Paul McCartney’s 3-Ingredient Childhood Snack Is Adorably Simple

No matter how old you get, you’ll never forget the foods you grew up on, whether it was the carb-loaded comfort of your grandma’s home cooking or the simple pleasure of stacking up your favorite store-bought Lunchable.

Particularly, our nostalgia often clings to sweet treats. For Rob Lowe, it’s the dessert from his grandpa’s diner. For the Kelce brothers, Mama Kelce’s crave-worthy cookies. And for musical legend Paul McCartney, it’s (unsurprisingly) a quintessential British delight.

Paul McCartney’s Favorite 3-Ingredient Snack 

Before there was Beatlemania, chart-topping albums, and Yellow Submarines, a young Paul McCartney was growing up in post-war era Liverpool on his favorite food: sugar butties.

"We used to make these things called sugar butties," he said in an interview with his daughter, Mary McCartney. "I mean, seriously decadent and not good for you at all. But it was just like bread and butter, but with sugar on it, and then that was it."

This simple concoction of sweet, soft, and buttery layers makes it a dream snack for any child—or adult, for that matter. "I mean as kids that was like… love that," he shared. 

What Is a Sugar Butty? 

Sugar butties are just as sweet and uniquely charming as they sound. The British-English term "butty" is a playful abbreviation for "buttered." So, any dish that starts with bread and butter can be a "butty"—and believe us, it's so much more fun to say than a "sandwich."

From cheese butties to bacon butties to even chip butties (sandwiches filled with French fries), the U.K. loves its butties. But the sugar butty has to be the sweetest, most straightforward butty of them all. 

Made of just bread, butter, and sugar, the sugar butty is the epitome of a simple pleasure. Between the smooth richness of the butter, the sweet crunch of sugar crystals, and the soft, fluffy sandwich bread, it's like a handheld cake that comes together in five seconds. 

If a spoonful of sugar can help the medicine go down, there's no telling what a "sandwichful" of sugar is capable of.

Best of all, it's easy for people of all ages to prepare (which is helpful to McCartney, who admitted failing at preparing even a frozen pizza).  

Did McCartney keep up his sugar butty habit on the road? Not necessarily. Instead of a sweet sandwich, his preferred post-show snack is a margarita, of all things. "I have one margarita, and that's, like, my big reward," he shares, which seems like a well-deserved reward to us. 

But still, we like to think he snacks on this unpretentious childhood favorite whenever the taste for nostalgia strikes. Maybe nowadays, he'd dress it up with his all-time favorite indulgence, chocolate. Nutella butty, anyone?

How to Make Paul McCartney's Sugar Butty

While McCartney didn't reveal the exact recipe for his childhood staple, we have to assume it's as uncomplicated as it sounds. 

1. Take two slices of soft white bread (the kind that sticks to the roof of your mouth).
2. Slather each piece with a generous layer of good butter.
3. Sprinkle a layer of granulated sugar over the butter. 
4. Squish the two halves together, and enjoy!

So, the next time your sweet tooth needs a quick and easy fix, give McCartney's nostalgic favorite a try. It'll take you back to simpler times in a way that only classic treats—and maybe McCartney's music—can do.