Homemade Living Series - Making Small Batch Homemade Nut Butters

Nut butters {Peanut, Cashew, Walnut, etc} are found in just about everyone's pantry and despite the fact they are one of the easiest things to make, it seems we rarely make them homemade.  I'm not sure why I had never thought of making my own until recently, but I'm quite happy I finally did.  For several reasons.  First, you know what the ingredients are....no hidden gems to discover on the label.  Second, they are likely less expensive than the pre-made version, depending on where you buy the nuts and how much they cost.  Third, you can custom make any flavor you like!

It's very easy to make these in small or large batches.  The small batches are nice to try new flavor combinations with.  There is only 1 necessary ingredient..............nuts.  Yup, that's it!  With nuts and a food processor, you can have nut butter in 10-12 minutes.  **It's best to use raw, unsalted nuts so you can control the saltiness.**

I have 2 favorites - Honey Roasted Peanut Nut Butter and Salty-Sweet Cashew Butter.  The Honey Roasted Peanut Butter is simply a bag of Honey Roasted Peanuts thrown in the food processor for 10-12 minutes.  The cashew butter recipe is below.



Small Batch Homemade Nut Butter - The Basic Recipe

1.  If you are using raw nuts, you'll want to roast them in the oven to enhance their flavor.  Bake them on a cookie sheet at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes.  Watch them closely to ensure they don't burn.

2.  After the nuts are roasted and cooled {or straight out of the package if no roasting is needed} place them in the food processor.

3.  Full Warning - when you first turn the food processor on, it will be extremely loud until they begin breaking down, about 1 minute.  After 2-3 minutes, the mixture will look like sand.  After 8 minutes or so, the oils will finally begin to release.  The mixture will go from clumpy to a smooth, satiny mixture.  This usually takes 10-12 minutes.

4.  Once you've hit the smooth, satiny appearance you can add any additional flavorings.

5.  Store in a sealed jar/container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Stir before using.

Nut Butter Add-Ins Include:

• seeds from a vanilla bean {or vanilla extract}
• pinch of sea salt
• honey
• maple syrup
• raisins & cinnamon
• 1 T. ground flaxseeds for every 1 cup of nuts used
• 1/2 T. chia seeds for every 1 cup of nuts used
• chocolate or chocolate chips {white, milk, dark, whatever your preference}

3 Recipes:

1. Chocolate-Vanilla Nut Butter

2 cups almonds or peanuts, 3-6 Tablespoons runny honey {depending on sweetness you desire}, 3 T cocoa powder, seeds from 1 vanilla bean {or 1 t. vanilla extract}.  Mix according to basic instructions.

2. Cinnamon-Raisin Nut Butter

2 cups almonds or peanuts, 1/4 cup soft raisins, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, seeds from 1 vanilla bean {or 1 t. vanilla extract}.  Mix according to basic instructions.

3. Salty-Sweet Cashew Butter

2 cups cashews, 3-4 Tablespoons runny honey, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, seeds from 1 vanilla bean {or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract}.  Mix according to basic instructions.