Cashew Nut Butter

I wanted to post this on Sunday, but I somehow ended up a participant in a 45 mile bike ride through a simulation of the inside of a furnace, otherwise known as the San Gabriel Valley. I made it out alive, but was rendered incapacitated for the rest of the day. I couldn't even pronounce cashew let alone try and spell it. Apologies go out now to those of you who may have visited me Sunday, and were met with only a blank stare and silence. 

However, now that I've regained the capacity for human thought, I want some answers; specifically, from the peanut butter industry. Did you know how unbelievably easy it is to make your own nut butter? It's insanely simple. The people behind the jars of stuff we grew up on have successfully pulled the wool over our eyes, because there is no reason we should be spending good money on jars full of hydrogenated weirdness and unpronounceable preservatives spelled with more "x"s and "y"s than my maiden name. Seriously, folks.

Virtually any nut can be ground into a creamy spread. In fact, here's a link that goes into more detail on what level of creaminess you should expect form different nuts. I chose my favorite (cashews!), dug out my food processor, and within minutes, had the creamy spread you see above. I did find myself having a slight buttercream episode, though, when the nuts were initially ground and just grainy; it seemed as if there wasn't enough there to go any further and produce a butter and I'd be lying if I said a little panic didn't set in. Knowing that slight heart attacks seem to be the obligatory precursor to goodness, I was patient, and was rewarded handsomely. 

Here's where I confess that, despite all the home-cooking that I do, we eat a disturbing amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in this household. And not without good reason: they're easy to make, inexpensive, and can be quite tasty. So, did you see where I was going with these last few posts? I'm making my own sandwich bread, I've got jars and jars of jam rubbing elbows in the fridge with my local produce, and now, cashew nut butter: it's the makings of a homemade, 100% from scratch, no artificial anything pb&j sandwich. 

 

Best Sandwich Ever

Cashew Nut Butter

Any quantity of cashews

A food processor

Like I mentioned above, the nuts will process into a creamy spread, you will just need patience and something to occasionally scrape down the sides of the food processor.