Cook Time : 15 Minutes | Blitz Time : 15 Minutes | Total Time : 1 Hour | Difficulty : Easy
What’s better than almond butter from the store? Almond butter that you make yourself so that it’s fresh and delicious and just the way you like it. Duh. I realise this isn’t a very Christmassy recipe but the belly wants what the belly wants. And my belly pretty much always wants almond butter…In case you were concerned, Christmas programming will resume next week. Until then there is wide wide internet of Christmas joy to tide you over!
In NZ nut butters other than peanut butter are eye-wateringly expensive so another good reason to make almond butter at home is that it costs around a THIRD LESS to make it yourself if you buy the almonds in bulk. So it’s just win win win all up in here today!
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Spread the almonds out in a single layer on a shallow baking tray.
Toast the almonds in the oven for around 15 minutes, turning them once or twice, until they are nicely golden. Cut a couple open to see how toasted they are in the centre. I like my almonds quite toasted so I let them get quite dark. It might take a couple of batches to hit exactly how you like them but that just means more almond butter to eat yay!
While the almonds are still warm, put them in the food processor and process for about 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the nuts – they should be ground and starting to stick together like this:
If they’re not there yet just keep processing in bursts until the almonds break down. Add the honey, salt and cinnamon along with a tablespoon of the oil and process for a couple more minutes. Now is where we start checking the consistency and adding only as much extra oil as needed. Each time you add a tablespoon of oil let it process for a minute or two and then scrape down the sides of the processor bowl to get a feel for how thick it is. Give it a taste as you go as well so you can see if you want to add more salt or honey.
When it’s how you like it, scrape the almond butter out into a clean jar where it will await your snacking pleasure!
I am very much a dipper of things when it comes to almond butter – especially carrot sticks, apple slices and other fruit and veges. My Head of Tasting bypasses the formalities and just spoons it out of the jar. Now I’m not saying that I hide almond butter when I make it…but it may happen to be out of the direct line of sight for a six foot man…
Home-Made Almond Butter
Cook Time : 15 mins | Blitz Time : 15 mins | Total Time : 1 hour | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : approx 1 and 1/3 cups
Toasty, nutty moreish almond butter made just the way you like it.
Ingredients:
- 300 grams raw unblanched almonds
- 3 to 4 tablespoons neutral oil (preferably sweet almond)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Food Processor
- Shallow baking tray lined with baking paper
- Clean glass jar(s)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Spread the almonds out in a single layer on a shallow baking tray.
Toast the almonds in the oven for around 15 minutes, turning them once or twice, until they are nicely golden. Cut one open to see how toasted they are in the centre. I like my almonds quite toasted so I let them get quite dark – it might take a couple of batches to hit exactly how you like them but that just means more almond butter to eat yay!
While the almonds are still warm, put them in the food processor and process for about 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the nuts – they should be ground and starting to stick together like this:
If they’re not there yet just keep processing in bursts until the almonds break down. Add the honey, salt and cinnamon along with a tablespoon of the oil and process for a couple more minutes. Now is where we start checking the consistency and adding only as much extra oil as needed. Each time you add a tablespoon of oil let it process for a minute or two and then scrape down the sides of the processor bowl to get a feel for how thick it is. Give it a taste as you go as well so you can see if you want to add more salt or honey.
When it’s how you like it, scrape the almond butter out into a clean jar where it will await your snacking pleasure!
Cook’s Notes:
- Mix it up by swapping out some of the almonds for other nuts by weight – try using one third pistachios or macadamias
- Resist adding too much oil too quickly as it takes time for the almonds to completely break down into a paste
- The seasonings are to my taste, add them a little at a time until the flavor suits you – you might prefer a little more salt or honey
- Give your almond butter a kick by adding 1/8 teaspoon of chili flakes!
- Processing the almonds while they are still warm is key – they will break down into a paste much more readily
– Almond butter will keep in a cool place in the pantry for a couple of weeks, if you want to keep it longer I recommend putting it in the fridge, it just might get a little hard to spread –
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Yum! Thanks for sharing this recipe! Was just thinking of making my own almond butter since we can’t even purchase them here! Oh yeah well only at Costco in bulk and not exactly cheap, whereas buying almonds in bulk is much cheaper like you said 😉
You’re welcome 🙂 In NZ it’s still a specialty and you can pretty much only get organic varieties which adds it’s own price premium as well!
By the way I’m having almond butter spread on my toast today love the addition of honey and cinnamon perfect for winter XD
Yay!
Great recipe, thanks :)) xxS
You’re very welcome! Glad you liked it 🙂