It’s been a few months since I polished off my stash of PB & Co. peanut butters that had overtaken our pantry during my recipe development for the All-Star Recipe Blog.
I think the flavor I miss the most is Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (although White Chocolate Wonderful and Dark Chocolate Dreams are also favorites of mine – look for homemade versions of both of these in the near future!).
I took it upon myself to attempt to recreate the delicious cinnamon-laced, raisin-studded peanut butter at home, and was more than pleased with the result.
Roasted unsalted peanuts are first ground into a paste, until a ball forms in the bowl of a food processor.
A touch of canola oil helps the paste break down into a smooth and creamy peanut butter.
A whole tablespoonful of ground cinnamon – along with a bit of evaporated cane juice and a kiss of Kosher salt – is processed into the fresh peanut butter.
It’s a lot of cinnamon, yes… but you want that to be the predominant flavor!
The last step is to fold in some plump sweet raisins.
I have to say, the flavor is an almost spot-on replica of the original… maybe a tiny bit less sweet, but I was conservative with the amount of sugar I added.
As for the consistency, this peanut butter turned out smooth and perfectly drippy – ideal for slathering onto a piece of whole wheat cinnamon raisin toast, dolloping on top of oatmeal, and/or drizzling over yogurt.
If you can, seek out organic peanuts, as the non-organic legumes are commonly sprayed with pesticides while growing. I found some at Whole Foods, but wish Trader Joe’s carried them as well (they have the best prices on nuts around here).
I bet this would also be quite delicious using cashews or almonds as the nut base, if you are allergic to peanuts.
Lightly sweetened and full of warm cinnamon flavor, this peanut butter doesn’t stand a chance of hanging around for too long.
I give it about a week ;).
Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter
Printer-Friendly Recipe
yield: about 1 cup (eight 2 Tbsp servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts, preferably organic
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp evaporated cane juice
- 1 1/2 tsp canola oil, divided
- 1/4 cup raisins, preferably organic
Directions:
- Place peanuts into the bowl of a food processor. Process until peanuts break down into a paste and a ball forms, scraping down the sides as necessary, about 5 minutes.
- With the motor running, stream in 1 tsp oil and process until a smooth butter forms.
- Add in the cinnamon, salt, and evaporated cane juice and puree until well-combined. Stream in the remaining 1/2 tsp canola oil if needed. Remove blade from food processor bowl and stir in the raisins by hand.
Nutrition Information per 2 Tbsp serving:
158.6 calories, 12.1 grams fat, 1.6 grams saturated fat, 9.9 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams sugars, 5.5 grams protein
