Honey Almond Butter

Growing up, one of the most common sandwiches I had for my lunches was peanut butter & jelly. It was simple and satisfying. In the past few years, I’ve come to the realization that I have a new favourite over peanut butter: almond butter! I would usually buy the pre-made stuff from the grocery store, but at just over $6 per jar, it was getting a little expensive… Bulk Barn has a lot of different spreads and nut butters, which is great… However, the almond butter from there had a bit of an odd taste. On my last trip there, I decided to buy a large quantity of almonds instead of almond butter, and give it a go myself! I’m really glad I did, because this home-made almond butter turned out WAY better than any I’ve ever bought from a store in the past! It’s so simple that anyone can do it, and you can literally JUST use almonds for this recipe. You can also use other types of nuts, or combine nuts for an interesting flavour. You can sweeten it as you like, or not. And if you want a really creamy spread, you can add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. You can also add in other flavours like vanilla, cinnamon, or even some cocoa powder! Here’s what I did for my honey almond butter, enjoy!

Honey Almond Butter

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds, out of shell
1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp golden liquid honey

Method:

You can make this nut butter with raw almonds if you like. For mine, I toasted my almonds. If toasting, pre heat your oven to 350 F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
Remove the almonds from the oven, and allow to cool.
In a blender or a food processor, blend 1/2 cup of the almonds until all almonds are ground. Almonds do have their own natural oils, but using extra virgin olive oil will make the spread a lot smoother. You can use less or more oil depending on the texture you want. Add half of the oil you are using to the blender once the almonds are crumbs, use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender jar, and blend some more until the almonds are a desired consistency. You may need to scrape down the sides of the jar every few seconds. This whole process can take up to 10 minutes.
Once the desired consistency is reached, use a spatula to assist in pouring the butter into a jar or plastic container that can be sealed. Repeat the previous step with the remaining 1/2 cup of almonds and oil.
After all of the butter is poured into the jar, add the honey, and stir until combined.
This almond butter will keep at room temperature for about 1 week. {Mine is almost finished, and it hasn’t even been a week… } For other nut butters such as peanut butter, it’s best to store in the fridge to prevent it from going rancid. After 1 week, store any left over almond butter in the fridge. Bring to room temperature for about 20 minutes for an easier spread.


Filed under: appetizers, breakfast, desserts, Recipes Tagged: almond, almond butter, appetizer, breakfast, culinary, dip, healthy, honey, peanut butter, raw, recipe, spice, Sweet, vanilla, vegetarian