Peanut butter is a spread I have grown to love only quite recently. Even though it is one of the most popular dessert spreads, especially with toast, shop-bought peanut butters were never that appealing to me. Homemade peanut butter, however, is a different story.
It is so incredibly easy to make peanut butter at home, and with only a few ingredients. Peanuts, honey, and oil. A few minutes of your time, and a delightful, creamy spread is ready to be enjoyed.
As I am not a fan of overly sweet spreads, this peanut butter is just right for me – a little bit of sweetness, a tiny bit of salt, and a lot of roasted peanut flavour. Roasting peanuts is not essential if you buy them already roasted, but it will give a lot richer flavour to the finished spread.
Do keep in mind that homemade peanut butter will never be quite as smooth as commercially made ones, but if you are quite keen on the smoothest possible texture, blend for a few minutes more, until the texture is just right for you.
Ingredients
200 grams dry roasted unsalted peanuts
20 grams acacia honey
15 ml vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
salt, to taste
Preparation
Spread the peanuts on a large baking sheet, and roast them for about 5-10 minutes in a preheated oven, at 180°C (350°F), just to heat them up, and make them easier to blend. Remove them from the oven, reserve about 50 grams, and add the rest to a food processor or a strong blender.
Start by pulsing the peanuts until roughly ground. Gently move them around with a small spatula, then let the machine run for about a minute or so. The peanut butter will look dry at this point, but do scrape down the sides, and let the machine run for a minute more, or until it starts to pull together into clumps. Blend for a minute or two more, and it should transform into a smooth batter, that is still quite thick.
Scrape down the sides, add in the honey, oil, vanilla, and the reserved peanuts (if making it chunky), and blend for a minute or two more. By the end, it should be completely silky and spreadable. Have a little taste, and add a bit of salt to it, completely adjusting it to your taste and preferences. Transfer the peanut butter to a glass jar, cover tightly, and keep refrigerated. It should be used within two weeks, to assure it is fresh and best tasting. Yields 200 grams of peanut butter.
