Homemade peanut butter with cinnamon

About store-bought peanut butter…

Though Liz and I didn’t grow up eating peanut butter in our homes, as adults, we’ve bought peanut butter plenty of times over the years. I never really thought of it as a healthy food, and to be honest, I also never looked at the labels, either way. I just ate it. I enjoyed it on toast, sometimes with a little jam. Liz has enjoyed it on crackers, as a snack. But peanut butter as a “healthy” option wasn’t really top-of-mind for me.

Now that labels matter more to me, I’ve noticed how many ingredients the more commercial jars of peanut butter contain… lots of sugar and preservatives to enhance the flavour and keep jars on shelves longer. Most grocers do carry at least one or two healthier options where it’s pretty much just peanuts in the jar. I just finished one of those jars recently.

Since it was time for a fresh batch at home, and since we’re being more health-conscious now, it was time to take a closer look at peanut butter. After quickly discovering how healthy it can be and how simple it is to make–it was a no-brainer for us to give it a go at home.

Quality tools from our good friends at Breville Canada

Today we got to play with our new Breville Sous Chef® 16 Peel & Dice, again! I say “play” because we’ve had such a blast using this unit.

Since being diagnosed with diabetes in February, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for tools that help me quickly prepare meals, which, in addition to being healthy and delicious, are easy to make.

Our peel & dice food processor has made easy work of many tasks in the kitchen; from freakishly fast and perfect chopping and dicing, to powerful blending, and more. We are truly convinced that this tool is a necessity in the kitchen. We use ours all the time. Today is no exception. This was the perfect tool for making home-made peanut butter in a snap.

Why buy peanut butter when you can make it in under 5 minutes?

…and by 5 minutes, I do mean 5 minutes…all in.

There are two benefits to making your own peanut butter. The first is that you know exactly what’s in it, so you can make sure it’s healthy. The second benefit is that it’s cheaper than the premium store-bought jars.

If you have a food processor or powerful blender, you can have delicious peanut butter ready in a lot less time than it takes to drive over to the store. We sincerely recommend the Breville Sous Chef® 16 Peel & Dice.

It’s nuts how good this is

It is chalk-full of nuts…and that’s about it. Add a little sesame seed oil, a sprinkling of salt, and some cinnamon… and voila… smooth, spreadable, delicious, and healthy peanut butter. You really taste the peanuts. That’s the point. That dash of cinnamon makes you go, “oh… that’s nice“.

Try it on toast, apples (which is new to us… but yummy), crackers, celery, or wherever you enjoy it. We love finding quick ways to make healthy and delicious food… this one hit the mark.

The right tools

Honestly, the tools we use help immensely. Our Breville Sous Chef® 16 Peel & Dice has made a world of difference. It’s truly a great investment in a healthy lifestyle. It has made eating healthy, at home, the faster and better option for us.

It’s easy to think of a good kitchen appliance as too expensive and maybe not worth it. But when you consider how much you save in time and money by making meals at home vs. eating out or buying packaged food with additives to keep things fresh, in no time, you’ll realize the value–in your wallet and your health. That’s definitely worth it, if you ask me.

Go nuts… try our homemade peanut butter with cinnamon. Spread it on and eat well, friends.