A few weeks ago, Sara was eating peanut butter from Trader Joes and asked how it was made.  I explained how all you really needed were some peanuts and a food processor!  When she asked if we could make some, I told her of course!  I mean, who am I to say no when she asks for homemade peanut butter?!?!  I only buy natural peanut butter, usually from Trader Joes or Whole Foods.  Have you ever checked out the nasty ingredients in Jiff or Skippy?  I don’t even know how they get away calling that stuff peanut butter!  Gross!

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter

So, all you need for this entire process is 5 minutes and a food processor.  Seriously, I may never go back to store bought again!!  Oh, and you probably want a spoon too!

Ingredients

16 oz bag of peanuts-  I used roasted and unsalted but you could really try anything

1/4 cup of chia seeds- Flax seeds would be fine or you can omit

1T of sea salt- Optional depending on what kind of nut you are using

1T of honey- Optional- I’ll talk about variations at the end

Directions

Add peanuts to the canister of a food processor.  Process on high power until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the canister if necessary.

I added in sea salt when it was it was in its paste like form.

I added in my 1/4 cup of chia seeds and the honey when there was about 1 minute left of processing.

Notes

The peanuts will go through stages of: crushed, crushed into a fine powder, a paste, a thicker paste, a big “dough ball,”, and then the ball will break down into a thinner peanut butter. At the point the peanut butter is thin, continue processing for about 1 more minute, making sure the peanut butter is as smooth as desired.

I store my peanut butter in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator, where it keeps for many weeks. I prefer thicker peanut butter and the refrigerator helps it to stay thicker. You can store the peanut butter at room temperature where it will keep for at least a week. If it makes it that long!

Substitutions and Flavoring Suggestions

Substitute honey roasted, salted, or unsalted peanuts, mixed nuts, seasoned, or spicy nuts.

Salt, to taste.

Seasonings or flavorings to try and add in the final moments of processing and process until incorporated: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, chocolate chips, nutmeg or agave; have fun with it.

Next time, I’m going to try an eggless cookie dough recipe and try adding some chunks of cookie dough in at the end for an ultimate sweet treat!

Do you have a favorite peanut butter?  Have you ever tried making it?