For four years we have been living away from England; for four years I have been reaching the limits of my luggage allowance with Whole Earth peanut butter. Anyone who came out to Munich was asked to bring a jar or two of this peanut butter, whenever we went home a large space was left in the suitcase for this nutty gold. Peanut butter is available in Germany, but the jars I tried were far too sweet for my taste, and had a weird aftertaste; even those that were made from solely peanuts. In Sevilla we were saved from Peanut butter rationing, as we drove the 200-plus km (120+ miles) to Gibraltar (rather, to Morrisons on Gibraltar) every few months to stock up on English staples.
I came out to Montreal armed with one solitary jar; reasoning I may need the comforting familiarity of a food I can safely eat without feeling too ill afterwards to help get me through those first weeks. It soon went. I spent a great deal of time scanning the supermarket shelves for the illusive jars that contained nothing but peanuts. It’s crazy what they put in the stuff once you start looking – oil, sugar, stabilizers, salt – there is just no need! Finally coming across one make fitting the remit, it was bought home only to fail the taste test.
Desperation called for a radical solution: I was going to have to make my own.
I came out to Montreal armed with one solitary jar; reasoning I may need the comforting familiarity of a food I can safely eat without feeling too ill afterwards to help get me through those first weeks. It soon went. I spent a great deal of time scanning the supermarket shelves for the illusive jars that contained nothing but peanuts. It’s crazy what they put in the stuff once you start looking – oil, sugar, stabilizers, salt – there is just no need! Finally coming across one make fitting the remit, it was bought home only to fail the taste test.
Desperation called for a radical solution: I was going to have to make my own.
Why did I never think of it before?! It is so easy, so quick, so simple…and so delicious! Five minutes with a hand blender and a pack of unsalted roasted peanuts, and…voila!
I feel I must share this discovery with you; it's so quick and easy it's hardly a recipe.
To fill a 250ml jar with crunchy butter you will need approx. 240g nuts: 200g to blitz and 40g to chop.
I never weigh the quantity to be honest, I just bung a load in the chopper, but this is the amount when I weighed them to give you some idea of the quantity, so you can adjust to your needs and wants.
On with the recipe:
Tip the nuts in a blender...
I never weigh the quantity to be honest, I just bung a load in the chopper, but this is the amount when I weighed them to give you some idea of the quantity, so you can adjust to your needs and wants.
On with the recipe:
Tip the nuts in a blender...
...After two to three minutes the powdered nuts will start to clump together. Carry on blitzing for another three minutes and you will have luscious, smooth, velvety peanut butter.
If you like your butter smooth, it is now ready. If, however, you are like me and prefer some crunch in your butter, then roughly chop up another handful of nuts (the exact amount and how big you leave the chunks is entirely up to you). Stir these into the smooth, warm butter and ta da! You have delicious, crunchy peanut butter!
If you like your butter smooth, it is now ready. If, however, you are like me and prefer some crunch in your butter, then roughly chop up another handful of nuts (the exact amount and how big you leave the chunks is entirely up to you). Stir these into the smooth, warm butter and ta da! You have delicious, crunchy peanut butter!
It will be warm and runny and particularly moreish at this stage. Put whatever is left – warning: it is pretty addictive – in a jar and store at room temperature for around a week or in the fridge for three to four weeks.
I have discovered peanut varieties and tastes vary, so if your first batch isn’t quite to your taste, it is worth buying a different brand of peanut. I had to try a number of different varieties of peanuts before I found the ones which produced a butter with both the taste and texture I was after, so don’t be put off if at first it isn't what you are after!
You could try peanuts with skins on (if you can find any - I haven’t been successful here so far), or adding different flavours; such as chocolate, salt or cinnamon to the mix and truly make it your own.
I have discovered peanut varieties and tastes vary, so if your first batch isn’t quite to your taste, it is worth buying a different brand of peanut. I had to try a number of different varieties of peanuts before I found the ones which produced a butter with both the taste and texture I was after, so don’t be put off if at first it isn't what you are after!
You could try peanuts with skins on (if you can find any - I haven’t been successful here so far), or adding different flavours; such as chocolate, salt or cinnamon to the mix and truly make it your own.
So now the question is,: What else is out there which I buy, but is in fact so quick and easy to make, that once I have made it I can’t imagine going back to shop bought…?