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Homemade Peanut Butter
by Nikki Willhite
www.allthingsfrugal.com
There are some foods that are more economical to buy at the
store rather than make at home. Dried pasta products are one example.
Peanut butter is also probably more economical to buy at the
store also. However, there are several reasons you may want to try making it on
your own.
It doesn't require many ingredients, and making it yourself can
be a fun activity for your family. You can also use your creativity and make it
special.
While this newsletter does not get into health issues, it is
worth mentioning that peanut butter made at home will be healthier, as it will
lack many of the preservatives of the store bought variety.
As with all food made without preservatives, it will have a
short shelf life. You will definitely have to keep it in the refrigerator and
use up within a couple weeks. Or you may can it. (To can it, fill clean, mason
canning jars full of the peanut butter, leaving about an inch of space at the
top. Simmer at 180 degrees for one hour in a water bath container.
If the oil starts to separate and rise to the top, just turn the
jar upside down.
For those of you who want to give it a try, here is how to make
homemade peanut butter.
Ingredients
- Peanuts
- Oil
Use approximately 2 Tablespoons of Oil for every Cup of Peanuts.
You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Peanuts do have a lot of oil already in them. If you use a
peanut with a lot of oil, like Spanish peanuts, you do not have to add as much
additional oil.
A good blend that requires no additional oil is 1 Cup of Spanish
peanuts and 1 Cup of Virginia Peanuts.
Procedure
To make the peanut butter, all you have to do is put your
peanuts and oil in the blender and whip them together.
If you want your peanut butter chunky, remove about 1/4 Cup of
the peanuts before your begin blending the peanuts and oil. When the mixture is
almost blended, add the nuts. Puree it a few more times, to break up the nuts
and finish the blending.
Here is your chance to be creative! The above recipe is
very plain. If you are going to the effort of doing it yourself, make it
special. Use some delicious macadamia nuts for the chunks, or add some honey
for the oil.
You can also add pecans, sunflower seeds, and other nuts, some
honey for the oil, or even some chocolate or butterscotch chips.
- Peanut butter doesn't have to be plain. Have some fun
with it! Think of the cookies you can make!
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