Making Peanut Butter

If your family is anything at all like my family, you might go through peanut butter much too quickly.  Kids use it on toast, sandwiches, pancakes, even a spoonful dipped in Nutella.  

Here is how you can keep up with the demand...

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter.

• 2 cups peanuts (option: buy pre-roasted, [salted] peanuts)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil or vegetable oil (if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (if desired)
• pinch of salt (if desired)

Roast the peanuts if they aren't roasted already.

Remove the peanuts from their shells.

Spread the peanuts on a baking pan.

Bake the peanuts in a 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, shaking them every 2 minutes to ensure that they don't burn.

Allow the peanuts to cool after roasting.

Pour the 2 cups of roasted peanuts into a food processor with a metal blade attached

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Cover the bowl with the food processor lid and chop the peanuts continuously for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture forms a ball.

Scrape peanuts down from the food processor bowl into the bottom, as needed, when processing the peanuts. Continue processing the mixture until it is of your desired consistency. For smooth peanut butter, you may have to process the mixture for a longer period.

Taste the freshly made peanut butter and add a dash of salt or sugar, if needed.

Add small quantities of brown sugar, molasses, or honey, if you prefer a sweeter taste.

Spoon peanut butter into an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for a day or two so it can set in to a lovely peanut butter paste.