Easy Almond Butter/Whatever Butter

[SuzyQ]

I have not tried this, but I really hope it works. I just read the easiest way to make Almond Butter that I have ever read. They grind the almonds in a coffee grinder (making a "powder") and then put it into a blender or food processor and add the oil a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. This is good news for me and others who haven't had the best luck making their own butters or for those who don't have a Vitamix or Green Star juicer. I haven't tried this yet because I am out of raw almonds but you can be sure I will try it as soon as I have the ingredients.

I looked up some old posts regarding this and it seems that people can only process their almonds for about 30 to 45 seconds before the blender gets hot and then they have to put it in the refrigerator to cool off and then get it back out and repeat the process. This pre-grinding will hopefully cut down the process and make it much easier. Lets hope so!

[samariah]

maybe i will try this. are coffee grinders expensive?

[Ilse W.]

I use a coffee grinder for my sunflower seeds and flax seeds when I just want 1 tablespoon of each. Those little coffee grinders get hot as well, especially, if you do batch after batch. I used to make a lot of German Christmas cookies and put the almonds in my Cuisinard food processor. Since the motor is not directly connected to the container, the almonds don't get hot. If you want to do it in a coffee grinder, I suggest finding a manual one. Lots of work, though! I don't know where you live, but check in your local health food store, if you have one. They often have a grinder. My store here has one for salted peanuts, one for organic raw unsalted peanuts, and one for raw almonds. It's not even really a health food store,, just a farmer's market that has branched out into healthy food.

[debilana]

Just a warning- I broke my coffee grinder on almonds, they are pretty hard for that small blade. I would go food processer.

Its the bomb however for flax, suns, cashews (cashew flour makes good cookies). I am unsure how else you would grind flax without a coffee grinder!

[raweater]

Since the motor is not directly connected to the container, the almonds don't get hot.

What heats the butter is not the motor but the friction of the blades going through the thick butter, so it doesn't matter if the motor'sheat is transfered or not, it will get hot.

What I used to to is simply grind almonds in a foodprocessor until it startsgetting hot, then let it cooldown and process again and repeat to desired consistency, I never added oil.

Now I have a green start and can make almond butter in minutes but I rarely make any anyway since truely raw almonds are very expensive (almost all "raw" almonds from USA are no longer raw and are fraudulently labeled as being raw anyway).

[Ilse W.]

I guess what I was trying to say is that it gets a whole lot hotter in a coffee grinder than in a food processor.

[JEN]

My coffee grinder was only like 10$ and it grinds seeds fine but not almonds. It cant break them up. If your blender will not grind them then I suggest using the food processor. It might be a little more like a chunky version but it will still be good. Good luck!

[SuzyQ]

OK, I tried my coffee grinder this morning on a few almonds I found in my fridge.
These were almonds I had soaked & dehydrated. It worked great! Nice and powdery (hope that is how to spell it). So I am encouraged!
By the way, I found my coffee grinder at a yard sale for $4.00.

[raweater]

A food processor alone will also make a smooth nut butter, you just need to let it run long enough and not let it cook.

[SuzyQ]

Thanks Raweater!

[toots]

What I use to grind my almonds (or any other nut, not seeds) is my simple mortar and pestle. I grind them in small amounts at a time.
If I need them in smaller peices before grinding, I place whatever I want to grind in a plastic or paper bag and put this on a hard flat surface. Then I roll over them with a rolling pin to break them up into smaller pieces. (or, smack the sh*t out of them with a hammer!)
This grinded powder does then go into a regular blender, with a small amount of desired oil added. Pulse, then add a few drops more of oil. Use a rubber spatula to scrape/stir as needed. I continue this process until the desired consistancy. (it really doesn't take that long).
Actually, I like this process much better than with my Champion! It's actually less work........My Champion heats up so fast that I have to wait several minutes for it to cool between small batches. With the blender, this doesn't happen...you're adding small amounts of oil while processing.
And, as a plus, you can choose the oil you wish....I use flax alot for that mellowy-butter taste, for example. Also almond oil and sesame oil.

Just my 2 cents:)

suz

[SuzyQ]

Great ideas. Thanks! I like the smacking them with a hammer/rolling pin idea. Get some frustration out while at the same time being productive!