Almond Butter

Homemade almond butter is healthy, affordable and more delicious than store-bought. Homemade almond butter is ultra-thick and creamy, and it tastes like warm, freshly roasted almonds. Blend a tiny bit of cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup make it special.  It’s really easy to make, but you’ll need a good food processor or blender.

Ingredients

• 500g raw almonds
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Spread the almonds across a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast the almonds for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
2. Let the almonds cool until they’re just warm (not hot), about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the almonds to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. You’re going to think it’ll never blend, but be patient! The almonds will go from flour-like clumps, to a ball against the side of the food processor (keep scraping down the sides and breaking up the ball), and finally, it will turn lusciously creamy. If the mixture gets crazy hot along the way, stop and let it cool for a few minutes.
4. Once the almond butter is very smooth and creamy, you can blend in any add-ins you would like. You can add salt for more flavour overall. You can also add cinnamon for a hint of spice, and vanilla and/or maple syrup for a special taste.
5. Blend until the add-ins are evenly dispersed. If you add maple syrup, let the mixture cool, and then blend a few additional minutes, to make it creamy again.
6. Let the almond butter cool to room temperature, then transfer the mixture to a mason jar and screw on the lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Mix it up:  you can make a mixed nut butter by substituting raw cashews, walnuts or pecans for some of the almonds. Just roast them all on the pan together.

Recipe from cookieandkate.com