Breakfast spreads used to be standard — a smear of jam, a slab of butter, or a heaping teaspoon of peanut butter to go with a slice of toast.
Here, a simplified recipe for making a preservative-free almond nut butter.
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These days, artisanal nut butters are also finding their way onto the breakfast table. Made from a variety of nuts such as almonds, macadamias or cashews, and often sweetened with a good drizzle of honey, these nut butters are good with toast, or even as a salad dressing. The best part — many of these nut butters are made in small batches by artisans, and as such, have little to almost no preservatives at all.
Here, a simplified recipe for making a preservative-free almond nut butter.
Recipe for Almond Nut Butter
INGREDIENTS
2 cups Whole raw almonds (tip: try not to get salted or pre-flavoured nuts)
2 tbsp Coconut oil
2 tbsp Extra fine sea salt
2 tbsp Honey or maple syrup
STEPS
1. Soak the almonds in water for 8 to 10 hours overnight. Keep the bowl covered with a cloth and leave it in the refrigerator.
2. Lightly roast the almonds at 163°C for 10 minutes to bring out the natural oils within the nuts.
3. Let the nuts cool down.
4. Put the nuts in a blender or food processor and blend for 5 to 10 minutes. Add some oil if the mixture begins to look too dry. Tip: Do not add water to the mix.
5. Continue processing the nuts and oil until the mixture becomes creamy. Keep adding a bit more oil if necessary. This process can take up to 20 minutes. Patience is key.
6. Add a pinch of extra fine sea salt and a drizzle of honey to sweeten the nut butter to desired taste.
7. Serve on toast with slices of avocado or as a salad dressing.
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