Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

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Christina Ross
Christina Rosshttps://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/
I'm a human being on planet earth. I've lived hundreds of lifetimes. In this incarnation I'm here to advance medicine.

Do me – and more importantly, yourself – a favor: stop buying almond butter at the grocery store or online! Make it yourself and revel in your own ability to make something more delicious – and less expensive – at home. Plus, you can add any flavor enhancement(s) you like: maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, and melted chocolate are just a sampling of the endless possibilities!

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

I shared this recipe on The Back Burner yesterday, but wanted to give you a play-by-play of making almond butter at home via photos.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

First step: roasting the almonds. Trader Joe’s has the best price around for raw, unsalted almonds; I stock up just for this purpose. When nuts are perfectly roasted, they will emit a rich, toasty aroma and be lightly golden brown.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Dump those roasted almonds into your food processor, and let it whirl for 10-15 minutes (be patient!).

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

After about 2-3 minutes, you’ll have almond meal on your hands. You’ll have to stop the food processor often during these first few minutes to scrape the bowl, as the meal climbs up the sides.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Around 3-5 minutes into the processing, the natural oils inherent in the almonds will start to come out of the meal and turn the contents of the bowl into a paste.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

At 5-7 minutes the paste will start to form into a ball…

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

and then to break down into a butter around 7-10 minutes in.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Finally, around 10-15 minutes after starting the processing, you’ll have a drippy and creamy almond butter that is perfectly delicious as is… but aren’t you tempted to add some flavor enhancements?!

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

For this recipe we’re using a vanilla bean. Yes, you can sub in pure vanilla extract, but the seeds give a nice aesthetic appeal to the almond butter and you can find vanilla beans on the cheap at stores like Home Goods, Marshall’s, and T.J. Maxx (in the kitchen sections of the latter two).

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Slice open the vanilla bean and carefully scrape out all of the seeds with the back (dull edge) of a knife.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

For a bit of sweetness, we’re adding in some brown sugar. Maple syrup would also be a lovely addition to this almond butter!

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Add the vanilla bean seeds, brown sugar, and a pinch of Kosher salt into the freshly made almond butter, and process until incorporated.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Voila!

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Super easy almond butter made right in your own kitchen. Seriously SO GOOD!

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter
Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter
Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter
Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Make it.

Vanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter
NameVanilla Bean Brown Sugar Almond Butter
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time15 minutes
Cooking Time12 minutes (roasting almonds)
Total TimeApproximately 25-27 minutes
ServingsAbout 16 servings (2 tablespoons per serving)
YieldApproximately 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw almonds
  • 2 tsp brown sugar, packed
  • 1 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise and all seeds scraped out
  • 1/8 tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Lay almonds out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast almonds for 15 minutes, or until fragrant and golden-brown, stirring a couple of times throughout.

Place roasted almonds into the bowl of a food processor. Process until nuts break down into a smooth butter, scraping down the sides as necessary, about 10-15 minutes.

Add in the sugar, vanilla bean seeds, & salt, and process until incorporated.

I store my nut butters at room temperature. Some natural oil separation may occur; simply give the almond butter a good stir before eating.

Estimated Nutrition Per Serving (2 tablespoons)

  • Calories: 190
  • Total Fat: 16g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.2g
    • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg
  • Sodium: 29mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 7g
    • Dietary Fiber: 3g
    • Sugars: 2g
  • Protein: 6g

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