Honey Peanut Butter

It's a beautiful day in Upstate New York.

After months of frigid temperatures and way too much snow, I'm finally starting to see grass  poking through.  I've been dreaming about all the projects I want to get accomplished in the next couple months and I'm finally going to have the chance to cross some things off my list.

First, though, I am working on a couple recipes in the kitchen that I've wanted to work on.

For me, peanut butter is the quintessential snack food.  I can eat it by itself right out of the container with a spoon.  Or, combine it with chocolate chips for a sweet snack.  Breakfast is never complete without peanut butter on toast.  Adding a little jelly is the perfect lunch-time option.  Peanut sauce over chicken is a cool way to add a little Thai influence to your dinner.

And dessert?

Well, peanut butter is pretty much a requirement in any good dessert menu option, from cookies to buttercream to fudge to pie.  Peanut butter can literally be used at every point of the day, even in the middle of the night when you need a midnight snack.

I love peanut butters that are sweetened with some honey.  So, when I ventured into making my own nut butters, I knew I wanted to make peanut butter with honey.  I tried to go the most natural route with just peanuts and honey, but a little added Confectioner's sugar made this a hint sweeter (and a hint more like the over-sweetened store brands I grew up with).  The added sugar brings out the flavor of the honey while the salt brings out the flavor of the peanuts.  Plus, it still has a natural, homemade flavor that I love.

This is another great addition to the nut butters that I've been making lately!







Honey Peanut Butter

2 cups shelled peanuts
1/4 cup Confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp peanut butter extract (optional)
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven 375F.

Spread peanuts onto a baking sheet and toast 10-15 minutes, or until nuts are browned and fragrant.

Let cool.  Use a dry washcloth to scrub the skins off the peanuts as best you can.

Place peanuts in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients.  

Blend ingredients until a smooth butter forms.  

Spoon into jar and refrigerate.