And so the nut butter obsession continues . . .

And you know what?!

I’m not even going to pretend to be sorry about it because I’m really (REALLY) not.

I am 100% , unashamedly, head over heels in love and I don’t care who knows it!

How about you? Are you with me?

I sure hope so because today, sweet invisible internet friend of mine, we are fuelling my obsession by making some all natural, quick and easy, smooth and creamy, healthy, homemade vanilla almond butter.

I thought the original almond butter was all kinds of incredible but the vanilla  . . . you guys . . . this is the stuff dreams are made of!

Quick and easy to prepare, oh so simple and outrageously, and I mean
O-U-T-R-A-G-E-O-U-S-L-Y delicious!

It also happens to be, naturally, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, grain free and paleo friendly! ♥♥♥

Made with just 3 ingredients that I bet you have on hand already – almonds, a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla – that’s it!

Real food, real simple – what more could you want?

It’s got that crazy cool, satiating, salty sweet thing going on and I don’t know what more I can say other than that I just love, love, love it.

Thankfully our healthy, homemade almond butter also happens to be packed with protein, fibre and healthy fats so my creamy, dreamy, nutty obsession also happens to have some sneaky and delicious, nutritional benefits that totally make it worth my while 😉

So here’s how we make it . . .

We start off by giving our golden, delicious, nutrient rich almonds a quick little toastin’ in the oven – toasting your almonds before blending helps to give your nut butter and incredible rich and totally decadent depth of flavour – don’t skip this step people, 5-10 minutes will make the world of difference to the flavour of your almond butter, trust me – it’s absolutely, 100% worth the few extra minutes. Just trust me ok?!

Now, once our almonds are nicely toasted, and your house smells like heaven, all you have to do it pop them into your food processor or blender, add a cheeky pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla then give them a good ol’ whizzaroo and boomshakalocka – 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 smooth and creamy, deliciously dreamy nut butter right before your pretty little eyes . . .

Now, depending on the kind of blender or food processor you have (and how smooth you like you nut butter to be) this can take anywhere between 5-15 mins.

For me and my magnificent magimix it took about 10 mins and that included stopping to snap a few pics along the way. Keep in mind I like my nut butter to be super smooth and extra creamy. No chunks for this gal but, that’s the beautiful thing about making your own nut butter, it’s totally customisable.

So if you, like me, want super smooth, extra creamy almond butter – just blendy mcblend for a few extra minutes and you have yourself some all natural, extra creamy, velvety smooth almond butter, just the way you like it – No problemo!

If you want extra chunky almond butter easy, just pulse your almonds for a second or two, then take out a couple of Tablespoons of those extra chunky. crispy, crunchy 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 – healthy, homemade, extra chunky almond butter for the win!

Once it’s your nut butter is ready it will be a little warm and a slightly runny from all the blending you may be tempted to grab a straw and suck up that deliciousness straight from the bowl but try to resist the urge, or at least show a little restraint and just have a small sip or two because once it cools, those natural oils will start to solidify and it will firm up into that thick and creamy consistency we all know and love.

Something else I have noticed about my homemade almond butter is that it doesn’t seem to split?! You know that pesky oily pool of separation that occurs with most nut butters . . . I’m not exactly sure why it is that my homemade nut butters don’t seem to do that but, I do know that I am totally ok with it. No need to bother with all that pre-consumption stirring just grab a spoon and dive on in baby!

Creamy, dreamy toasted almonds blended with a cheeky pinch of salt and a subtly sweet hum of vanilla . . . tastes like heaven!

Thick, rich, smooth, creamy 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 🙂

Serve it with some tea and toast for a decadent twist on a family favourite, or with alongside some fresh fruit for a wonderful, healthy, nutrient rich morning tea, add a heaping Tablespoon or two into your pre/post workout power up, spread it on some banana bread for an afternoon treat or . . .

Now I’m not saying that you should, ( ← except I totally, sorta, kinda am) . . . grab yourself a block chunk of dark chocolate and add a generous spoonful of your freshly made, vanilla spiked almond butter . . .

Finish with an extra cheeky drizzle of vanilla and a leetle extra pinch of salt and have yourself a little slice of heaven . . .

Life as you know it will never be the same!

All natural, quick and easy, 3 ingredient, healthy, homemade, vanilla spiked almond butter  . . .

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

Healthy, Homemade Vanilla Almond Butter {Vegan, Dairy free & Paleo Friendly}
Makes approx 1 1/2 heaping cups of all natural, creamy, dreamy, vanilla infused, simple, healthy homemade almond butter

Ingredients –

2 cups of raw almonds

1 Tablespoon of vanilla bean extract

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 vanilla then process again just to combine.

6 – Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly – add a little extra salt or more vanilla 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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