Honey Cinnamon Peanut Butter

I am obsessed with peanut butter. I put it on everything! Peanut butter makes a great spread for toast and bagels. I mix it into my oatmeal and Greek yogurt. I like to blend it into smoothies and use it as a dip for my apples. Luckily, making your own nut butter is fast and easy!

Peanuts are a good source of protein. ¼ cup of peanuts provides 7 g of protein. Peanuts have healthy fat and fiber. They also contain potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and B vitamins making them very nutrient dense. Peanuts are high in calories, so it is still important to pay attention to the serving size.

I love making my own peanut butter. Not only can I make it to my liking, but I can control the amount of salt, sugar, and oil that goes into it. I also like to try adding in new ingredients and flavors. I make my peanut butter with lots of cinnamon. It is also good with cocoa, extra honey, or additional vanilla.

Homemade peanut butter is also cost effective. Most store bought natural peanut butters are expensive, while a 16 oz jar of dry roasted peanuts is only about $3.00. Most people already have the other ingredients on hand.

Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Processing time: 5 minutes

Serving size: 2 tbsp

This recipe makes ~2 cups peanut butter

Ingredients:

-3 cups unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

-2 tablespoons honey/agave/maple syrup

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-2 tablespoons oil of choice (I use olive oil)

-1 tablespoons cinnamon

-Salt to taste

-Optional add-ins: cocoa powder, nutmeg crushed peanuts (for crunchy texture), other types of nuts

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor or high-power blender (Vitamix or Ninja).

2. Process the peanuts on high for 1-minute. Stop the food processor and scrape the sides.

3. Continue to process at high speed, stopping the food processor to scrape the sides until the mixture has become glossy and thick. This may take several minutes.

- The mixture will start out looking like crushed peanuts

- The mixture will start to clump into a ball

- Next, the mixture will look gritty

- Finally, the mixture will become creamy and glossy

4. Taste the peanut butter. Add any additional spices or salt to your liking.

5. Scoop peanut butter into a glass jar or container with a tight lid. Store in the refrigerator for ~3 weeks.