By: Juliana Pires Johnson
Got a bunch of almonds and don’t know what to do with them? How about you save some money (and keep up quality control) on specialty store nut butter, take matters into your own hands and make your own creamy, dairy-free milk and butter?
Super easy, one ingredient needed to have these healthy bases at home, at all times.
The almond butter, placed in a gorgeous mason jar would also make for a thoughtful and yummy gift, as would a bottle of homemade almond milk with some yummy cookies!
HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK
INGREDIENTS
1 cup almonds (preferably raw and organic), soaked in water for 4-6 hours or overnight
4 cups filtered water
INSTRUCTIONS
Drain the soaked almonds and rinse them well (discard the soaking water).
Combine the almonds and fresh water in a blender, and blend until the almonds have broken down and the milk looks creamy.
Strain the almond milk through a nut-milk bag or cheese cloth (easy to find on Amazon), squeezing well to extract the extra liquid (which you can discard).
Store the almond milk in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days (you can freeze leftovers, if needed, for up to 3 months).
HOMEMADE ALMOND BUTTER
INGREDIENTS
3 cups almonds (preferably raw and organic)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the almonds in an oven preheated to 350ºF degrees for 10 minutes to expedite the blending. Let it cool.
Transfer the almonds to a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, and process them until creamy. You will want to stop and scrape down the sides every now and then with a spatula and be prepared for this to take 15-20 minutes – be patient. The consistency will go from flour to clumpy to creamy.
Transfer the homemade almond butter to a jar. Since this recipe has no additives or preservatives, it will last about a month inside the fridge.
You can play around with this recipe by blending in some sea salt (to make it savory) or maple syrup to taste, to make it a sweet treat.