2 Ingredient Nut Butter

I don't know about you but I rely on having some form of nut butter in the house. I like to make my own because of palm oil, sugar and salt (and goodness knows whatever else brands put in). Unfortunately both my husband and my daughter are intolerant to peanuts which is such a shame because they are so good for you and just delicious in my opinion - possibly pay back for that time I accidentally hospitalised my new housemate who had made it very very very clear how allergic he was to peanuts (showed me the epi-pen and everything). the next day I chopped peanuts up and didn't clean the chopping board. He gently reminded me again on his return from the hospital much more calmly than I ever would be. Nice guy. You shouldn't regret things in life, but I regret that.

NUTRITIONAL OVERVIEW

Nuts are a rich source of vitamins like B vitamins, vitamin E, manganese, calcium, folate, potassium, copper... and are all a good sources of dietary fiber and healthy, cholesterol lowering fats. Each nut is packed with its own unique mix of benefits: Brazil nuts are high in selenium (anti-oxidant and thyroid regulator), Almonds protein and calcium, peanuts are high in B vitamins, cashews are high in iron.

Aim to eat a handful a day to keep the doctor at bay.

First bake the nuts at 150 C for 15 minutes watching near the end that they don't burn.

Allow time for nuts to cool. Never put hot nuts in your blender or food processor because the oils that release become unbelievably hot and your machine will not cope, even a Vitamix!

Process or blend, scraping down the sides until your nuts can move freely with the machine. In a powerful blender this will only be a few minutes, in a less powerful one it'll take 10+ minutes. I would stop intermittently and let cool down before continuing.

Recipe

NUT BUTTER

If you're using a Vitamix you'll need to use at least 3 cups of nuts to allow the machine to operate properly. If you are using a food processor (which will work perfectly) or smaller blender then you can reduce the amount of nuts used to fit in a regular size jar. My favourite combination is cashews with a few almonds thrown in (2.5 cups cashews to .5 cup almonds)

MAKES 1 LARGE JAR

PREP TIME 2 MINS | MAKE TIME 1 HOUR | TOTAL 1 HOUR

INGREDIENTS

1/4 tsp salt
3 cups nuts (whichever you have/prefer)

*your nuts should be without the skins or you'll have bits in it. I buy blanched almonds for nut butters.

METHOD

Heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius
Spread nuts evenly on a baking tray with the salt and bake for 15 minutes. Keep your eye on them near the end, you don't want them to burn.
Leave nuts to cool for at least half hour and then transfer them to the machine you're using.
Blend on high. If you're using a machine with a tamper then keep pushing the nuts down from the corners of the jug until you have free movement of the nuts. If you're using a processor keep stopping and scraping the nuts down until they start to move on their own. As the oils release, the mixture will become smoother. Patience is key here. I often stop if I feel it's getting too hot and wait until it's cooked down, I find when I go back it only takes a minute to get where I want it to be. You want a nice, free moving, smooth consistency.