IKEA – The final chapter and Way Too Good Vanilla Almond Hazelnut Butter
This place, as in this blog I mean, is in need of a serious makeover. I’m really tired of staring at those ugly white walls… sure, there are a lot of pretty pictures to look at, but still, the decor lacks, big time. It needs a good paint job, some curtains and nice furniture, as well as a few decorative elements.
Guess I’m gonna have to start working on that. Unfortunately, web design isn’t my forte… I will need to hire me some external help for that. Hmpft! That’s quite the headache for me. Guess that’s why I’ve been putting it off for so long now!
Oh, how I wish it was just as easy as heading out to one of my favourite stores, which you must all be familiar with by now, and buy a couple of pieces of furniture, a few frames and other nick-nacks.
It might have taken me a while to complete, but finally, I give you the third and final chapter in my dining room / kitchen prop storage project.
The task at hand was rather easy this time, just a few frames to hang on the wall, to add the finishing touch. Hey, that shouldn’t be too hard, now, should it?
Still, there were instructions in the package.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
This time it says shows that do get the job done, you need to be female AND work standing at a table.
Males attempting to do this with the frame on their lap while sitting on a computer chair need not apply…
Phew, thank goodness! I happen to be female and I also happen to have access to a table. 😉
Alright, let’s get busy. This time, my daughter was there to help, so all four frames were up in no time!
So, what do you all think?
Not bad, hey?
As soon as we were done, we both headed out to see not one, but 2 movies!
But before we did that, I filled my tummy up on this beautiful Vanilla Almond Hazelnut Butter, which I decided to spread thickly on a slice of High Protein Whole Grain Date and Walnut Bread and topped it all with a few slices of banana. Man was that good!
Seriously, I got inspired to try making my own nut butter after reading Leanne at Healthful Pursuit and Nora at Natural Noshing‘s entries on the subject.
BEST MOVE EVER, I am telling you! Never again will I be having store bought nut butter. Never! This thing is pure decadence. So easy to make too! All you need is a good food processor, a great deal of patience and, well, some nuts!
And check out the results! So creamy and rich, and beautiful and light.
And the taste? OH MY, YUMMEDY YUMNESS!
The addition of vanilla really adds a little touch or sweetness to the butter, as well as a depth I had never yet had the pleasure of tasting in any of the store bought stuff before. Also, I love the hint of hazelnut, as well as the added texture that the flax brings to the concoction.
There is one major problem with this nut butter. I was already known for eating the stuff right out of the jar, with a spoon, or even worse, with my fingers! To me, there’s nothing like dipping your [clean] finger in a jar of creamy, gooey nut butter and licking it until it’s clean again!
Well, you see, this particular nut butter seems to have made my condition worse! For real! It’s calling me from inside the cupboards, I swear!
So just make sure you make a large batch…
Vanilla Almond Hazelnut Butter
Ingredients
- 5 cups almonds
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- ½ cup flax seed meal
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Spread the nuts out onto a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, moving them around occasionally
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes
- Place the almonds, hazelnuts, flax seed meal and vanilla extract into the bowl of your food processor and process until nice and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed. This should take between 15-20 minutes. You might think it will never happen, but be patient! IT WILL!
Notes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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Paired with the Date Walnut Bread, this is just heaven on earth!
Sliced real thin and toasted, the bread can easily be made into delicious sweet crackers
I had a little fun with the macro lens!
23 Comments on “IKEA – The final chapter and Way Too Good Vanilla Almond Hazelnut Butter”
Isn’t homemade the best?!? Your version looks amazing and stunning photos as always! I need to make another batch – I ate mine up too quickly…I may or may not have eaten half off the spoon, spatula and my fingers too…
Looks like your food processor can handle the larger batches! Thanks for trying this out for both of us 🙂
Home made is like unreal, out of this world good! Does it not talk awfully loud, though? I mean, I’m in the basement and I can hear it calling me… 😉 You definitely need to make a bigger batch, I think it does make the whole process easier, as you don’t really need to scrape off the sides all that much and the food processor could handles it just fine. Plus, it takes about the same amount of time. The only problem is, there’s more of it to love….
that’s exactly right! the more you make, the more I eat 🙂 but I recently made a new almond butter recipe and doubled the ingredients but it definitely makes it easier too – It’s like a drug in nut butter form, YES it’s screams “eat me!!!”
And yet another thing we have in common! Amen to that, my friend. And now, you got me craving nut butter… so if you will excuse me please while I go dip my finger in the jar! 😉
Ikea and almond butter! Two of my favorite things! Love the pictures of your dining room–you have a great eye for decorating which is no surprise considering how beautifully your food is always presented! I’m sure when you tackle the website changes it will also be beautiful but don’t beat yourself up over not getting around to it yet–your pictures are so great that they white backdrop lets them really shine as the star with no other distractions! Can’t wait to try the nut butter!
Awww ,thank you so much Melissa, how very sweet of you to say! Careful with that nut butter when you try it… it’s HIGHLY addictive! 😉
Almond butter is good in its most basic form, but I bet the addition of vanilla and hazelnut takes it to a whole new level! I tried to make peanut butter once and failed (still confused on that one), but maybe I’ll give almond butter a chance. Yum!
Failed? What happened?
This almond butter looks incredible and I’m dying to try it! I, like you, am a huge fan of nut butter, and frankly I don’t need the addiction to go further, but this looks too damn good to pass up.
Side note – the artist whose pics you framed is Will Rafuse – same as my dad’s name! he’s not the artist, but still… Coincidence for a rare name! 🙂 We’re a fan of his stuff too.
Your nut butter looks wonderful! I was just thinking today about how expensive it is and if it was worth it to try and make it at home. This is my sign.
LOVE the beautiful follow-up photos! The room looks wonderful. And the sight of that gushing out butter.. oh my.
Hi Sonia! Just wondering, how long does it last? Will it spoil in a few days or will it last a few months?
Hey Alex! I haven’t really had the chance to test this, but I’d say just as with any all natural nut butter that you buy at the store, it will keep for a few months if stored properly. To be on the safe side, I like to keep mine in the fridge if I know I will have to keep it for an extended period of time, but I’ve never really kept an open jar for more than a few months, so it’s never really been an issue…
One thing I can assure you of is that it will not spoil in a matter of days, nor will it last very long in this house… 😉
This may go outside the realms of the healthiness this blog is aiming for but I like to put powdered sugar to taste in all the nut butters I make. =]
Oh, but I do too! I add it to taste also. Except my taste would be… none! 😉
This stuff is awesome!! It goes great on just about anything and it is not difficult to make! My gosh, I have made this so many times since finding it here – I don’t even look at the recipe anymore!! LOL
Thanks Emily! Glad you like! That would be one of my regulars as well. I cannot be without a jar of this in my pantry! I think I would be thrown into instant withdrawal! 😉
I just found your blog while searching for hazelnut butter recipes, and I just have to say, your presentation is beautiful.
I also have a question for you–so far, I’ve stuck with raw almond butter. It looks a bit less creamy/oily/delicious than yours, but it’s still super yummy. Have you tried raw hazelnut butter? If so, how was it?
Thank you so much Elaine, that is so nice of you to say!
I’ve never made raw hazelnut butter, I like to toast my nuts slightly in the oven before turning them into butter, as I find this gives them so much more flavor. I have to admit that I’ve been toying with the idea of using them raw, though, especially hazelnuts, for they do have a very interesting flavor in their raw state.
Sorry I can’t be of more help…
Hi Sonia!
I know this is an older post of yours but I was just wondering what mixer you use? I just tried making this recipe and have set fire to my little Kitchen aid mixer! I am left with a very lumpy crunchy nut butter.. Although it is still delicious 🙂
Yikes! Fire, you say? That’s not good. Was it a really small model? I too, have a KitchenAid, something similar to this model, although not exactly this one, as mine is probably well over 12 years old now. Trust me, it’s seen A LOT of action in its life and made many a batch of nut butter. I would never hesitate to recommend this brand. I may have to replace mine soon, but only because it was used so much, one of the plastic parts that holds the bowl in place is broken and the plastic shaft that holds and spins the blade is getting worn out. Yeah. This thing HAS been used. A LOT! Definitely worth every single penny that I spent on it!
And good to hear that at least, you can still appreciate your lumpy crunchy nut butter. That’s the spirit! 😀
I made this recipe and loved it. Loved it! That being said, I had to run out after roasting my nuts in the oven, so by the time I got to putting them in the food processor, they were completely cooled. It took over a FULL HOUR of processing in my food processor before this became what I’d consider an acceptable almond-butter consistency. I have a very beefy and powerful food processor. It just took forever. Just thought I’d share for others who attempt this recipe. Heat is what makes the oils extract from the nuts: so I suspect if they had still been warm from the oven that it would have been closer to the 15-20 minutes quoted in this recipe.