Homemade Nut Butters

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 How-to Make Homemade Nut Butter

I cannot find peanut butter I like here in Italy.  We have about two brands in the stores and I don’t really like them.  Nut butters aren’t really popular here, not to mention they are expensive, but the only nutty-is butter we have is Nutella and other Nutella like brands.

Alas, I make my own peanut butter. Actually you can do this for all different types of nut butters as in almond, cashew and the list goes on.  

I lucked out and found a big bag of dry roasted peanuts at a restaurant supply store. Honestly, I asked the bar tender one night where they got their peanuts and he told me about the restaurant supply place, and I said OHHH I have a membership to that place! I just never thought about looking for nuts there… I have no idea why?!?!

Ingredients

• 2-4 cups of raw or dry roasted nuts (directions for both below)
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil

Optional:

• sea salt

For roasting raw nuts:

1. Assuming that your nuts are shelled already.
2. Preheat your oven to 325F.
3. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet, in a single layer, they can be crowded if you want.
4. I tend to roast nuts in big batches.
5. Roast the nuts for about 15-20 minutes, check on them ever so often, the skins will turn a darkened color and the nut will come loose from the skin, you want the nuts lightly browned.
6. Once you have them roasted, take them out of oven and let them cool a bit.
7. Then to remove the nuts from the skins, place them in the middle of a dish towel and fold the ends over on the towel, then rub the nuts in the towel. 
8. Most of the skins should come off, and there are always the stubborn ones that are stuck, you can peel them by hand if you want.

For making nut butter out of nuts that are already dry roasted and salted:

1. In a food processor, add your nuts. At first I start off with 4 cups of nuts and I pulse the nuts until they are a fine powder like substance.
2. Now, I add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
3. Then I process on high until you start seeing it come together and make the butter.
   I stop every so often to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
4. Keep processing on high, the butter will eventually become smooth and creamy, if the butter is not at the texture you prefer, you can add another 1 tablespoon of oil and keep processing on high until it is smooth.
5. This can take up to 15 minutes or more, this all depends on your food processor and how much nuts are in there.  Be patient, do some calf raises and wait for the butter to come together.
6. Once it has come together, at the end you can add a pinch of sea salt.
7. If my nuts were dry roasted and salted.  I leave the salt out at this point, but again, this is personal preference. Taste it and see if you need to add more salt.
8. The butter is pretty warm, so you can pour it into a mason jar, or any glass container of your choosing. 

I use a mason jar and a few other jelly jars.  (I save a whole lot of glass jars)

Put the top on and it is ready to go whenever you need nut butter.

I just had a genius idea, later this year, during chestnut season, I’m going to make chestnut butter.  I wonder if that is possible, we steam the chestnuts, but If I steamed them, then dried them out in the oven I bet I could make chestnut butter…….. I need to write this down in my agenda….