[Homemade] Cinnamon-Honey Nut Butter

Something life-changing happened this weekend: For the first time, I made homemade NUT BUTTER!

I did a considerable amount of research (a.k.a. blog reading) to prep for this momentous occasion and felt prepared to conquer my goal. However, what no one prepared me for is the terrifying loudness of making nut butter. Seriously, it's insanely loud. And with the process taking about 15 minutes to complete, it's not exactly a quick burst of noise.

I live in an apartment and am incredibly sensitive about being a considerate neighbor. I hate hearing people playing Dance Revolution for 4 hours straight or crashing out of the bed at 3:00AM, so I try my best to not be "that" person to others. Unfortunately, in order to make this nut butter, my perceived "that" person status was unavoidable, no matter all noise-reducing precautions I took:

• I planned to make the nut butter in the middle of the day to ensure I wouldn't interupt anyone's sleep
• I removed the food processor from the counter onto the rug on my floor
• I covered the processor with two rather thick blankets
• I stopped the processor every five minutes to both scrape down the sides (as directed) and give everyone's ears a quick break

I'm happy to report there were no angry knocks nor anonymous hate notes nor snake-skins left outside my door--yes, that last one happened once at a different complex. And the end result was definitely worth the risk.

Instead of making peanut butter, I used a combination of peanuts, almonds, and cashews. My inspiration came from two of my FAVORITE nut butters: Archer Farms Almond, Peanut & Cashew Butter (that was recalled last summer and now is possibly discontinued) and Reginald's Homemade Nilla Cashew Butter. I'm incredibly passionate about peanut butter, but I love the idea of using other nuts for their additional nutritional benefits too. Plus, together, they taste really good!

I was anxious about the nuts not having enough moisture to completely butter-ize, so I added in a bit of oil. While I haven't tried it without the oil yet, I'm pretty confident that you don't actually need it in order to make the smooth and drippy stuff you see on this page. I also sweetened and spiced mine with local honey and cinnamon. The cashews bring some sweetness with them, so I suggest starting with about one teaspoon sweetener and adding more if you see fit!

With one nut butter under my belt, I can't wait to try more...I actually stopped myself from buying some at the store yesterday because I knew I could easily make it at home!  

What nut and flavor combinations have you tried? Which are your favorites?

Cinnamon-Honey Nut Butter

A Pursuit of Sweetness Original Recipe, 

Servings: ~ 1 1/2 cups butter

1 cup raw unsalted peanuts
1/3 cup roasted unsalted almonds
1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews
1-2 teaspoons local honey
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

• Place nuts in food processor and process on high for 15 minutes. Turn off machine and scrap off sides every 5 minutes. When only 5 minutes are remaining, add in honey, oil, vanilla, and spices.

• Store in an airtight container.