Make Homemade Peanut Butter
Choosy Moms Choose ... This!
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
The famous black inventor George Washington Carver (1864-1943) is known for his work with peanuts, and while he didn't "invent" peanut butter, as some think, he did help make it popular. He's also credited with inventing 300 other uses for peanuts in the late 1800s, including 105 recipes (like peanut soup) and 100 industrial products like dyes, paints, plastics and cosmetics. (Peanut makeup? That's gotta clog your pores!)
- Two cups roasted, shelled peanuts
- One tablespoon of oil:Peanut oil is best, but any cooking oil will work.
- One-half teaspoon of salt:Don't use if you're using salted peanuts.
- Measuring cup and spoon
- Blender or food processor:Finally, an excuse to dust off that food processor old Aunt Barb got you for your wedding.
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon:Or a rubber spatula. Something to scrape down the sides of the blender.
- Recycled jam or peanut butter jar, or a Tupperware container
Head out to the store to pick up the ingredients. You'll save yourself a big headache if you make sure the peanuts are roasted and shelled. You don't want to be roasting and shelling, trust us.
Then have your kid pour the peanuts, salt and oil into a blender or food processor.
Help him blend it up for 2 or 3 minutes, stopping periodically to scrape the sides with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula so all of the peanuts get mashed up. Blend longer if your kid likes smooth peanut butter or add more peanuts to the mix if he likes it super chunky.
When it's done, help your kid scrape it out into a jar or Tupperware container. This recipe should make about 1 to 2 cups of peanut butter.
Make a couple of PB & Js, pour two glasses of milk and kick back with your kid. If you're feeling inspired, you can even sing a round of "The Peanut Butter and Jelly Song."
- Try the same recipe with other kinds of nuts. Cashew butter or almond butter make great sandwiches, too.
- Use that homemade peanut butter in a delicious recipe. Check out our dishes that include peanut butter in the ingredients.
- Store the peanut butter in the fridge. If the oil and peanut butter separate, as often happens with "real" peanut butter, just mix it up before eating.
- NOTE: Some kids are severely allergic to peanuts. Check with your pediatrician before you feed peanut butter to a young child.
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