This week we’re eating… home-made roasted almond butter
I’ve had quite a few conversations recently about the home-made almond butter I’ve been making. I’ve promised the recipe to a few people, so I thought I might as well share it on my blog too. I love it! It’s so simple to make, tastes delicious and has really helped me cut down on sugary food, as it satisfies my sweet tooth, while at the same time being packed with protein, vitamin E and antioxidants.
I’ve tried a few different recipes but this is the version that works best for me. It uses only nuts and a pinch of salt – I’ve seen other recipes that suggest adding honey into the blender, or oil, but personally I don’t think it needs it. You could replace the almonds with peanuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans, or a mixture of two or three different types.
It takes a good while to blend to smooth. The first time I made this, I honestly didn’t think it was going to work, but stick with it, as it really does. You need a strong food processor for this one – and if it feels like the blender is getting too hot, then take a break mid-way through so that it doesn’t overheat, as once almost happened with mine, after I left it whizzing a bit too long!
I’ve included a couple of my favourite serving suggestions below, but if I’m honest, my favourite way to eat it is with a spoon straight out of the jar.
Ingredients – makes one jar of around 300g
400g almonds (with their skins on)
A good pinch of salt
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
- Spread the almonds over a large baking tray, so that they are in a single layer, and roast for 10 minutes.
- Put the nuts into the food processor with a good pinch of salt and blend for around 12-15 minutes until smooth. You’ll need to stop every few minutes to scrape the nuts off the side of the blender.
- You can keep it in an air-tight container or jar for a week.
Variations
You don’t have to roast the nuts first – you can just put then straight into the blender if you like, but personally, I prefer the roasted taste.
Add in two tablespoons of flax, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or a mix of the three, about two-thirds of the way through the food processor stage.
Serving suggestions
Spread onto lightly salted rice cakes, and top with sliced banana. Baby Boy I, now 13 months old, adores these.
Slice open a banana lengthways and spread on some peanut butter.
Cut open a date, spread with almond butter and push back together. I have these every time I’m craving chocolate – and it works.
For more of my tried and tested recipes, visit the Food section on Cardiff Mummy Says. Don’t forget Cardiff Mummy Says is also on Facebook, and you can tweet me on @cardiffmummy
This looks really easy to do and ironically I actually bought a ginormous box of dates from Costco meaning to do something healthy with them (well, a sticky toffee pudding actually) but now I can have a go at almond butter.
Ooh, I love Costco! You should try Deliciously Ella’s raw brownies with some of those dates. The recipe says medjool dates, but I always get the cheaper ones! X
http://deliciouslyella.com/raw-brownies/