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Homemade Honey Roasted Peanut Butter (gluten-free, use roasted peanuts to keep vegan)

Makes about 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

16 ounces honey roasted peanuts

Add peanuts to the canister of a food processor, process on high power until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the canister if necessary.

Notes

The peanuts will go through stages of: crushed, crushed into a fine powder, a paste, a thicker paste, a big “dough ball”, and then the ball will break down into runnier peanut butter. At the point the peanut butter is runny, continue processing for about 1 more minute, making sure the peanut butter is as smooth as desired.

If it wasn’t for taking pictures, in my food processor, it takes about 4 minutes and I did not need to scrape down the sides; there was very little splatter.

I store my peanut butter in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator, where it keeps for many weeks. I prefer thicker peanut butter and the refrigerator helps it to stay thicker. You can store the peanut butter at room temperature where it will keep for at least a week. As with any food that has no preservatives, use common sense in terms of storage duration but in my experience, it will last for at least a month in the refrigerator, if not devoured much sooner.

Substitutions and Flavoring Suggestions

Substitute dry roasted, salted, or unsalted peanuts, mixed nuts, seasoned, or spicy nuts; I do not suggest raw nuts because they don’t have enough flavor depth for me but theoretically they will “work”, just a matter of taste preference.

Salt, to taste (I added none)

Peanut oil, canola oil, and I have also seen olive oil suggested, optional and only if necessary (I added none and although the paste is thick in the early to mid stages of blending causing one to ponder if oil is necessary, once you get past that stage, you’ll be glad to have not added oil because the finished peanut butter is already on the thinner side and the robust peanut flavor is not diluted by oil)

Seasonings or flavorings to try and add in the final moments of processing and process until incorporated: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cardamom, brown sugar, vanilla extract, coffee extract, specialty oils and extracts from LorAnn, a pinch of cayenne or chili powder or savory spices, cocoa powder, chocolate/white chocolate/butterscotch/peanut butter chips and just pulse to incorporate; a handful of peanuts just pulsed to incorporate at the very end of processing to create a chunky-textured peanut butter. Add egg-less cookie dough chunks, dried fruits like raisins or dates; a splash of Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, Frangelico, Chambord, Godiva Liqueur; have fun with it.

If you’re unsure how a flavoring will turn out, I suggest removing half the peanut butter or two-thirds of it, placing it in another container, and flavor a smaller portion, to taste, before flavoring the entire batch with one particular seasoning or flavor. Or get two or three flavors from one recipe based on how inspired you are.