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Homemade peanut butter without that floating-oil-at-the-top of the jar stuff.

This tip is for folks who love natural peanut butter but hate having to wade through the excess pool of oil that rises and then sits at the top of the jar. Read on, friends.

Just so we’re clear: this recipe assumes that you will open your peanut butter jar at least once or twice a week. All you need is a really good blender and three ingredients: peanuts, coconut oil, and flaxseed meal.

Blender
If you are at the stage of life when you want to have quality tools in your kitchen, then investing in a really powerful and versatile blender should be at the top of your list. A great blender will not only come with a warranty but will be able to make margarita-grade/slushie-grade crushed ice in ten seconds flat. Really. You may have to save your pennies or ask for it as your big present of the year, but it is worth it!

Most good blenders come with a recipe book. If yours has one, refer to it for the peanut butter cycles.

Peanuts
Using roasted peanuts that have been salted is easier than having to stop the blender every few seconds to add salt to taste. However, this may be the way to go if sodium intake is a concern. Using organic peanuts is also a nice option.

Coconut Oil
This is an expensive ingredient, but a little goes a long way.  So, consider purchasing the most organic and purest form. You will see that at the store, the oil will be solid; it melts at higher temperatures. You may want to buy coconut oil made for cooking at extremely high temperatures, so read the labels carefully to select the right one for your overall needs.

Flaxseed Meal
Be sure to buy the ground up flaxseed. It is really handy as an emulsifier, and it is a great nutrient-booster in complementary foods. It can also be used to replace eggs when added to water. In this case, the flaxseed meal suspends the peanuts and oil together!

Please note that one serving of peanut butter is 1 tablespoon, not what you see in these pictures or on T.V.!

PM’s Delicious Oily-Free Peanut Butter

3 Cups   Peanuts, roasted*
2 Tbls     Coconut oil, melted
3 Tbls     Flaxseed meal, ground

1 rubber spatula
1 tasting spoon
1-2 jars for your peanut butter

Directions:
1. Add the peanuts to the blender container.
2. Melt the coconut oil to its liquid form. Then, add it to the peanuts.
3. Add the flaxseed meal to the peanuts and the coconut oil.
4. If your blender did not come with instructions for the cycles to use to make peanut butter, then start at a medium speed for about 40 seconds. Scrape the sides of the blender with the spatula. Repeat the blender cycle. Then, repeat this process for as many times as you need to obtain the desired consistency.** Pour into your containers and eat!

Yield: Just about 3 cups.

**Note: You may get so excited about making your own peanut butter that you blend it too much. It can turn to soup if you are not careful. If you prefer a thicker consistency as in the picture shown, go easy!