Ingredients:
(I Jar)
- 3 cups raw almonds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Procedure:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread raw almonds across a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast them for 10 minutes.
- Let the almonds cool until they’re just warm, for about 10 minutes.
- Put the almonds in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy, while scraping down the sides if necessary. It will initially seem like the almonds will never blend, but patience is the key.
- The almonds will go from clumps, to a ball against the side of the food processor (keep scraping down the sides and splitting up the ball), and finally, it will turn creamy. If the mixture gets really hot along the way, stop and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Once the almond butter is very smooth and creamy, add the salt. You can also blend in any extras if you would like, like a pinch of Cinnamon (1/4 tsp) and Vanilla Extract (1/2 tsp). It gives the butter an edge over store bought ones.
- Blend again until the add-ins are evenly dispersed. You can even add finely crushed almonds to it to make the butter crunchy.
- Let the almond butter cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a jar and put on the lid.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Homemade almond butter is healthy, affordable and even more delicious than the store-bought one, because it is fresh without any preservatives. It can be used on bread, crackers, cookies, muffins and smoothies as well. A jar of homemade nut butter neatly wrapped in a ribbon can make for a nice homely gift too!
