How to Make Delicious Homemade Roasted Peanut Butter

In the last two years I have been increasingly leaning toward learning how to make my own food at home instead of buying it in a store. I have made salad dressing, bread, pasta, sauces, and many other food items. One product that I found myself using on a daily basis was peanut butter, so I decided to try and make this creamy topping on my own. Luckily, my grandmother had an excellent recipe for me to try. It went amazingly well and the product was even more delicious than any I had bought in a store.

Here is how to make your very own delicious peanut butter.

What you'll need:

2 Lbs. In Shell Raw Spanish Peanuts
1 1/2 Tsp. Honey
3 Tbs. Peanut Oil
2 Tbs. Kosher Salt

Appliances:

2 Metal Sheet Pans
Blender or Food Processor
Large Bowl
Jar for Storage

Steps: Roasting Peanuts

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse peanuts in shell under cold running water to remove any remaining dirt.
3. Toss peanuts in bowl with salt and oil until evenly coated.
4. Divide onto two sheet pans.
5. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning pans half way through cooking.
6. Remove from oven and let cool for fifteen minutes.

Steps: Peanut Butter

1. Crack peanuts and remove skins, placing cleaned peanuts in a bowl.
2. Add peanuts to blender or food processor and chop for about one minute or until mixture is powdery and clumps begin to form.
3. Add one Tbs. of peanut oil, honey, and salt to mixture.
4. Continue to churn until your mixture becomes more of a butter like texture.
5. Taste for salt preferences with a cracker or piece of bread.
6. Continue to blend for about three minutes and you're finished. You made a delicious home made peanut butter. If you would like chunky peanut butter add an additional cup of peanuts thirty seconds before finishing.
7. Transfer mixture to a jar and store in refrigerator for up to a month.

Ways to make it even better:

- Add cinnamon and raisins or brown sugar to make a mixture that is sweet and great for desserts like ice cream and cookies.

- Instead of honey add maple syrup for a sweet but smooth maple syrup flavor that is great on breakfast items.

- Adding red pepper flakes or a bit of cayenne will spice up your mixture. This will give it a Thai flavor that some people even enjoy this on spaghetti noodles.

- No matter how you make it, you will be left with a pure peanut butter product that is more delicious than anything you will buy in any store. If you'd like you can use pre-roasted and shelled peanuts but I think roasting it yourself provides more flavor. Either way I promise once you try this for yourself you won't ever go back to the shelf peanut butter you were used to. Happy eating!