Truth be told, I am cheap. I know, shocking! I live on a budget (who doesn't these days) and splurging on flavored peanut butters is just not a priority. I have seen different brands in the stores that incorporate flavors in different nut butters and since I had a bad of roasted peanuts (in the shell) sitting in my pantry (and no peanut butter), I figured it was time to put those peanuts to some good use! I kept putting it off because I had to shell the nuts, but when I finally pulled the bag out of the pantry, I had no problem getting to work.
It's funny how a huge bag of peanuts turned out to be just shy of two cups of actually peanuts. I guess that will slow you down if you are just eating the nuts.
A must have for ease in the kitchen is a food processor! I love mine. I am not sure how I ever lived without it. Seriously, this thing makes chopping, mixing and pureeing so easy. I have
this one and I absolutely love it!
Now, back to the peanut butter...It takes a little while to get it to a creamy state, but I like making it at home because you have so many options from flavors, to smooth or crunchy...you decide.
This got super creamy, but when I added the maple syrup, it turned into an almost candy consistency. I wanted it to smooth out a little more, so I added some almond milk. I have done this before with other nut butters I made and I love the velvety texture it becomes. This did not disappoint! It has a real peanut flavor that is kissed with a subtle maple flavor. This stuff is all real with no flavorings and no funky oils! Oh, and half the price of the expensive ones!!!
Maple Peanut Butter
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups roasted peanuts
3 TBSP real maple syrup
6 TBSP almond milk
Puree the peanuts until smooth, add the rest of the ingredients a little at a time and continue to puree until smooth. (If you add more almond milk, this turns into an tasty icing or heat a little with a little almond milk and use as a sauce on pancakes or ice cream.)
Fun food fact...did you know that peanuts are actually a bean related to chickpeas and lentils. I should have known since I have such a love affair with the almighty chickpea and have recently fallen for lentils!
That looks really yummy!
ReplyDeleteYour recipe takes me back to my early cooking days. The brownie recipe called for 1 cup of baking powder. Lesson? Sometimes you can take the recipe too literally. ;)
ReplyDeleteYum...that sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteWOW that sounds so good and easy to make!!!!! any extras?? ;)
ReplyDeleteI love making my own but butter! (Or legume butter? lol) I've tried making my own stevia-sweetened chocolate nut butter numerous times...and it always fails haha
ReplyDeleteI've still yet to make my own nut butter!! This looks wonderful!! Especially with the maple syrup, yum!! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! I buy a lot of flavored nut butters, I should just make my own. :D
ReplyDeleteJenn
oh this just rocks my nut butter socks right off..love it girl!
ReplyDeleteIt's way more worth it to make your own nut butters. You always do a better job than Smuckers and Skippy and even the delicious Maranatha and Woodstock. Smart to throw in maple... isn't the usual honey? I'd like to try it your way! :)
ReplyDeleteYou made your own PB!!! How very cool :)
ReplyDeleteLove this! A little elbow grease never hurt anyone! :-) Q: you said in your recipe "two peanuts" ...is it two bags? pounds? Just curious, no biggie. I happen to have some peanuts in the freezer that could use some ground up lovin.
ReplyDeleteDeb, thanks for telling me...I fixed it. It is 2 cups roasted peanuts.
ReplyDelete