Wow I just love Almond Butter! It is simply so versatile and nutritious and incredibly easy to make!
Ingredients:
Would you believe it if I said there was on only ONE ingredient?! Furthermore, you can mix it up and use other nuts in the mix or on their own, such as cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts and get a different taste and health benefits!
- 2 cups of unsalted almonds
- 1 jam jar
How to make it:
So….take 2 cups of almonds, lay them on kitchen parchment on a large tray and gently toast them in the oven at 150oC for 7-10 mins. Allow them to cool, and then pop them in a strong blender (I absolutely love my Magimix) and turn it on. It takes about 15 minutes to make the nuts into a smooth butter, and I would suggest you stop your blender every 5 minutes to clean around the sides and to give the motor a rest (particularly if it is an old machine!). After about 15 minutes, you should have a smooth butter, and there is no need to add any oil, as so many of the bought versions do. If it isn’t quite smooth enough just carry on for another 15 mins!
Health Benefits:
There are so many health benefits, here are just a few:
- They are loaded with antioxidants
- High in Vitamin E
- Assist in blood sugar and cholesterol control
- Boost brain health
For me, the key thing is it really helps reduce the ‘sugar’ high and keeps you full much longer when you eat a little with fruit as a snack. It is also rich in Omega 3, a key essential fatty acid that we cannot make and we need for so many functions in our bodies.
How to use it:
I use almond butter or other nut butters in so many things. One of my favourite, and my little boys, is to eat it with fresh fruit as a snack. Its amazing with both banana or apple – you can even make apple butter sandwiches and use pumpkin seeds as ‘teeth’ for your kids! Other delicious ways to use it, is in smoothies, either just added as a teaspoon or if you don’t have any milk, you can blend up a teaspoon with water to make ‘quick milk’!
Here are some other ways:
- In delicious ‘Warming Turmeric Latte’
- In your morning porridge
- Use in Asian cooking such as stir frys
- Spread on toast with banana on top
- Mix it in with cake mixes such as chocolate rice crispies!
- Almond and jam sandwiches
I hope you enjoy trying to make this, if you have any questions pop them down below! Why not take a look at my other recipes whilst you are here.