I’ve tasted numerous almond butters out there in the market, and the best ones I’ve had so far has got to be between Trader Joe’s Creamy Almond Butter, and Justin’s Maple Almond Butter. Those two, in my opinion, THE best.
Hands down.
Hence the inspiration for this recipe, which is pretty much a cross between the two. Trader Joe’s uses a small percentage of cashews in their recipe, and Justin’s adds a touch of maple. So I thought, let’s merge the two, let me add a little something of my own, and see what I could come up with. And well, the results were downright spectacular—and addicting!
Enter my Maple Cinnamon Roasted Almond Butter!
Combining freshly-roasted almonds, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla—this almond butter is out of this world! It goes great on smoothies, smoothie bowls, pancakes, waffles—whatever you eat your peanut butter with! Or be weird like me and just eat it by the spoonful straight out of the jar first thing in the morning!
I primarily use a Nutribullet RX for all of my blending, but for this instance, I opted to use my Ninja Master Prep Professional to create this nut butter. I don’t know, ergonomically, I just thought it would have an easier time. But let me tell ya, making homemade nut butters is a pretty arduous process—depending on the strength of your blender/processor.
Lots of starting and stopping. Lots of scraping down the sides. And lots and lots of blending, for sure.
With this particular processor, it took me about 30 minutes to reach the desired creaminess I wanted.
But, trust me, if you keep at it, the results are well worth it!
I’m sure a stronger processor or blender can get this done in much lesser time, so Vitamix or Blendtec owners, I’m jealous! But fear not guys, if I can do it, then so can you!
What you get is one warm, fresh, and delicious almond butter.
Something that you will definitely NOT be able to buy from any store!
The nut butter just comes out warm, creamy, with all those wonderful flavors—and the best part is you control how chunky or creamy you want it, and how much flavorings you want to put in it.
Want a more cinnamon-y flavor—do it! Want more maple syrup—go for it! Completely up to you!
It’s best to use RAW almonds for this and not pre-packaged roasted almonds. Since we’re gonna roast it ourselves, and making it from scratch here, you want almonds in its rawest form. Sure it’s a little more work, but if you do your own taste test of roasted vs unroasted almond butter—you will clearly taste the difference. It’s just a more deeper, robust flavor that’s well worth the effort.
Here’s how the process would look like, broken down for you:
Simply spread out the almonds/cashews on a baking pan, and bake for 10 minutes at 350:
After roasting the almonds/cashews, pull them out of the oven, and let them cool for about 10 minutes—you should hear them crackling and popping as they rest, and they’ll also be very fragrant. Toss them into the processor and start processing:
The initial grind:
Starting to break down (2 minutes in):
Getting creamy (about 5 minutes in):
Just continue the process, starting and stopping, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed (about 10 minutes in):
Getting smoother and smoother (about 15 minutes):
Now, we’re talkin! Once you get to this point, then you can add the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt (about 25-30 minutes):
Mix one more final time (about 33 minutes):
Then you get the final product!:
KA-POW!!
OK, here’s a quick nutritional breakdown of this almond butter’s ingredients:
Almonds are a nutritional powerhouse containing exceptional amounts of protein, fiber, vitamin E, riboflavin, magnesium, manganese, etc….the list goes on and on. They contain a special kind of vitamin E called gamma-tocopherol, studies show this antioxidant to be a powerful cancer-fighter. Almonds also contain monounsaturated fats and other nutrients that have been shown to lower cholesterol and support the heart.
Maple syrup has been shown to contain at least 20 different antioxidants. Some high, some in low amounts, these antioxidants may help protect cells from cancer and fight inflammation, studies have shown. However, because of its high sugar content, maple syrup is still best consumed in moderation.
Cinnamon is considered the most antioxidant-rich spice available in the world. The antioxidants found in cinnamon are believed to fight off disease, protect our DNA from cell damage, slow the aging process, and may fight cancer. Cinnamon has also been shown to help fight off infection and sickness.
Here’s what you’ll need for my Maple Cinnamon Roasted Almond Butter:
Try this with my Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Protein Bars recipe! Or my Dark Chocolate Blueberry Protein Pancakes!
Alright, let’s get to it!
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
oz
|
- 1 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- pinch sea salt
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 350. Spread almonds and cashews on baking pan. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Pull out of oven. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Blend in food processor. This will take anywhere from 5-30 minutes depending on the strength of your blender. Stop the blending process every now and then to scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula, then repeat. Do this continuously until butter is nice and creamy.
- Once creamy, add cinnamon, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and sea salt. Blend again to thoroughly mix.
- Once cooled, pour butter into mason jar or airtight container and store in fridge. Will keep for about 2 weeks. Enjoy!
-You can do this recipe without roasting the almonds, but trust me---it tastes so much better!! Well worth it!
-Add or subtract the flavorings to your liking.
Did you try this recipe? How did it turn out for you? I would love to hear from you! Sound off in the comment section below or on social media!
Nutritional information is an approximation using Nutrifox, information from Google, and my own calculations to the best of my knowledge. It is not the definitive values or guaranteed to be 100% accurate information. Use only as a reference.**
