Jeanne here.
My super-in-the-know sister-in-law had this in her house a few weeks ago …
And it was so dang tasty … creamy and delicious and I wanted to eat the whole jar with a spoon. (Thankfully, my better judgment took hold and I left a little for my nephew’s lunch … at least I think I left enough for one sandwich … perhaps this explains my need for a new swimsuit this year.)
So I went home and dreamed about coconut & peanut spread.
And then I went to the Co-op and thought about buying it (it retails for $10.48 for 16 oz).
But then I realized I had a big bag of bulk almonds at home.
And more than our share of Organic Nutiva Cold Pressed Coconut Oil (we have four 78 oz. jars in the pantry right now … it’s scary).
And three gallons of that incredible pure grade B maple syrup that we ordered direct from a farmer in Wisconsin through our local Weston A. Price Foundation.
So for less than $3, I could try my hand making our own nut-butter.
(I don’t know about you, but the thing I don’t love about homemade and/or organic nut butter that you can buy in the store is that it can be grainy and will separate and has to be stirred … So I was hoping that combining almonds with coconut oil would give me the creaminess I crave in a good nut butter.)
I’ve now made this twice and we are totally happy with the results!
Here’s what I did:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups almonds
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons pure grade B maple syrup
- dash of salt
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it reaches the texture you like.
What I like about making our own (not just the cost-benefit) is that we get all the good benefits of Coconut Oil (like the fact that it contains lauric acid … one of the good fats we’re always looking for … it has antioxidant properties, helps us absorb important minerals and contains antimicrobial, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties), and we know the almonds are organic and non-GMO, we know how little maple syrup we actually need to sweeten this tasty concoction.
We use this almond butter on PBJs, in smoothies, and in just about any recipe that calls for peanut butter (including the Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles that my family loves).
And if almonds aren’t your thing … try cashews or hazelnuts or shelled sunflower seeds. Let us know how it goes … we want to know!
Happy Tuesday!