How To Make Peanut Butter
This may sound a little on the neurotic side to some people (like my husband) but I am always trying to find ways to cut cost and make things healthier at the same time.
I had heard for some time about making your own nut butters and how it is better, cheaper and all this, so of course I had to give it a whirl – literally since you make in a food processor.
I started with pricing out the peanuts. Obviously, since if buying the nuts was more expensive than just buying the already made peanut butter, why bother? I was hoping to find organic peanuts but was unsuccessful, at least at the grocery store I normally shop at. I don’t have a lot of time to go running around town to find things when I go shopping. Usually I have a little over an hour to get things done and I only go to town twice a week. So if my usually haunt doesn’t have it, typically I pass. But that is one of the reasons I shop where I do because they do typically have what I want and they have a great bulk section.
I love a good bulk section.
Well, the normal peanuts were going for $2.69 per pound. I thought to myself, well…if that 2 pounds of nuts makes the same amount of peanut butter I would normally get out of the Adams jar then that would be cheaper since I usually pay 6.99 for the already made stuff. It’s not a huge savings but I wanted to try it so I figured what the heck…
So I bought the nuts and they sat in my pantry for a week…
Then I realized we were out of granola. GASP! Out of granola!!
Ya that’s pretty much how my kids reacted.
They eat a lot of granola, it’s a go to snack, breakfast in a hurry kinda thing for us.
I had decided to try making a new flavor this time and wanted to use peanut butter (yum right? And yes the recipe will be coming soon…) but I was out. So I whipped out the nuts and food processor and got to work.
It took all of about 2 minutes or less.
SO completely easy.
And guess what? It totally filled my empty Adam’s jar PERFECTLY.
I didn’t want it super creamy so I stopped processing once it sort of in between crunchy and smooth. It spreads like a charm on my soft, delicious homemade bread and I have to say: I am a fan.
Now if I could just find some organic peanuts….
- 2 pounds unsalted peanuts
- 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (peanut oil would be great but I didn't want the added cost and I already had the olive oil)
- salt to taste
- Place the nuts in a food processor and pulse until it resembles course sand.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and process until smooth, adding additional oil if necessary to achieve desired smoothness.
- Add salt to taste and place in a jar, keep refrigerated.
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