Make Your Own: Peanut Butter

Move over Jif! Cut out all the hydrogenated oils found in store-bought varieties and make your own peanut butter. I could go on and on about my love for this spreadable delight, but I will spare you. This recipe takes my favorite food and marries it with a certain sweetness that cannot be topped, or at least shouldn't be! Forget the jam and eat this on whole wheat toast, with apple slices, or even a spoon - I won't tell.

Mitch's World-Famous Peanut Butter
*from the Hell's Kitchen cookbook, Damn Good Food
*recipe below makes about 4 cups; I recommend making a 1/2 batch
3 C salted nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, whatever you fancy)
6 T honey
5 T brown sugar
2 1/2 t salt (I leave this out - the salt from the nuts is enough)
7 T peanut oil
5 T unsalted butter

Directions:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shake peanuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven. Roast 25 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and roast another 25 minutes, checking occasionally. Nuts should be dark brown when done. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Place peanuts in food processor fitted with steel chopping blade and process on low until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Do not overblend; you want chunky, not grainy.

Dump ground nuts into a large mixing bowl. Add honey, brown sugar and salt (if using) and blend. Add peanut oil melted butter; blend.

Spoon peanut butter into a container with a tight-fitting lid. It will keep at room temperature for up to 4 weeks. After setting for awhile, oil may begin to separate, just mix back in before serving.