Anyway, so I ranted a bit on the About page concerning the making of things from scratch and not consuming quasi-foods. Nice work if you can get it. But it really is not that difficult. It just takes a little research and stepping back to analyze what it is you buy or want to buy and asking yourself, “How hard is it really to make that at home?”
Like almond butter.
Mmm… almond butter.
It is this simple:
Buy almonds (skins on) in bulk, either at Sam’s or Costco or your local natural food store. Use right away, refrigerate for a few days, or if you won’t use them for a while, freeze them. The oil in nuts will make them go rancid so plan accordingly. Buy raw and grind ‘em or roast them yourself, then grind ‘em. Roasting or warming helps release more of the oils, which will make your almond butter creamier faster AND a little bit darker. And it tastes great. Roasted or raw almond butter, it doesn’t matter, they’re both good… but be sure to roast your almonds at home and at a low temperature. Buying pre-roasted almonds can be risky since roasting at high temperatures may damage the good fat content and produce free radicals. I only just discovered this and will never buy roasted almonds again. Boo.
Homemade Almond Butter
(adapted from Bowl of Plenty)
This recipe will make about 10oz of almond butter, so find an appropriate size jar or plastic container.
1 1/2 – 2 cups raw almonds*
Rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
Food processor with steel blade
Rubber spatula
1 tsp salt
Jar or plastic container
*For raw almond butter, omit roasting steps and simply process for about 15 minutes or until creamy
Set an oven rack to be in the center of oven. Heat oven to 160°F. Spread almonds in an even layer on baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until just aromatic, stirring and turning occasionally to prevent burning**.
(**Due to varying oven temperatures and pan qualities, keep an eye on the almonds to make sure they don’t overcook.)
Pour cooled almonds into food processor. Process on high, stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl. The mixture will go from almond dust, to almond meal, to clumps of almond meal, to a ball of almond dough, and then finally to a smooth almond paste. Add teaspoon salt, then season to taste. Continue to process until creamy.
Once the almond butter has reached your desired creamy consistency, spoon into container or feel free to flavor from there. You can add honey, cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, stevia extract. You can even substitute roasted or raw cashews for 1/2 – 1 1/2 cups of the almonds (again, roasting until aromatic — I haven’t tried cashews, so I don’t know how long they take to roast). Then bottle and refrigerate. It should keep a few months in the fridge (if it lasts that long), or freeze it if you won’t be using it right away.
