Homemade Peanut Butter

Available for only a short period in mid-fall, Minnesota-grown peanuts are a special treat for farmers market shoppers! Create your own batch of homemade peanut butter with the recipe below. It's perfect for toast & sandwiches and adds terrific flavor to soups and sauces. Recipe adapted from Faith VanderMolen, The Conscientious Eater. Yields 1 8-ounce (half pint) jar.

Ingredients

2 cups raw, shelled peanuts from Bean Market
½ teaspoon salt
Optional: 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil, for a more spreadable consistency
Optional: ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
Optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread raw peanuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them for 10-15 minutes. Stir the peanuts half way through the baking time and watch them carefully towards the end so they don’t burn. You will know they are done when they are fragrant and some are starting to turn golden brown.

Place roasted peanuts and salt in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. After 30 seconds you should have a fine meal. After about 2-3 minutes you should have a sticky dough. After about 5 minutes you should have peanut butter. Add any optional ingredients at this point and process about a minute longer, until ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour peanut butter into a half-pint jar or other air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.