Maple, Vanilla Bean, Flax-Almond Butter

Growing up, I was one of very few children who despised peanut butter (what the heck, right?). When I hit middle school, I went from hating the stuff, to being full-blown obsessed. And I seriously mean obsessed. To the point that my best friend, Alana, and I would have competitions to see who could build the largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich, using as little jelly as possible, and as much peanut butter as possible. I'll say that things got a bit out of hand with quadruple deckers and the such with just a minute smear of jam and probably about 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Good thing we were growing kids or I could have easily weighed 800lbs!

Years later, I discovered that peanut butter wasn't the only nut butter out there, and almond butter was introduced to my life. Since then I have tried all of the nut butters that I can find, and have recently been trying my hand at making my own!

You won't believe how easy making your own nut butters is (and, most of the time, cheaper), and it allows for worlds more customization! This almond butter comes from Ashley at Edible Perspective, and my oh my, of the dozens of nut butters I have tried, I think this one holds top spot. It is positively AMAZING! It's ultra creamy, slightly sweet, and satisfyingly salty.
It is hard to get away from eating it by the finger-full, but if you can manage, it makes KILLER PB&Js (technically AB&Js) :). I cannot recommend this recipe any higher; really guys, try this one ASAP!

Maple, Vanilla Bean, Flax-Almond Butter

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 1/3 cup whole flax seeds
• 3 tbsp maple syrup, divided
• 1/2 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds, flax, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Spread out on the sheet tray and bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 15.
3. Pour the baked nuts into your food processor and process for around 10 minutes, until nice and creamy, scraping the sides about a dozen times.
4. Add in the salt, vanilla bean, vanilla extract, and remaining maple syrup. Process for about 5 minutes longer, drizzling in the oil at the end.
5. Store in an airtight jar.