Last week, my husband opened up the cabinet we use as a pantry, looking for something. Nuts, pasta, crackers. It’s impossible to know. Especially considering I have everything under the sun in that cabinet shoved however it will fit. I guess some people might say I’m a bit disorganized.
So out come several jars of nut butters. Different flavors and brands. Almond, peanut, coconut. Some are those natural kind that get kind of hard when you get to the bottom. But too many nut butters, that’s for sure. At least according to him.
Rather than buy some more, I thought I’d try my hand at making my own. How hard can it be? Turns out not very. Because I don’t want to eat plain peanut butter, I added a couple things to make it a bit better. Vanilla extract, for one. Cacao nibs for two, because these seem healthier than chocolate chips and add a nice crunch.
Roasted peanuts are best here, and you’ll probably need to add some oil to help the peanuts along, especially if you like your peanut butter creamy. I’ve done this in both my Vitamix and a food processor, and while it’s possible in both, the food processor is better.
Vanilla Cacao Nib Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted salted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- Peanut oil
Instructions
- Put the peanuts and vanilla in a food processor or powerful blender. Process until ground, and keep blending until you have a paste. At this point, you’ll need to add some oil, maybe a teaspoon or so, to keep it moving. Add the nibs and keep blending until you have the texture you want, continuing to add oil a tiny bit at a time.
- Store in a jar either in the fridge or at room temperature.
