Vanilla Almond Butter

One of my favorite nut butter's comes from Costco. I'm running low, and Costco isn't just right down the street; so I decided maybe it was time to make my own nut butter. This almond butter, with pure vanilla extract, pure maple syrup, and flaxseed oil isn't just healthy, it's scrumptious!!!

Ingredients:

- 2 cups raw almonds
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 Tbs pure maple syrup
- 2 to 3 tsp. flaxseed oil

Roasting your almonds in the oven first helps so much with the flavor and texture of your nut butter. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Spread almonds out evenly on baking dish. Roast/toast for 10 minutes. Let cool. Place almonds in a Vitamix blender if you have one. If you don't, food processor will do but maybe add half of the almonds and process and then the other half. (I made almond butter before in my food processor and I thought the almonds were going to break it). That's when my Vitamix blender stepped in. It'll blend those almonds up quickly with no trouble at all. Blend about 4 minutes, using your tamper to press down on the almonds and scrape the sides. If you're using your food processor, stop it to scrape the sides often. After the almonds have processed or blended for about 4 minutes, add vanilla and maple syrup. Blend for another minute. While the blender is running, drizzle in flaxseed oil. Blend until smooth. (My almond butter is thick and not oily or runny. If you prefer smoother butter, add another couple teaspoons of the oil and/or another tablespoon of the maple syrup.) Toast a piece of bread, spread the almond butter on top, add jelly or fruit and grab yourself a cup of coffee. You're all set to have a wonderful day! :) 

NOTE: If you process or blend the almonds ONLY for about 6 to 10 minutes... you also have almond butter. I wanted more of a vanilla, sweeter taste. 

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." - Anonymous