how to make one of these I was completely over-thinking the whole thing!
Sometimes the BEST ideas really ARE the SIMPLEST! :-)
Homemade “Uncrustables”
Ingredients
- 2 slices soft bread
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
Instructions
- First you will need two slices of SOFT bread. It can been wheat or white, or whatever kind you fancy, but it needs to be fairly soft in order to stick together.
- Trim off the crusts (thus the term "crustless").
- Add a glob of peanut butter to one crustless slice, and a glob of jam or jelly to the other slice.
- Spread the PB&J on the bread, but not all the way to edge.
- Place the two crustless slices together and then grab a small plastic cutting board and press each edge of the sandwich together. Trim any excess bread.
Thank you! You saved me a lot of time and a trip to walmart to buy the silly device!! You are a veritable genius!.,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just bought the Wonder bread crustless cutter for just a dollar at our local Dollar Store! Made 5 sandwiches in 2 minutes! Works great first time and very minimal waste. I’m definetly gonna do these ahead of time to freeze for my kids this summer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hey look at that, why did I not think of using a plastic cutting board to ‘crimp’ edges? I’ve read an article or something on this subject in the past, but the lady who’d shared it had used a really expensive special device for cutting off crusts as well as crimping the edges…. BOO. I almost left the page right then… there’s now way I’m spending 10 or more dollars on a plastic thing that I’ll end up breaking in the process… I’m glad I read on, though cause she mentioned ‘globbing/blobbing’ PB on BOTH pieces of bread, then the jelly to prevent a squishy jelly soaked sammy (which I happen to find quite delicious, but some people/kids do not). Anywho, if I hadn’t just so HAPPENED to finish up the PB tonight, I’d probably be making many of these little fellers to freeze for future gobbling…. I shall have to put it on my to do list….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That`s a great idea – you can even use a plastic cookie cutter with an edge to make these. Roll out your Wonderful bread, and smear both sides with peanut butter and add a glob of jam. Lay on your cookie cutter on the wrong side – lay on a wooden board, and squish. Flip over for the cutting side, and squish again!
I`ve made crazy shapes with these – but I usually go with my ring shaped one. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do these freeze well? Sorry if this was already answered! I didn’t read every single comment. Thanks so much!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.They should freeze fine.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I feed the ducks at the city lake my crust and old bead that I have saved up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Am I missing something. How about if you just buy the cut and seal from pampered chef.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Make shaped uncrustables by flipping your plastic cookie cutter upside down to crimp the bread edges together. (using a cutting board to press it saves your hands!) Then flip it back over to cut it out with the sharper side!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love your website! I’m a new fan!! Do you know if you can freeze these? Also, how do you thaw them out if so? Thanks!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My 5 year old is a picky eater but loves these. And he likes to help in the kitchen. Sounds like we will be doing a few loaves and freezing them. Thanks a bunch!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for all the tips on freezing – that was my first question. Boyfriend & I buy uncrustables so often that it would be nice to do a whole loaf at once and pop ’em in the freezer! Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.In order to prevent ‘bleed through’ of the jelly, the trick is to put peanut butter on BOTH sides of the bread, and then the jelly in between. Then there is no soggy, sticky bread by lunchtime.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.you could use cream cheese and jelly if you don’t like peanut butter or ham and cheese. My friend uses the Pampered Chef thing and thawed frozen bread dough to make chicken pockets to take on camping trips. You could use chicken or turkey, some vegetables and a little gravy for the filling, then freeze after cooking and you’re all set for trips or lunch or dinner.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.@Sylvia, the gadget you mention was called a sandwich flying saucer maker…I had one for years!
As to the Uncrustable Sandwiches…try toasting them!
I make them with all sorts of fillings – not just pb and j….and besides being able to freeze, they toast beautifully, if you have a wide mouth toaster or a toaster-oven…
I save the crusts in plastic bag in freezer and when I have enough I spread on a jelly roll pan, toast in oven, turning them a time or two and when cool, put them through the food processor to make my own breadcrumbs.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillie, I know I’m dating myself, but when I was a young girl, my parents had this gadget that was made with long metal handles, at the end of which was a round metal compartment. When you spread the handles open, you a a 2 sided round metal container of sorts, into which you put 2 buttered slices of bread facing the metal parts and filled the with whatever sounded good to you, such as fresh fruit, ham and cheese, or whatever else you had on hand in the fridge. After closing and sealing the container, you cut off the extra bread. Then you put the container portion over the flame on the stove , turning it several times until the delightful pocket of goodness was brown and crusty. I can still remember how good they were and the family also enjoyed them on picnics or campouts.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Guess I am dated as well. We call those Jaffles! You can still buy the Jaffle irons in camping stores in Australia. They are great for taking with you when you go camping and boy does melted cheese taste good on a camping trip. Another thing we put in them is raw eggs and cheese. The toasting part cooks the egg too :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There is an aisle contraption for making these
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My son hates peanut butter. Has anyone tried any other filings in these and had it work?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You could try almond butter, or a thin layer of nutella or even marshmallow fluff.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.They are great with Nutella and banana.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The others listed work too–just never tried freezing them.
Did a slice of hard boiled egg with a dab of mayo & mustard, sprig of parsley.
Made them with a thin slice of Granny Smith apple & cheddar cheese.
Did plum tomato and fresh basil–served with a tomato dipping sauce or Italian dressing my garden herbs I concocted (sorry no recipe). I even baked them after brushing a little olive oil and sprinkle of parmesan cheese mixed with fresh oregano.
Always wanted to try with roasted red peppers toastedwith garlic or aioli sauce but never got that far.
Also little cucumber sandwiches with a bit of ranch dressing and a sprig of dill–Jillee had a post for a great Ranch dressing a while back.
Really anything you have around will work.
Whoaaaaa! what great suggestions! I’m heading out to the store to get more ingredients. I LOVE variety. Thanks for sharing.
I never had trouble getting my boys to eat the crusts (it seemed they were always starving), but I always thought these were a great idea as snacks for my to hold them through all those high school extracurricular activities. They got carb, protein, & some sugar to hold them over.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.But– they were so expensive–especially considering the ingredients. So I made my own using my ravioli cutter. I think I’ll resurrect these to hold me over when I’m on the go.
Thanks for the info on how to make these. Great tutorial. When we go to Disneyland, I always make up a big bunch of PB&J for the end of the day. I find it MUCH easier to spread the PB and the J if I freeze the bread first. That way, I don’t rip up the bread while spreading.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t know how any of you feel about unitaskers – but you could also use a sandwich press to do this. I have a very very old grilled cheese maker that I do this with = just pop two slices of bread in it, let it heat up and toast and seal the bread, then use a marinade needle to fill the sandwiches – nothing like a toasted pb&j for lunches! On the cheaper side walmart usually has these sandwich cutters for one dollar that would crimp the sides and cut the crusts off all in one shot so if you want to make a lot of these in cute kid/bento friendly shapes there’s another idea for you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Using a marinade needle sounds like a pain in the butt. Especially to wash it. But if it works for you, more power to ya!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I cannot tell you how happy I am to learn this. I spend a ton of money on these things. It is amazing to watch the prices from store to store. You have alot of amazing ideas and I would say that I use over 50% of them. And I’m saving alot of money along the way. Thank you!!! Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, to be able to freeze them wihtout them getting soggy when they defrost you really do need the peanut butter on both sides of the bread. We think it taste better that way anyway. They actually freeze beautifully and all you have to do is pop them in a zip lock bag and go on your way and they are perfect for lunch. We also usually take them when we stay in a hotel room with a small fridge or cooler. Yes, they all defrost that way, but they are great to take to them parks or out site seeing or just when the kids are starving and it’s not quite meal time yet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have the Pamper Chef large cut and seal, my kids loved using it and now as ‘adults’ they still use it. Never have a problem with the left over crusts because they would just eat them first. We would use a store brand wheat bread because it was soft and would seal just fine. We never buy white bread.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wonder bread also has a uncrustable cutter. It’s 2 pieces one cuts off the crust and the other one seals the bread.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, this is the one I use…found it at my local grocery store next to the PB&J. It works great, and not as much waste as the round Pampered Chef one :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Pamper chef sells a item not sure the name but it comes in two sizes it cuts a circle than you puzh down the button on top and it crimps the bread or pie together i have both sizes and use ot to make my own uncrustables texas toast works best because the bread is thicker
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I wrote a post on makin uncrustables on my blog at How To Homemaker back in 2010 if you are interested. http://www.howtohomemaker.com/2010/08/make-your-own-uncrustables.html
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Pampered Chef has the perfect tool for making them. I do like your idea abou using the cutting board. That is somethig everyone has in their kitchen arsenol.
Blessings~Nancy
Use crusts for mini bread puddings or even share with the wild birds
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You did it again! Great idea! I wonder if I could make the peanutbutter and banana like that..My absolute favorite snack sandwich!
Did anyone find out yet if the Clay products were won? I never saw an email showing that give-away was over… I would loved to have won that!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i’ve got to say that the strangest thing i’ve ever seen in the supermarket freezers in the states is these sandwiches. that was at least 10 years ago and i’ve never forgotten them! maybe that’s cos i was brought up eating rye bread WITH the crusts on! haha
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I will mix the pb and j then spread on bread, put slices together and cut crust off with pizza cutter. You can pinch the sides together. I would like to try freezing but worried about them defrosting into a soggy mess. This would certainly save a little time making lunches.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.they are not soggy at all – freeze away!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, Pampered Chef makes the Cut and Seal. No need to slice the crusts off. Make your sandwich, and seal it quickly and easily with one press.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have actually done this for a couple of years now. I don’t know if they still have them, but Pampered Chef has a gadget that cuts & crimps your bread just like the store-bought ones. And YES, they can be frozen- I normally make a whole loaf’s worth at one time. There is a little bit more “waste” with the pampered chef one, but the ease of use makes it completely worth it to me!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Michele – To avoid any waste of the bread – take the crusts and make bread crumbs! I do that and save in a freezer bag that I keep in the freezer for such things. I make my own bread crumbs for meat loaf etc- and I like using a mixture of types of bread that I have saved…I have even known to toast a hot dog bun and run it trough my Ninja blender to add to the bag. Saves throwing out any extras!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Or make a batch of home-made croutons, or freeze in a bag to use as stuffing come turkey day.
OMG! Brilliant idea. And I LOVE bread pudding! And we love to snack on homemade croutons too, so no waste here!
awesome ideas! Thanks! :)
They do still have the sandwich cutter… It’s $10… I love mine!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have one of the Pampered chef ones too, but have not been very successful with it. Any advice?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sabrina, I had the PC one too and hated it. It was like the spring on mine was really hard to push and the bread stuck to the smoosher thing. I returned mine. Glad to see I’m not the only one! I just use the rim of a plastic glass now. The key is to keep pressure on the edges for like 20 seconds. Works like a champ and no extra gadgets in my drawers!
I have been using my Pampered Chef sandwich crimper for years– without the spring! It kept getting stuck and wouldn’t release the sandwich so I unscrewed it and took the spring out (thought I would ask for a replacement screw and never got around to it.)
Absolutely going to try and freeze some of these for a quick packed lunch, all ready to go.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just passed this idea along to my two granddaughters and was trying to think of something not so large to do the crimping and glanced over and saw my plastic weekly pill container and thought that might work. Now if I just had some squishy bread to try it out!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Brilliant! Now… what to do with the leftover crusts??
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Turn the leftover crusts into bread pudding! I’d just toss them into the freezer in a Ziplock bag, along with whatever bits of bread and rolls you’ve accumulated. When you have enough bread bits, it’s time to get baking!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Grind them up to use for bread crumbs.No one at my house eats the end pieces of the loaf so I save them for making bread crumbs.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Save them up in the freezer & when there is enough make stuffing. That is what I do with the “heels” of the bread.
Great idea! Do you think these could be packaged up and frozen like the store bought uncrustables are?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t see why they couldn’t be…..I would just make sure you get as much air out of the bag so they don’t get frost on them. I am gonna try it out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, I do this for my kids school lunches and they freeze/thaw perfectly :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes! I generally see people lay them on a cookie sheet to flash freeze them for a few hours first, and then put them into sandwich baggies. I recommend the earlier trick, too, of putting the PB on both sides, and jam/jelly int he middle – the PB helps keep the jam from leaking out, and the bread getting jam-soggy when defrosted.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love your posts Jillee! And you are soooo close on this one. I used to work at an uncrustables plant. The bread really is just crimped together so great job on that. Also they start off with huge pieces of bread (think Texas toast). But the key difference is that there is pb on both bread slices with jelly/jam between. This way you don’t have one side get the dreaded jelly leakage through the bread. They really are so simple. Keep up the amazing posts!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Brilliant! Once again….the simplest ideas….. :-) Thanks for sharing Krebs!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have an acrylic drinking glass that measures 3.5″ in diameter. I spread their favorite filling in the center only as well. Then I push down w/ my glass (like a cookie cutter) & it cuts out a perfect circle, seals the edges during the press down & perfectly trims off the crust!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How Neat!! I always made these by cutting the bread with a drinking glass. But this is really neat! And I am going to try the thing about 2 sides of PB instead of just 1 :-) Thank you, Krebs & Jillee!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used to do this also for my kids lunches. However, I used cookie cutters. They worked great. Plus each kid had their favorite shape :)
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