HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER LOVE.

I've written about my love for peanut butter before.  And well, I still love it.  A lot.  There's something about the gooey, stick to your mouth texture and sweet yet salty peanutty flavour that is just so addictive.  And since I'm a loyal consumer of the all natural, 100% peanuts brands, I also love to fool myself into thinking that it's always perfectly healthy and just the right thing for me to eat, at any moment.  Or all the moments.

As I polished off yet another jar of the beloved peanut butter and added it to my grocery list, I paused for a minute.  Why had I never tried making peanut butter myself before?  As I was well aware, it's just made of peanuts.  I could easily buy a bag of peanuts!  Better yet....if I made it myself, what other flavours could I add to it?

I am going to get to the description of making it, but like a mystery novel that you just can't put down, sometimes you just have to skip to the end first.  Amazing.  Pure, delicious, amazingness.  Smooth and creamy, with the best flavour I have ever had in a peanut butter before.  Okay, now back to the beginning.

For those who love simple and traditional, a pure peanut butter will certainly fit the bill.  About three cups of unsalted, roasted peanuts, and a half teaspoon sea salt go into a good quality blender for about 10 minutes, and out comes a perfectly smooth, beautifully flavourful peanut butter (it will get very clumpy before it gets smooth but just keep blending!).  It's way better than store bought.  I thought my love for peanut butter could not get stronger.  Oh, but it did.

And then, peanut butter and I took our relationship to the next level.  After scooping half of the simple peanut butter into a jar and into the fridge, I gave a little extra attention to the remaining half, still in the blender.  I added 1 teaspoon of honey and the seeds from one half of a vanilla bean.  Blend until combined, and taste.  Slightly sticky sweetness from the honey, real vanilla, and sea salt create a complex layer to a classic peanut spread.  It's breakfast, dessert and snacking all rolled into one.  It's the grow old together and still want to hold hands kind of love.

Whether you choose to go the classic peanut butter route, try a new flavour twist on the traditional snack, or even do a little of both with one batch, you'll be impressed with the pure, rich, peanut flavour.  It's pure peanut butter love.