easy, addictive almond butter

there are worse things you could be addicted to than almond butter. as a recovering peanut butter addict, i thought i would never be able to part with the delicious legume spread. store-bought almond butter was definitely not enticing me...it was hard as a rock, difficult to stir without the aid of a stand mixer, and "ehhh..." as far as taste was concerned. then i decided to finally make my own almond butter and my whole world changed.

not only is this incredibly easy to do, but the results are, in my opinion, better than the fresh ground almond butter you can buy (costing an arm, a leg, and your first born child) at whole foods.

i typically use two pounds of almonds at a time, which amounts to four cups of almond butter. i have four children (and a strong, personal addiction). being mostly grain-free, we eat it with sliced apples and bananas, celery, and occasionally spread it on waffles and wraps (both recipes i need to post).

almond butter

preheat your oven to 350. spread 1-2 lbs of raw almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 12-15 minutes. i like to go until they just start to color and i can smell them. let cool for 5-10 minutes and then dump all the nuts into your 11 C (or bigger) food processor. it would be wise to have ear covers or ear plugs for the next step because it is LOUD for the first few minutes. process the almonds until everything is sticking to the side and not going anywhere. scrap the bowl, break up clumps, process again. repeat a couple times. by the third scraping, you should be able to let it continue to chop and mix until the oils begin to release and the almond meal starts turning into paste. this will take a few minutes. i like my almond butter very smooth, so i let it process until it is creamy. keep going until you reach the consistency you prefer. add 1 1/2 t - 2 t of real salt (redmond brand is what i have) or sea salt and mix for another minute. taste and add more salt, if desired. scrap almond butter into a container with a lid and consume copious amounts with sliced apples, celery, or (my personal favorite) straight off the spoon.

i have seen other recipes that include honey, a little cinnamon, and vanilla, but i don't need to make it more addictive than it already is. ;)

four cups of almond butter cost $11-$13, depending on where you get your raw almonds.

1/4 C of almonds has 132 calories, plus all these nutrients (all percentages of DVI)...

biotin: 49%
vitamin E: 40.2%
manganese: 26.5%
copper: 25.5%
vitamin B2: 17.6%
phosphorus: 15.9%
magnesium: 15.4%
fiber 11.2%

and 162 mg of potassium

(for more information than you ever wanted to know about almonds, go here)

ENJOY!