Cashew Nut Butter

This is a recipe worth revisiting. About two-and-a-half years ago, I discovered that I can make peanut butter at home with just the press of a button. Yes, literally. Chuck some peanuts (unsalted and roasted) in a blender with a tiny pinch of salt (a little sugar too, if you wish) and blend ... blend for about five minutes until the nuts magically turn to paste. That's all it takes. Really.

Since my first foray into making peanut butter, I've been making nut butters regularly, experimenting with all sorts of nuts (almonds, cashew, macadamia and pecans), sometimes even mixing them up.

See, that's what I like about making my own nut butter. Truth be told, I don't mind the taste of store-bought peanut butter. The chunky kind, of course - it just has so much more character. But I'd much rather eat a cashew or almond nut butter simply because I like the taste of cashew nuts and almonds better. These aren't as readily available but because they are so easy to make, this isn't a problem at all.

Though they're great on bread on just slices of apples or crackers, I admit that I eat most of my nut butters just off the spoon. Not a lot at one go (maybe two teaspoons or so) but it's the best way to go, i am telling you. I've also used them in recipes: cakes, cookies and even in sauces that go over roasted vegetables.

Cashew Nut Butter
500g raw, unsalted cashews
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180C. Roast cashew nuts for about 15 mins, tossing them halfway, until lightly brown. Leave the nuts to cool.

Step 2: Transfer the nuts into a food processor/blender and add the salt and, if you wish, the sugar. Blend. After about 20 seconds, the nuts should be ground to almost fine powder with some chunky bits still. Now, if you like your nut butter chunky, this is when you should remove 2 tbsp of the chunky bits and set them aside.

Step 3: Resume blending. After about a minute, the nuts should turn from fine powder to a slightly sticky mix that will begin to clump up. Stop and scrap the bits that have stuck to the sides.

Step 4: Resume blending for a minute or so as the clumps start to become creamy and smooth. Stop to scrap the sides to make sure every bit is nice and creamy. Taste and add more salt or sugar as desired. (Note: Almond butters tend to be a little thicker and I sometimes add a few drops of coconut oil to loosen the past. You can use walnut/seed oils too).

Step 5: Switch off the processor and remove the blade. Add the chunky bits of nut that were set aside and mix. Transfer the creamy butter into a mason/air tight jar.

And that's all it is!

Almost chunky peanut butter

Man cannot live by bread alone. He must have peanut butter ≈ Bill Cosby

I think I discovered peanut butter when I was in my teens. You're amazed? Yeah, me too. My mother never included peanut butter in her grocery lists ... ever. I don't really know why ... I never asked her. But when I was 13 or 14 I had a sleepover at a friends house and for breakfast, we were served PBJs: yeah, the all famous Peanut Butter and Jelly (Jam) sandwich.  Imagine how blown away I was. I took a while to get over my reaction to the peanut butter: what was this creamy, buttery, nutty spread that made bread taste like cake? And, wait a minute, Peanut Butter and Jelly. PBJ. That's what those kids on TV have all the time.  Cool!

And so began my love affair with PBJ which lasted about six years. Needless to say, after that sleepover, I bugged my mum to buy peanut butter for us. She acquiesced -- she couldn't bear the many, many "please, mummy, please" pleas any longer, I guess.

As I grew, I kinda ate less PBJ sandwiches though. Breakfast became a jumbo cup of thick, sweet tea and nothing more. But, if you've read this blog often enough, you know how many random cravings I have all them time and lately it's been for a PBJ: a think chunky layer of peanut butter and layered with Jam. I love store bought peanut butter; jam, not so much (they're always just too sweet). But I decided to make my own: both peanut butter and jam. I'm on vacation from work for a couple of weeks and I wanted to stay home and chill with my pal, Mojo the Dachshund.

This first installment (Part I) is making the peanut butter. It's simple and actually a lot easier than getting dressed, putting on make-up, driving to the store and buying a jar. All you need are some skinned peanuts and salt and a little sugar (optional). The sugar is optional as some peanuts are sweater than others and also because it depends on how sweet you want your PB. I  added just a tbsp  sugar as I prefered the  nutty flavour to stand out.

Homemade peanut butter

400g peanuts, skinned

4 g fine salt

2 tbsp sugar (optional)

Roast the peanuts in the oven till they're lightly toasted (just slightly brown). Add the sugar, salt and sugar in the blender and ... blend, blend, blend. The nuts will first be blended to powder and then with more blending, their natural oils will be released and the mixture will form  a paste. More blending and you will get your buttery treasure.  TIP: You may want to add the roasted nuts bit by bit (three batches) especially if yours is not a high powered blender (mine wasn't either). If you prefer your PB chunky, set some nuts aside and add them towards the end of the blending process).  Oh, and blending takes a while: about 30 mins with my ratty blender. So, while waiting for the peanuts to transform into butter, check out some PB trivia here.

Next up: Home made jam!