Almond Butter
Why is Almond Butter on a website for “mortuary” inspired recipes? Because honestly this is a super nice gift to bring to someone or to make for yourself! There is nothing like a fresh jar of almond butter with its smooth and creamy texture, and the best part is you can add your own salt and spices to make any flavor you want. You can bake a loaf of my easy french baguette, which somehow I manage to make different every damn time I make, and bring that over to a friend in need and they’ll love you forever!
Ok, before you get too excite, anyone can make this but you will need a good food processor that you can keep running for about 30 straight minutes. I turned it off every five minutes only to scrape the bowl. I know food processors are expensive and I bought mine second hand from a friend. So, hot tip, see if you have a friend with one that they don’t use or don’t want before you buy a brand new one for yourself.
Also, patience is key with this recipe! You will add the nuts to the bowl and for 15 minutes you will look at the food processor and think that nothing is happening or that you should add oil or some sort of liquid to help. In any other circumstance that thought processes would be true but do not do that here. It took me 33 minutes to get it smooth and creamy and I have added some of my own pics here to show you that it’s only almonds and that you just have to keep that heat and processing going. Eventually your nuts give up and release all their beautiful oil and turn the crumbly mess into smooth and absolutely delicious butter!!
Recipe yields about 1 ⅔ cup almond butter (that’s 16 ounces, the equivalent of a jar of almond butter from the store).
Ingredients:
16 ounces (3 cups) raw almonds
¼ teaspoon salt
Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the almonds across a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast the almonds for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
Let the almonds cool until they’re just warm (not hot), about 10 minutes.
Transfer the almonds to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. You’re going to think it’ll never blend, but be patient! The almonds will go from flour-like clumps, to a ball against the side of the food processor (keep scraping down the sides and breaking up the ball), and finally, it will turn lusciously creamy. If the mixture gets crazy hot along the way, stop and let it cool for a few minutes.
Once the almond butter is very smooth and creamy (no sooner!), you can blend in any add-ins you would like. I always add salt, for more flavor overall. You can also add cinnamon for a hint of spice, and vanilla and/or maple syrup for almond butter that tastes more special than store-bought.
Blend until the add-ins are evenly dispersed. When I added maple syrup, I had to let the mixture cool, and then blend a few additional minutes, to make it creamy again.
Let the almond butter cool to room temperature, then transfer the mixture to a mason jar and screw on the lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or until you see or smell any signs of spoilage.
Ta daaaaa!!! Silky, creamy, smooth almond butter!!!