Whipped Cocoa Peanut Butter Spread

Making my own nut butter is something that I have been doing for a year or so now and I can’t imagine going back to store bought! People always ask me how I do it and I’m hear to tell you, it’s incredibly simple. I wrote a bit about it this past summer but here is the Cliffnotes version. Ready?

1. Buy some dry roasted unsalted peanuts or any nut of your choice (TWSS??). My current favorite combo is peanuts + almonds!
2. Put them in a heavy duty food processor.
3. Turn it on, obviously.
4. Let it go for a good 12-15 minutes. Go clean your bathroom, fold laundry, or make a cocktail.
5. Next, add a bit of sweetener – I like to use local honey or maple syrup. Also add a few pinches of salt and a quick dash of vanilla extract.
6. Process again for another 3-5 minutes. You’re done!

I love making peanut butter at home because I can control the sweetness (I like mine not very sweet), add spices (cinnamon!!!!), and it also costs about $3 for a pound of peanuts which gives me at least 2 large mason jars full of peanut butter. That’s much better than paying $5-$6 for a small jar of natural peanut butter! Plus, the possibilities for flavors are endless! If you’re really feeling creative, go check out Ashley’s blog for tons of awesome nut butter recipes. Seriously, that cake batter cashew butter – it’s something else!

So now that you’ve made your peanut butter, it’s time to take it to the next, chocolaty level.

This recipe came about when I was making my weekly batch of pb and decided that I wanted to add a chocolate twist but didn’t want something super rich or heavy. This spread is chocolaty but light and super satisfying. It also makes a good sized batch using just one cup of peanut butter. You can use store bought here but I really, really recommend making your own. You’ll be glad you did!

Whipped Cocoa Peanut Butter Spread
Yields: about 1 1/2 cups of spread

1 cup of homemade peanut butter (or store bought)
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. honey or maple syrup (adjust this to your liking)
1/2 tsp. coffee extract, optional but HIGHLY recommended
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 cup vanilla soy milk, depending on your starting consistency
dash of cinnamon
pinch of salt

1. Start off with your homemade peanut butter and add a cup to your food processor.
2. Add cocoa powder, sweetener, and extracts. Process for about 5 minutes. It’s going to clump up, but that’s okay, we’re about to smooth it out.
3. With the processor running, slowly add milk a tablespoon at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate between additions. Keep adding until the mixture is whipped and light. My starting peanut butter was very thick so it took me about 1/3 cup. Also, if you’re mixture just isn’t getting as smooth as you like, you can add a few tablespoons of light canola oil or peanut oil.
4. Taste. Try not to eat the entire bowl. Add salt and cinnamon to taste and process for another minute or so.
5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge!

Tagged: chocolate, cocoa, cocoa peanut butter, nut butter, peanut butter