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I have been going almond crazy around here.  When I discovered how much I really like to snack on almonds, especially raw almonds, and already knowing how good they are for you, I started to think about all the things you could make with almonds.  Almond butter was one particular idea that once the light bulb went off, I just had to make it.  As good as jarred almond butter is, I was convinced that homemade had to be even better.

Funnily enough, two blogs that I follow, A Full Measure of Happiness and The Little Red House, either just made almond butter this past week or mentioned making it in the past…right before I wanted to make it!  I’ve been scooped! (Journalism term there.) Knowing they did it without difficulty spurred me on even more.  All you need are some almonds, a little salt and a food processor!

Toasted Almond Butter

*This is barely what you’d call a recipe, so you can adjust the amounts to what you have or how much you want to make.

Toast 1 cup of almonds (I used raw almonds, but you can use whatever kind you want) on the stove over medium heat for about 5 minutes. (You can also do this in the oven for 10-15 minutes on 350 degrees.)

Put the almonds in a food processor and let it rip for about 15 minutes.  This part requires some patience; it takes a little while to become “butter” and you’ll probably have to scrape down the sides a few (or in my case, many!) times.  And I had to grind up half the almonds and slowly add the rest because I have a small 3-cup processor, but if you have a bigger one you can probably put them all in at one time.

Add a pinch of kosher or sea salt when it thins out and starts to look like paste.  Keep on processing until the nuts release more oils and the mixture gets smoother and you reach your desired consistency – I liked mine a little creamier and smoother than peanut butter.  One cup of almonds made 1/3-1/2 cup of almond butter.

(Note: if you’ve been processing for 15 minutes and the mixture is not smoothing out, you can add a little olive or coconut oil to help the process along.  I had to add about a teaspoon of olive oil, but don’t worry, you can’t taste it in the finished product.)

And if you need almond meal for anything, here it is:

Almost there…

That’s it!

Creamy, nutty, smooth perfection.

My favorite way to eat it?  By the spoonful.  But I also loved it with sliced apples or on toast.  Or you can take a leaf out of my bestie’s book and do this!