Almond Flour and Almond (or other nut) Butter
I decided to try my hand at making almond butter this morning. Turns out, it's REALLY easy. I'm sure you could replace almond for any of the other various nuts (walnut, hazelnut, pecan, etc.)...though the roasting time (if they're not bought already roasted) might be different.
So...to begin, here's what you'll need:
I like to buy unsalted, un-roasted/un-cooked almonds. I usually buy Blue Diamond brand because my son has Celiac's disease and it's one of the few brands of nuts that isn't processed in a facility that also processes wheat (he's super sensitive). Also, they were having a sale of them at the store last time I went, so I stocked up. :) The bag I buy looks like this:
If you're wanting to make almond flour, you could keep the almonds un-cooked, place them in a food processor, and just pulse them a few times until they reach the desired consistency...which shouldn't take long...maybe 1 minute. You could also roast or cook them in some way if you wanted to (the almond flour I've bought in the past uses blanched almonds...and supposedly cooking them first gives more flavor to the flour) before placing them in the food processor...but that's really up to you and how you intend to use them. I just thought I'd mention almond flour because you'll always make almond flour in the course of making almond butter. Now...
If you want to go for full out almond butter, you're going to need a little more patience...
So, assuming your nuts aren't pre-toasted, preheat your oven to 350F. Place your almonds on a roasting pan and bake them for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes until they've browned slightly. If you bought pre-roasted nuts, then just skip right ahead to the food processor.
Place the almonds in your food processor (mine went straight from the oven to the food processor, so you don't have to worry about letting them cool if you don't want to) and turn it on.
First, the almonds will get powdery (almond flour). Then, the mixture will start to clump and dance around a bit in the food processor (though if you stop to open/look at it, it's still pieces that break apart in your fingers). Then, it will finally settle down and become smooth/creamy. The whole process takes what feels like forever...but, in actuality, is probably only about 10 minutes. It's a good idea to scrape down the sides of the food processor every once in a while so that the mixture stays uniform in its consistency. If desired, add 1/2-1 tsp. salt (depending on your preferred amount of saltiness) at any point while the mixture is in the food processor. I wanted ours extra smooth/creamy, so I let it go for an extra minute or two after it finally got past the clumpy phase and into the smooth phase. When it's finished, it should look something like this:
Eat a bit if you must...then pick a container to store it in (I used a recycled glass jar) and keep it in the refrigerator. It should keep in the fridge for about 3 months (if you don't eat it all before then first).
Here are some pictures of my finished product in the recycled 16 oz. jar:
Absolute beautiful perfection...ingredients were just almonds and salt...no added sugar, no added oils...and, as an added bonus, I even saved money. The almonds were $5.99 for the bag...and almond butter, here at least, is usually about $10-12 for the same sized container without any added sugar. Super win. :)
So...to begin, here's what you'll need:
- 1 lb. almonds (or other nut)
- roasting pan (lined with foil or not, your call)
- food processor
- 1/2-1 tsp. salt, if desired
- a storage container (at least 15 oz. size)
I like to buy unsalted, un-roasted/un-cooked almonds. I usually buy Blue Diamond brand because my son has Celiac's disease and it's one of the few brands of nuts that isn't processed in a facility that also processes wheat (he's super sensitive). Also, they were having a sale of them at the store last time I went, so I stocked up. :) The bag I buy looks like this:
If you're wanting to make almond flour, you could keep the almonds un-cooked, place them in a food processor, and just pulse them a few times until they reach the desired consistency...which shouldn't take long...maybe 1 minute. You could also roast or cook them in some way if you wanted to (the almond flour I've bought in the past uses blanched almonds...and supposedly cooking them first gives more flavor to the flour) before placing them in the food processor...but that's really up to you and how you intend to use them. I just thought I'd mention almond flour because you'll always make almond flour in the course of making almond butter. Now...
If you want to go for full out almond butter, you're going to need a little more patience...
So, assuming your nuts aren't pre-toasted, preheat your oven to 350F. Place your almonds on a roasting pan and bake them for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes until they've browned slightly. If you bought pre-roasted nuts, then just skip right ahead to the food processor.
Place the almonds in your food processor (mine went straight from the oven to the food processor, so you don't have to worry about letting them cool if you don't want to) and turn it on.
First, the almonds will get powdery (almond flour). Then, the mixture will start to clump and dance around a bit in the food processor (though if you stop to open/look at it, it's still pieces that break apart in your fingers). Then, it will finally settle down and become smooth/creamy. The whole process takes what feels like forever...but, in actuality, is probably only about 10 minutes. It's a good idea to scrape down the sides of the food processor every once in a while so that the mixture stays uniform in its consistency. If desired, add 1/2-1 tsp. salt (depending on your preferred amount of saltiness) at any point while the mixture is in the food processor. I wanted ours extra smooth/creamy, so I let it go for an extra minute or two after it finally got past the clumpy phase and into the smooth phase. When it's finished, it should look something like this:
Eat a bit if you must...then pick a container to store it in (I used a recycled glass jar) and keep it in the refrigerator. It should keep in the fridge for about 3 months (if you don't eat it all before then first).
Here are some pictures of my finished product in the recycled 16 oz. jar:
Absolute beautiful perfection...ingredients were just almonds and salt...no added sugar, no added oils...and, as an added bonus, I even saved money. The almonds were $5.99 for the bag...and almond butter, here at least, is usually about $10-12 for the same sized container without any added sugar. Super win. :)
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