How to Make Peanut Butter

Peanuts are legumes that originated in Brazil. Today, peanut butter is used as an addition in many dishes, ranging from the traditional sandwich to dishes like pastas or salads. Peanut butter is loved the world over not only because of its bittersweet taste but also because of its health benefits. Peanuts have an unsaturated food content which helps reduce the risk of heart disease to a good extent. Apart from this it is also rich in niacin and folate which helps increase the good cholesterol level by about 30%. Peanut butter is also rich in proteins and dietary fiber but, the most unique property of peanut butter is that it contains resveratrol, a substance which is said to have anti-cancer properties.

How to Make Peanut Butter

To Make 3 Cups of Peanut Butter Will Need:

Ingredients:

• Peanut Oil (3 teaspoons)
• Natural Peanuts (4 cups)
• Salt (1 teaspoon)

Equipment:

• A Baking Pan
• An Oven
• A Bowl
• A Food Processor or Blender
• A Few Measuring Cups
• A Few Measuring Spoons
• A Jar or another Storage Container

Preparation:

First you will need to roast the peanuts, to do this, pre-heat the oven to a temperature of 350 degrees. Then remove the peanut shells and put the peanuts on a baking tray. Do ensure that the peanuts are not spread on top of each other. Now let the peanuts bake for 15 to 18 minutes after which remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

You can cook the peanuts in their shells too. To do this, follow the same steps, but remember to keep the peanuts in the oven for 25 to 28 minutes.

Now that the peanuts are fully roasted, put half of them into the blender or food processor and add half the quantity of the peanut oil. Now grind the peanuts for about 2 to 4 minutes. At this stage the peanut butter mixture will appear clumpy. Now put the remaining peanut oil and peanuts into the blender or food processor and blend until the desired consistency is reached. Once that is done, add the salt and blend the peanut butter for another minute.

Now that the peanut butter is ready, remember to refrigerate it. This way it will last for about 2 weeks. Do not worry if the oil in the peanut butter rises when it is stored. If this happens, all you need to do is stir the peanut butter to redistribute the oil.

Varieties of Peanut Butter

• To make the peanut butter nuttier, you could mix macadamia nuts and almonds to the mixture.
• If you like your peanut butter sweet, you could try mixing it with honey instead of peanut oil.
• Delicious and chocolaty peanut butter can be made by adding a cup of chocolate chips to the recipe.
• If you want your peanut butter to be crunchy, remember to add a cup of chopped peanuts after you have finished. Mix the peanut butter thoroughly to distribute the nuts you have added.
• In case you suffer from high blood pressure and are sensitive to sodium, remember not to add salt to the peanut butter. Peanuts have a natural flavor, so salt isn’t always necessary.