SPREAD: Peanut Butter!

It's no secret that I love peanut butter, so much that I actually had a "peanut butter party" last year, where my friends and I sat around eating peanut butter straight out of the jar...yeah. I love peanut butter.

Unfortunately, store bought peanut butter contains lots of added sugars and hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is often used to make the peanut butter creamier and last longer on the shelves. It also contains trans fats, which contributes to higher cholesterol levels in the blood. (If you're interested in learning more about cholesterol, click here.)

So, I decided to make my own peanut butter! Making your own spreads has numerous benefits, but the most important aspect is knowing exactly what goes inside your food and not having to worry about any preservatives with really long names. This recipe is adapted from The Kitchn, and although my version was not as creamy as the one shown on their website, it was still delicious and highly satisfactory.

Tips:

- Use a good food processor. (The one I own is a pretty old version, and some of the plastic chipped off from the continuous blending. I also had to stop it from running often because the motor would overheat. Yikes.)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shelled, unsalted peanuts

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1-2 tablespoons oil

• 1-2 tablespoons honey

Equipment:

• Food processor

• Spatula

• Container with lid

• Frying pan

Instructions:

1. Roast the peanuts over medium-high heat using a frying pan. Be careful not to let the peanuts burn, and continuously toss them back and forth. When finished, the peanuts should be a deep, golden brown.

2. Pulse the peanuts until ground: Transfer the peanuts to a food processor or blender. If you toasted your nuts, do this while the nuts are still warm. Pulse a few times just until chopped.

3. Process for 1 minute: Run the food processor or blender continuously for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. At this point, the peanut butter will look gritty and dry, almost like couscous.

4. Process for 1 minute: Run the food processor or blender continuously for another minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. At this point, the butter will start clumping together.

5. Process for 1 minute: Run the food processor or blender continuously for another minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. At this point, the peanut butter will be really smooth (and actually look like peanut butter!)

6. Add the salt, oil, and honey on top of the peanut butter.

7. Continue processing the butter until it becomes completely smooth. (Note: It will revert to its texture in step 3 if a large amount of honey is added. Just keep blending and turn back into actual peanut butter. I was scared my food processor would explode, so I stopped it before it returned fully to the consistency of Step 5).

8. Transfer the peanut butter to storage container: Scrape the peanut butter into a storage container, cover, and refrigerate. The peanut butter can be used immediately and will keep for several weeks in the fridge.