Amond Butter

Most of the experiments that happen in my kitchen are due to a need and laziness.  Almond butter is no exception.  We use peanut butter for everything; apples, sandwiches, cookies etc and on Saturday night we ran out.  I really didn't want to drive to the store to refresh our inventory or spend additional money, instead I experimented! 

Last Christmas we got the Magic Bullet as a gift and for the most part I've just been using it to make smoothies and baby food and I figured that as soon as I got my beloved food processor I was going to get rid of both the Magic Bullet and the blender.  "What good are they for anything other than soups, smoothies, and baby food?" I thought, but I discovered another trick up the Bullet's sleeve.

I added a handful of dry roasted almonds to one of the Bullet's cups and then attached a blade.  After pulsing a few times, shaking the cup and then just letting it run for another 5 minutes I suddenly had almond butter!  Because Almond butter is a subtle butter (unlike peanut butter), you can add additional flavors to enhance it.  For me I LOVE cinnamon (which you will find out more later in the year when I start playing with ice cream flavors! YUM!) so to my butter I added a little sugar in the raw and a tablespoon of cinnamon, it is wonderful! The perfect compliment to toast or slices of apples.

Now I will say that after pricing the cost of my new found ingredient it is not cheaper than peanut butter but it is comparable, and is WAY CHEAPER than buying almond butter, and way better for you than a un-natural peanut butter which has a number of ingredients that you and your family don't need.  So, while I was at the store I grabbed another bag of almonds and skipped the peanut butter.  I love experimenting!