The Many Uses for Almond Butter Made at Home

Question: I have a lot of blanched almonds that I purchased at a good price recently. Please tell me how to make almond butter. Can I use it like peanut butter?

Answer: Yes, almond butter can be used like peanut butter. Popular in cookies and as a sandwich spread, it is also adaptable for baked goods, candy, ice cream, granola bars and yogurt. The commercial almond butters come in smooth and crunchy forms with new flavor variations of honey-cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla and toasted coconut. Here’s a recipe for Almond Butter from the California Almond Growers Exchange in Sacramento, using blanched almonds that have to be toasted first.

ALMOND BUTTER

2 cups blanched whole almonds

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

Spread blanched almonds in shallow baking dish, pizza pan or jellyroll sheets. Bake at 325 degrees, stirring often, until internal color of nut meat is tan to light brown (a medium to heavy roast--almonds will toast slightly after they are removed from the oven).

Place almonds in food processor container fitted with all-purpose blade. Process to coarse butter texture, about 3 minutes. (As almonds are ground, they form a pasty ball, which later smoothes out.)

Add salt and process 7 minutes longer or until desired texture is achieved. Makes about 1 1/4 cups butter.

Variations: Whole natural almonds (with skins) may be used using the basic formula but processing 5 minutes longer (instead of 7 minutes) after salt is added. Adding some chopped almonds will produce crunchy almond butter. Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla and toasted coconut may be added as desired for flavor variation.

Q: Can a frozen roast be cooked without defrosting? If so, how much longer should it be roasted? Also, should the oven temperature be changed?

A: Actually, some expert cooks prefer to cook frozen roasts without defrosting. The theory is that juices tend to get lost in the process of thawing. Depending on the size of the roast, the cooking time should be increased to 1 to 1 1/2 times that required for unfrozen roasts. Use the same temperature of 325 degrees.

Another school of thought is to double the length of roasting time but roast at a lower temperature of 300 degrees.

Frozen steaks and chops may also be broiled satisfactorily without thawing. Place meat farther from heat and broil 1 1/2 to two times the required time for unfrozen meats. This also applies to frozen hamburgers, which become juicier than unfrozen ones when cooked.