Make Superior Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
The appeal of “making your own” something often lies in how customizable the DIY version of the thing is, but lightness also comes into play. Homemade peanut butter is very attractive on both counts. You take the peanuts, put them in a food processor (or power blender) and let the blades do their thing. After a few minutes, you have peanut butter.
Usually, if I do this, I add a little salt, a little sugar, and maybe a pinch of cinnamon if I like. But yesterday I found a forgotten can of honey-fried peanuts, then looked at the food processor and thought, “Why not?”
While you can, of course, make your own peanut butter from raw, unseasonal peanuts, peanut butter made from peanuts roasted and then covered with salt, honey, and sugar is much tastier. It’s slightly sweet, slightly salty, with a deep caramelized peanut aroma. It is good for apples, sandwiches and alone on a spoon. And since peanuts are already perfectly flavored, there is no reason to measure anything, including peanuts. The right amount of honey-fried peanuts to use in making honey-fried peanut butter is the amount of honey-fried peanuts you have .
If you like peanut butter, let the food processor run for five minutes. If you like a bite, do the same, but leave a handful of peanuts, beat until coarsely ground, then add to the peanut butter. You might be tempted to just process them for fewer minutes, but you end up with a powdery peanut butter, and all you need is crispy roasted peanut pieces with honey suspended in butter peanut butter.
If you want to add even more flavor to your peanut butter, then you can do so. Add some cinnamon, cardamom, or cocoa powder – each has a different direction. (Although I encourage you to try it “simple” before making any modifications. It’s just great.)