rebbermade

OOOooo... EXCITING! ALMOND BUTTER!

So, as I mentioned in the previous post, I have been searching for recipes that use almond butter. I recently bought a jar a of raw almond butter at Trader Joe's instead of restocking the peanut butter. I don't think Calder had any allergies, but Jeff is so opposed to peanuts in any form that it seemed like a good thing to try to keep out of the house as much as possible. I was not digging the flavor of this new butter, though. It tasted "stale", but I'm sure it wasn't really. But I resigned myself to eating it and sharing it with the boy too. Then my parents visited and brought a Costco-size jar of, that's right, almond butter. Well, I set out to find a way to use the stuff in ways beyond apple dipping and jelly sandwich pairing.

I found two recipes which have proved to be not just worth repeating but also worth sharing.

Banana Almond Smoothie

1 c. milk (any kind)
1 banana (can be frozen)
1 large T. almond butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend thoroughly and enjoy.

These cookies are tasty and also happen to be vegan. Without any terribly objectionable ingredients we don't feel bad about giving them to Calder. They're practically healthy!





Almond Butter Cookies

1/4 c. Canola oil
1 c. almond butter
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I'm out of this so used almond extract.)
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt *sifted before measuring

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Prepare baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
Mix almond butter and oil. Beat until smooth.
Mix in maple syrup and vanilla (or almond extract.)
In a separate bowl stir together flour and salt.
Add to almond mixture and mix until just combined.
Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Roll dough into 3/4" balls.
Place on baking sheet and flatten with fork.
Bake 25 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned.
Cool for a couple minutes on baking sheet then transfer to racks.