I will never BUY peanut butter ever again....

...because making it so much better! (and cheaper)

After trying all natural peanut butter a few years ago, I wasn't too keen on the taste. However, the taste has grown on me slowly, and after trying some Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter, I was totally converted to all natural peanut butter. The price though, was kinda a sore point. Fortunately with a powerful food processor, you can make it at home for a MUCH cheaper price! $2.99 to be exact. Regina @ Chiu On This mentioned to me that she makes her own.

The ingredients are really simple:
16 oz jar of Raw UNSALTED Roasted Peanuts
1/4 tsp of salt (yep, very little needed!)
1 tsp honey (totally optional! I like it with and without depending on my mood)

So I like a more roasted flavor in my peanut butter, so I roasted mine for 10 mins @ 350 degrees, or until you smell the peanuts wafting out of the oven. Roasting them further is optional as they are already roasted when you buy them.

I HIGHLY recommend SILPAT silicon pads.

Pull out your trusty food processor. Make sure it has a STRONG motor.

When grinding, the peanuts go through a bunch of phases of consistency. Its amazing how the oils are so locked into the peanuts that they finally "come out" only at the last minute. Its funny how they turn from dust into liquid.

This is the "dust" phase, as I call it

Turns into a ball as the oils are starting to show up

I start adding the honey and salt at this point, so that it absorbs into the oils that are starting to show

Like butter, which has a sharp melting temperature, peanut butter has a sharp "not peanut butter yet" to "ok, its now peanut butter." That "right" consistency is very stubborn. You are grinding and grinding, the motor is getting hot, yet its still not smooth enough. Suddenly you blink, and it "turns" into peanut butter!

All done! Well, sorta. Still one more step.

I like chunky peanut butter. So I reserved maybe a half cup of peanuts to chop then fold into the batch.

CHOPPED!

All done!

I eat a LOT of peanut butter. I also like to eat a lot more all natural (most of the time). When I learned what is in commercial smooth peanut butter by reading on the label, I learned it has things such as molasses, high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, added peanut oil, various forms of hydrogenated oils. GROSS! No wonder its so smooth and lasts forever! Its added with all of this junk!

I recommend keeping your home made peanut butter in the fridge so the natural fats don't go rancid. It also keeps the oils from going too nuts (haha, that was an accidental pun!). The oils WILL separate, so just remix with a spoon every time you pull it out.

Enjoy!