Monday, July 22, 2013

Homemade Organic Roasted Almond Butter w/ Raw Option (never buy the expensive store brands again)

Almond butter came into my life in 2004 when I was doing my first candida cleanse.  And I kid you not, at the time it was pure indulgence.  Not much was allowed on the cleanse, but small doses of almond butter was okay, so I pretty much fell in love.  After the cleanse and through the years I ate almond butter regularly.  I’m deathly allergic to peanuts, so how fun to make my own version of PB&J with almond butter.  As much as I love almond butter, about a year ago I discovered that it irritates my digestion to no end.  So although I don’t eat almonds or almond butter much anymore, it’s beloved by my husband and children.  So I make it for them.  Making at home is also motivated by the insanely high price of store bought organic almond butters (common to see $15 for a jar…I’ve seen it as high as $24!!).  If you love roasted almond butter and want to save a little money, then this recipe is for you.  I also make a raw version with soaked and dehydrated almonds and included directions for this at the end of the post.

Homemade Organic Roasted Almond Butter
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 cups raw organic almonds
  • Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Arrange the almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer
  3. Roast for 10 minutes
  4. Remove from oven and allow the almonds to cool completely
  5. When the almonds are cool, add to a food processor
  6. Turn it on and let it whirl. After about a minute the almonds will form a stiff, dry ball. This is okay. Take off the lid and break the ball apart with a fork. Turn the machine back on and keep it blending. If it stops up again, do the same with the fork
  7. After about 3 minutes the oils in the almonds will release and the mixture will become thin. Continue blending until the almonds are creamy and smooth. It takes about 9 minutes in my food processor. Add in your pinch of salt toward the end of the process. Please note, I do NOT have a fancy, high tech food processor. It is the most basic model
  8. Store in glass container in the fridge
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Homemade Almond Butter w/ Soaked Almonds
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 cups raw organic almonds
  • Walnut oil (or olive oil)
  • Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, add the almonds and fill with filtered water (with about two inches over top of almonds). Soak for 12 - 24 hours. I soak mine for 24 and change the water once
  2. Drain and rinse the almonds
  3. Lay them out on a towel and pat off the excess water
  4. Add almonds to a food dehydrator and dehydrate on 105 degrees for about 30 hours
  5. The almonds will be properly dehydrated when they are crisp and crunch to the taste and you an visually see the meat of the almond is dry. You can tell when there is moisture left, you can see it and feel it
  6. Place the dehydrated almonds in a food processor and blend. You need to stay close to the food processor and give it many breaks, as the almonds get very hot and you don't want the temp to rise over 118 degrees. So if you are keeping this raw, blend and check the temperature throughout the process
  7. After the almonds look well blended, you can add in a little oil to help the moisture factor. It's up to you how much to add, so start with a teaspoon and go from there. At this point you can also add in the pinch of salt
  8. Raw almond butter made with this method smells and tastes different than roasted almond butter, but still delicious (and much easier to digest!)
Shared on: Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Fridays, Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Friday 
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Posted by Amber at

Labels: dips and spreads, GAPS, how to, Paleo, SCD, snacks.

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