The Sweet Sandwich Queen Elizabeth Reportedly Ate Every Single Day

Childhood in the U.S. wouldn't be complete without regular infusions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Many of us still enjoy them into adulthood as a sweet treat served with a requisite tall glass of ice cold milk to wash it all down. Nostalgia regularly drives our food cravings and it's likely why even Queen Elizabeth II herself, the former British monarch, allegedly enjoyed jam pennies every day with her afternoon tea.

Made with white bread, fruit jam and butter, these cute little snacks are called penny sandwiches because traditionally, they're cut into small, 1.2 inch diameter circles, a size evocative of old English pennies. Queen Elizabeth enjoyed jam pennies with strawberry preserves made from berries grown at Balmoral Castle, the royal family's Highland summer home in Scotland. "The queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl. She's had them for afternoon tea ever since," Darren McGrady who worked as the Queen's chef for over a decade, told the Associated Press.

Although many people in the U.S. typically don't have a late afternoon meal, it certainly doesn't mean we can't enjoy jam penny sandwiches. As one of the many whimsical ideas for your next tea party — or as a birthday snacks or just for fun — these sweet little cutouts are both simple to prepare and delicious. Break out the best, store-bought white bread, spread one slice with jam instead of jelly, there's a difference — or marmalade, and the other with softened butter. Then cut off the crusts and use a 1 to 2 inch diameter cookie cutter, like the Hulisen Biscuit Cutter, to create perfect little sandwich coins.

Tasty with coffee, tea, or even a glass of milk or juice, stack jam pennies onto a plate dotted with fresh fruit and enjoy them wherever you are. Devour them outside at the park, or under your favorite tree, pinkies raised, in the backyard or even on a picnic blanket laid out on the family room floor.