Vanilla Maple Almond Butter

i finally made almond butter! and not just any almond butter but vanilla maple almond butter. it took more time than i thought in the food processor but the result was well worth it. it turned out so creamy and flavorful. i could taste the vanilla, the maple syrup, and the cinnamon that i added. i couldn't stop eating it!

i will warn you that this does take some time. i really thought i had done something wrong because i have been processing them for over 10 minutes and it didn't seem to be changing into almond butter. but, have faith! it finally started to look a little creamy around 20 minutes. a couple more minutes and it was prefect! so use patience and stop and scrape the bowl a lot. my food processor was warm to the tough by the time i was finished.

1

1st scrape down (after 2 minutes)

 2nd scrape down (after about 5 minutes)

10th or 11th scrape down after about 20 minutes

probably 25th scrape down after about 25 minutes  

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Vanilla Maple Almond Butter

1 cup raw almonds
3 tbs pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbs light colored oil (i used grapeseed)

preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

spread almonds onto parchment lined baking sheet. spoon 2 tbs maple syrup over almonds and stir well to coat. make sure nuts are spread out and bake for 15 minutes, stirring and turning every 5 minutes.

remove almonds from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. add almonds, remaining maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla to food processor. process for about 2-3 minutes, stop and scrape food processor. continue this process 2x more then add the oil in a slow stream while the processor is running.

continue the 2-3 minute process and scrape down until the almonds start to become creamy. this will take anywhere from 15-25 minutes. store in an airtight container and enjoy!