A Love Letter to Deez Nuts
Once you make homemade nut butter, the store-bought stuff may never have a place on your shelves again.
Recipes, for me, are more like suggestions to keep in mind, rather than strict guidelines I must adhere to. I say this because recently, a friend of mine asked me for my go-to nut butter recipe. And I really had to scramble to write up concise pointers because I like to prepare food in a more intuitive manner.
I had previously gushed to her about my ventures into making nut butter from “scratch.” Beyond the satisfaction I feel making or baking something, homemade nut butters are also clutch for keeping costs down while living through Biden’s dismally-inflated economy.
Typically, stores only carry almond butter or sunflower seed butter. I mean, if you’re buying anything other than peanut butter from your standard grocery store, you’re looking at sinking at least $10 a jar. Cashew butter from Amazon exceeds that cost. Peanut butter, on the other hand, tends to cost half of that… or less.
But, some days you don’t want to have peanut butter with your crisp apple slices. Some days, your tastebuds feel utterly overwhelmed by tasting that flavor so often and crave something new.
You have to understand how difficult it is to saturated fatmaxx when, previously, my disordered brain demonized all fats. I avoided real peanut butter like it was the plague, opting for powdered peanut butter reconstituted weakly with a bit of water from the tap. Ew, I know. I’m judging myself too, retrospectively.
As a result of this neurotic behavior, my body didn’t get all those good bits and bobs of nutrition from a wide range of healthy saturated fat sources.
I’ve always been very fascinated by nutrition, however, and perhaps that fascination with learning the ins and outs of every macro and micronutrient made me feel as though I was vicariously receiving all those things my body needed.
But my body was deficient. It probably still is. So I’m overcompensating lately… and loving it.
Food freedom — practiced with a safe dose of restraint — looks like buying whichever nut (or seed or legume, whatever!) I feel like and letting my creativity reach childlike proportions. Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts… adding cocoa powder, pumpkin spice seasonings, or various extracts.
Homemade nut butter is a project that can allow you to easily, and enjoyably play with your imagination. In terms of seeing a project through to completion, I find it’s one which is mentally satisfying too. What I’m saying is that it’s really, really hard to screw up homemade nut butter.
The elements of this recipe require little to no brain power.
Step one: Buy already-roasted, unsalted nuts of your choice, or if you only have raw nuts, roast them in the oven at 325F for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them… you don’t want to burn your nuts. Then, let them cool.
Step two: Place your roasted nuts in a food processor and then grind your nuts. Really grind your nuts. And don’t stop grinding your nuts until they start to smooth out into a paste-like substance.
Depending on the type of nut you choose, your nut butter might take on a thinner consistency. For instance, my latest nut butter batch was an indiscriminate combination of walnuts and cashews, with several Brazil nuts tossed in the bunch because I’m a gal who cares deeply about her thyroid health.
This batch ended up much thinner (stored at room temperature) than my last batch of almond butter, for example, but honestly… who cared? Not me. Each thick tablespoon I consume still tastes delectable.
Anyway.
Step two and a half… or three: As you’re in the process of grinding your nuts, you might need to periodically STOP grinding, open the food processor lid, and scrape down the sides if some coarse bits have gathered toward the top and aren’t getting adequately mixed into the batch.
Feel like you need to work on your patience? Have those quick dopamine rushes and guarantee of immediate gratification from social media totally burnt out your tolerance for playing the waiting game? Making homemade nut butter will genuinely test your patience.
I’ve had some batches get super smooth, quite quickly – based on volume or type of nut used – but others can take nearly 20 minutes to get fully ground. But as Rousseau once wisely put it, “patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
Step four: Once you’ve really, thoroughly ground your nuts… it’s time to add in a touch of salt and whatever add-ins suit your fancy. Just perhaps skip the seed oils. This is when you can safely mix seasonings, powders, extracts, or sweeteners without the batch totally seizing up. I generally like to keep it simple and just go for some flaky salt, but this is where you can really let your creativity blossom.
Did you go with hazelnuts and almonds? Try adding in some dark cocoa powder and local, raw organic honey to make a homemade, healthy-ish Nutella. Cashews pair perfectly with coconut and vanilla. Relish in fall flavors year round when you add pumpkin spice seasoning to walnuts or pecans.
God gave us so many faculties to feel.
There’s no need to force yourself to buy jar after jar of (even the cleanest label) peanut butter when there’s a whole world of nuts to experiment with. Look, I haven’t ditched this store-bought classic entirely, but with all things food and bev… it’s nice to practice moderation.
Might I remind you, your body probably needs the different nutrients that each nut can provide. Americans have really concerning micronutrient deficiencies – despite us living in some of the most prosperous, abundant times.
Remember when I mentioned adding some Brazil nuts into my latest nut butter batch? They’re one of your best sources of selenium — an essential trace mineral for optimal thyroid function and improved fertility. Pistachios are high in vitamin B6 and wonderful antioxidants like lutein, zeaxanthin, and polyphenols.
I could go on and on and on. But, instead, I’ll give you a little (actually, quite big) chart.
Source: Oh Snap! Let’s Eat!
A lot of “lindy” anons might tell you that animal sources alone will suffice, and while dairy, eggs, and various meats will of course pack a high nutrient punch… why restrict yourself from other sources unnecessarily? Do not let peer pressure shame you out of enjoying a good nut.
I’m a fiend for animal products. I’m a self-proclaimed dairy queen. But I’m through with sleeping on all those good saturated fats like omega-3s from nuts and their close food group friends.
Am I concerned with phytoestrogens from nuts? Not really. If my diet wasn’t mineral-rich from regularly eating red meat, organ meats, deenz, oysters, egg yolks, and whatnot, I might be a bit more concerned.
Unless you have an allergy, intolerance, or genuinely find nuts disgusting, I personally see no real reason to be so neurotic. Let go of a few food rules and give it a shot. All you need is a creative spark, a bit of time, a food processor, some nuts, and a clean jar with a tight lid in which you can store your homemade treat.
Okay okay, making your own nut butters from scratch may seem like a major nothingburger if you haven’t walked a day in the shoes of someone who once had highly restrictive, disordered eating habits.
But, for those of us who have now spent years relearning the process of properly nourishing the one body that God gifted us… well, forgive me for acting like it’s a biggie.
Having a satisfying, healthy snack on-hand which lacks a single nutrition label to ruthlessly taunt high calorie counts is really important in healing from disorder. Being able to spoon-out heavy tablespoons for pure enjoyment without guilt is borderline therapeutic.
And the best part? You saw it through from start to finish — with little effort beyond a bit of brain power and patience.
This is Ikigai, in My Mind's Eye.