The Kid has exhibited an increasing fondness for hanging out in the kitchen when she has nothing better to do. We all spend so much time in the kitchen naturally… tinkering, cooking, tasting, testing, eating, drinking, snacking, entertaining, etc. If there is one thing I would like her to learn, it is to experiment, to literally “play” with her food… to discover and to gain confidence handling food. After making my initial batch of peanut brittle, we decided to make a second batch just to check if it was really that easy. The second time around, The Kid watched with fascination as the sugar turned into a dark liquid and quickly into a crisp solid… She noticed all of the leftover raw peanuts and asked me how to make fresh peanut butter. Good question…
I had never made peanut butter, but I guessed that all it would need were some roasted (de-skinned) peanuts, some vegetable oil, sugar, a touch of salt and a dollop of butter. Blitz this in a food processor and voila, the most amazing homemade peanut butter you have ever tasted. There is just something so good about making something on your own. Lesson learned. Check. The Kid will move on to bigger and better things in the kitchen. Who knows, she may be a food blogger in a decade or so…heehee. This version of peanut butter would definitely qualify as the “chunky” style…not smooth at all…but it was utterly delicious on toast. It was also yummy when paired with homemade guava jelly. Don’t be surprised if the oil separates if stored in the fridge…just re-mix before using.
21 Responses
Hi MM. I so love the peanut sauce of Aristocrat or Casa Reyes. Do you have a similar recipe?
Kudos to the Kid.
What an excellent kitchen exercise for The Kid! If she’s not allergic to honey, a honey-cinnamon version is a good one to try too (especially on top of chocolate ice cream). Then there’s also Cashew Butter, for you lucky ones who have access to these freshly roasted nuts. We’ve tried this in Turon and loved it.
i would like to try this at home! between smooth and chunky peanut butter…i like the latter better! spread in a warm pan de sal…sarap!
She can also melt some chocolate chips to layer with the peanut butter… yummy!
She can also melt some chocolate chips to layer with the peanut butter… yummy! If I use all-butter instead of vegetable oil, will the result be the same?
MM, try carmelizing the nuts first, then blitz in the food processor for another taste dimension.
I just had some Lily’s peanut butter on toasted wheat bread. Sarap! I love this pinoy style, sweet and kinda oily peanut butter.
For once I am not left hanging after reading your blog. :-)
Kitchen fairies all looking into her in honing her kitchen skills. With her intuitive and creative mind she’s heading to the right direction – she could be the next Martha Stewart! Culinary career is financially rewarding and satisfying – it is like the fashion industry the evolutionary concept is always there. Most new breed of chefs are Ivy Leaguers drop their foot and pack their bags and head to culinary schools to name a few Suzanne Goin of Lucques who pioneers the wine glass service of premium wine to go with tapas or dinner – diners do not need to order the whole bottle of premium wine just by the glass and Kate Zuckerman. Bruce Aidels is a medical doctor.
I am curious as to why you added vegetable oil and butter. You can make excellent peanut butter solely with peanuts (and salt if desired). I don’t myself have the taste for sugar added to peanut butter–too many foods have sugar or corn syrup added, and people get used to all that extra sweetness I guess. I am a left coast American and always cringe at how people here have become so inured to added sweeteners and salt that they “need” these in their foods.
I would also strongly caution people who make their own peanut butter to make sure to purchase good quality peanuts, preferably commercially tested to be free of aflatoxins (very common in peanuts). This is definitely not an area where you should cut costs!
To Maria Clara–Bruce Aidells is not a medical doctor, he has a PhD in biology (endocrinology). Regardless, his commercially available sausages are quite good!
there’s a specialty store in downtown LA that sells home-made peanut butter which is freshly grind when you buy it. they only use roasted peanuts and salt; option to add peanut oil and sugar if the customer wants it smooth and sweet.
im guessing there’s oil added to the peanuts when roasted (or perhaps cooked in a way similar to our adobong mani?) coz the peanut butter is amazingly creamy.
pretty soon MM, she’ll be making mayonaise from scratch just like dad does! :)
star and kurzhaar, actually we started of by just using roasted peanuts in a small food processor but it was too dry so we added the oil and some butter to help it along. Without sugar, it wasn’t too appealing to the kid. We could certainly have omitted the butter, but it did add flavor. If we had a commercial grinder, it would have been smoother and required less oil I suspect. Artisan chocolatier, do you mean to brown the nuts more while roasting or cook them with some sugar first? Hmm, that sounds interesting. Allen, if I were you, just experiment, until you reach the consistency you like. I suspect all butter instead of oil would work. You need smal amounts only just to get it whirling and smoothen it out a bit. Rhea, it is an economical, relatively easy thing to make at home! F1foodie, yes, cashew butter is also delicious! Em Dy, I haven’t tried either peanut sauces you mention, but if you look up a sate sauce, you might come close…
MM, cook the raw peanuts with some caramelize sugar first, no need to roast beforehand. And if you add some melted milk chocolate (after grinding), you will come up with something similar to gianduja. Yes, a commercial grinder (like a robot coupe or a stephan) would take less time to smoothen it.
chunky peanut butter is more appealing and appetizing..this is just perfect with jelly and toast, then add a couple of sliced bananas…classic!
artisan chocolatier, that sounds superb… elaine, yup childhood comfort food.
I happen to like the chunky kind of peanut butter. The oil is fine, at least you know it’s natural. None of that hydrogenated oils. The Kids’s Peanut Butter is making me hungry.
Have you entertained the thought of The Kid writing a few entries here? :)
I love peanut butter.. I could imagine the Kid’s peanut butter to be grainy with sugar..
This could be a good start-up business for The Kid specially with the holiday season coming up. Where do we order? :)
MM, you could also use powdered sugar (vis-a-vis regular sugar) so your food processor can concentrate on grinding the nuts.
MM when I as in high school we made peanutnutter using mg moms’ recipe for a kilo of peeled roasted nuts we added 1/4kl of margarine and 2 small pouches of milk powder and sugar)according to our taste).It tasted like homemade peanut butter sold in palengkes and the kind that people sell door-to-door.
Vennis Jean, thanks for that, that sounds easy AND good (though I would try buter instead of margarine…), YUM! artisan chocolatier, thanks for the tip. acid, she may just end up the peanut butter queen…hahaha. Blaise, it was a bit grainy from the nuts, the sugar seemed to dissolve…