#11 Peanut Butter

We got home from church yesterday right at lunch time. What do you make for lunch when the kids are starving & need something quick? Well, we make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Why? Cause they love them! But.....ut ohhhh! We were out of peanut butter. I was aware that "Nut Butter" was one of the recipes in "The Homemade Pantry," but I was not intending to make it when my kids were starving and I needed something quick...but guess what? It is quick and this is what I did.....

Nut Butter (but in my house there is no other then Peanut Butter)
1 lb. roasted nuts- unsalted
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Honey to taste (I just squirted some in)
3-4 Tb. canola or peanut oil ( I used canola)

1. Dump your peanuts into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Make sure they are fresh by doing the smell test. I had some peanuts in my pantry that I was going to use but.....yuck....they went rancid. I used freshly opened containers....

 

I had a hard time finding unsalted dry roasted peanuts...I went to a few natural food stores but ended up with these from Wal-mart. The only other place I could find them was at Aldi's, but they were more expensive. This 14 oz container from Wal-mart was $1.88. The recipe in the book gives directions for starting from raw peanuts and roasting them yourself, but I could not find raw either. So Wal-mart it is!

 

2. Add your salt and honey at this time as well. Then start your food processor. While the motor is running add 3 tablespoons of oil through the chute.

 

 

I added the 4th tablespoon of oil, but that is only needed if your peanut butter is still dry.

 

 

3. Process up to a minute longer to reach the consistency that you like. Taste and adjust for salt and honey.

 

So there you have it....my version of a completely homemade PBJ. Homemade wheat bread, peanut butter and strawberry jam.

 

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator up to one month.

 

So was it worth it? The kids really liked it. My oldest said she liked the taste better then our PB brand but she likes the smooth texture of store bought. The homemade is a little gritty much like store bought natural peanut butter if you have ever tried it. As for myself...I have a confession to make....I'm not really a huge fan of peanut butter....I know! Shock! But I do LOVE natural peanut butter, so I will definitely make it again, but I don't think we will be able to make it 100% of the time. My kids eat WAY too much peanut butter. I will likely make it on the weekends for a little different PBJ experience. Cost wise....it's cheaper to buy from Sams club...but not by much! 

 

 

I will post about my strawberry freezer jam next! So yummy!