Oh you guys . . . I am so sorry I’ve been kinda MIA this past week or so but, ugh, my aching  head!

Last week I was telling you about my manky sinus infection and well . . . it’s still very much alive and kicking.

I was feeling much better for a day or 2 and than wham – it came back with a vengeance!

I know, I know I should suck it up and go to the doctor to get some antibiotics so I can kick this nightmare once and for all but I just don’t wanna.

I hate going to the doctor.

They are never on time, ever!

It doesn’t matter if you are lucky enough to get the first appointment of the day you still have to sit and wait a good 30-40 mins before you get seen and ain’t nobody got time for dat!

Plus there are all those other sick people, coughing and sniffing and being all gross and germy . . . blah – no thanks!

Plus I got other stuff to do like sit here and eat, I mean tell you about this amazing new batch of insanely delicious almond butter that I made because, I can’t (won’t) stop with the homemade nut butter and, I’m not even going to pretend to be sorry about it.

Because I’m really, really not!

Not even one little bit!

And why would I be?!

It’s all natural made with just 3 ingredients that I bet you have on hand already, it’s so quick and easy to prepare coming together in a matter of minutes, and then there’s the fact that it’s so insanely delicious that I can not even find words descriptive enough to do it the justice it deserves.

It’s creamy, dreamy nutty perfection with a subtly sweet hum of maple-icious decadence that is nothing short of divine!

Plus, it’s packed with protein, fibre and healthy fats and, it also happens to be naturally, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, grain free and paleo friendly so everybody wins! ♥♥♥

So enough chit chat, let’s get on with it shall we –

We start off by giving those nutrient rich, golden, delicious little almonds a quick roast in the oven – this is totally optional but,  toasting our almonds before we blend helps to give our nut butter an incredibly rich and totally decadent depth of flavour, it’s a total game changer people so although I say it’s optional, please don’t skip this step. Yes it’s an extra 5-10 minutes but, trust me – it’s absolutely, 100% worth it!

Now, once our almonds are nicely toasted, and your house smells like heaven, all you have to do it throw those almonds into your food processor or blender, add a cheeky pinch of salt and a drizzle of maple syrup then blendy, mcblend – done!

Initially your almonds will get all chunky, then after a minute or two they will break down into a fine looking flour, then the real magic happens, the heat and friction from all that blending will extract the natural oils from our almonds and in mere minutes, you will witness one of the most beautiful transformations of all time as your roasted almonds are whipped into a creamy, dreamy golden, delicious, maple infused nut butter right before your pretty little eyes . . .

The other thing I just love, love, love about making your own nut butter is that it’s totally customisable.

So if you, like me, prefer your nut butter super smooth and extra creamy – just blend for a few extra minutes and you will have yourself some extra creamy, seriously dreamy, velvety smooth almond butter, just the way you like it!

Don’t you just want to dive headfirst into that creamy, dreamy deliciousness?!

Talk about swoon ♥

Sorry, momentarily distracted by the swirls, where was I . . . customisable right – so, if you prefer to have yourself some extra chunky almond butter, no problem. Simply pulse your almonds for a second or two, then take out a couple of Tablespoons of those extra chunky. crispy, crunchy oven roasted almond pieces and set them aside while you blend, blend, blend the rest of those babies. Then, once you have reached your desired consistency, stir through those chunky monkeys and there you have it! Extra chunky almond butter for the win!

Once your almond butter is ready it will be slightly warm and a little runny from all that blending, you will be tempted to grab a straw and drink up that golden deliciousness, you’re only human after all.

Try to harness some super human will-power to refrain from drinking the entire batch in just one sitting because once it cools, the natural oils will start to solidify and your healthy, home-made, specially customised almond butter will firm up into that thick and creamy, seriously dreamy consistency we all know and love.

Thick, rich, smooth, creamy, golden, delicious and simply divine!!!!!

Feel free to go ahead and use it as you would, business as usual – dive head first into the jar and eat your way out . . . or you be a little more refined and get yourself a spoon, do what you feel, no judgement here 😉

And I’m not saying that you have to but, I strongly suggest that you do . . . grab yourself a big ol’ block chunk of your fave dark chocolate then add a generous spoonful of your creamy, dreamy, golden, delicious, maple infused, oven roasted almond butter . . .

Sprinkle on an extra cheeky, teeny, tiny, pinch of sea salt and lose yourself in the deliciousness that you just created.

Life as you know it will never be changed forever!

Yep, not sorry . . . not even one little bit.

All natural, quick and easy, 3 ingredient, healthy, homemade maple-roasted almond butter for everyone!!!!!

Make it. Eat it. Love, love, love it.

Healthy, Homemade Maple Roasted Almond Butter
{Vegan, Dairy free & Paleo Friendly}
Makes approx 1 1/2 heaping cups of all natural, creamy, dreamy, quick and easy, simple, healthy homemade maple-icious almond butter

Ingredients –

2 cups of raw almonds

1 Tablespoon of maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon of salt flakes

Method –

1 – Preheat your oven to 175’C (350’F)

2 – Line a large baking sheet with baking/parchment paper (or a non stick silpat mat) and pour your almonds on, making sure they are spread evenly – aka not crowded.

3 – Roast your almonds for 10 mins, until lightly roasted and slightly golden.

4 – Pour your roasted almonds into the bowl of your food processor or blender, add salt and process until smooth and creamy (or your desired consistency). Initially the almonds would grind down into a powder, give it a minute or two and the oils will extract and it will become deliciously, thick, rich and creamy. You may need to stop and scrap down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

5 – Once you have blended to your desired consistency, add your maple syrup then process again just to combine.

6 – Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly – add a little extra salt or more maple syrup if you feel the need and if you prefer a thinner consistency feel free to add a drizzle of coconut oil to thin it out.

7 – Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep well for up to 2 weeks – if it lasts that long! (← seriously, good luck with that 😉 )

Enjoy xoxo

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Question of the day –

Are you a fellow nut butter addict? What’s your fave flavour? Or brand? Or recipe? And your fave way to eat it?! Straight up by the spoonful, with fruit, on toast, on chocolate?! Tell me . . . details please

Feel free to share recipes or leave links to recipes in the comments below and if you make this recipe make sure you snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page or tag me on Instagram or twitter – sharing is caring people 🙂

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