Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter

A little while ago I tried my hand at making Pistachio Butter and had a pretty epic fail. Well, the flavors were there, but the smoothness and consistency one expects from a nut butter was nowhere to be found. Ever since then I've been itching to make a nut butter again. I figured out that I didn't dry the nuts properly between the blanching and processing stages, giving me clumpy unappetizing "butter". So I decided to altogether skip blanching and go straight into processing.

Lucky for me (or so I thought), peanuts just happened to be on sale that week -- a 10 ounce bag for $1. Note that these were unshelled guys. By the time I had cracked a cereal bowl full of shells, I barely even had 1/2 a cup of nuts. Frustrating and time consuming. And the hubby kept walking by and eating the shelled ones. Not cool. So in my impatient ways while at the grocery store, I decided to give in and buy jarred peanuts, ready to go. The slight slight price difference was definitely worth my time.

Once shelling and blanching are no longer factors, it literally takes under 10 minutes to make your own peanut butter. Not too shabby. Especially when the food processor is doing all the work. I opted to add in some chocolate because, well, that's how I roll. Chocolate + peanut butter = one of the best flavor combinations out there, I just couldn't resist.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter

Original Recipe

16 ounces lightly salted peanuts
2 tablespoons oil (peanut, canola, vegetable)
4 ounces dark chocolate chips, melted

Pour peanuts into a food processor. Process nuts 5-7 minutes, adding oil 1/2 tablespoon at a time until smooth (more or less oil may be needed). Add melted chocolate and process until fully incorporated.

Yields: 1 pint (serving size: 2 tablespoons)

I ended up adding just a bit too much oil (I added upwards of 3 tablespoons) so my end result was a bit on the runny side. Still super tasty though. Next time I might add in more chocolate as the peanut butter is upfront and prominent, with just a hint of chocolate.

I think I have now entered the never-ending loop of wanting to keep trying to make nut butters. I am really wanting to go back and try pistachio butter again, this time without the blanching. I just have to talk my poor little fingers into shelling those things again.

I almost forgot! Denise from We Like to Cook has bestowed me with the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!

I love the simple yet tasty looking dishes that Denise and Dom share, so make sure you head over to their blog and check them out! Accepting this award involves me sharing 7 things you might not know about me, and then passing the award along to 15 other bloggers. As I just shared 7 things with you just about a month ago, I will direct you to that list if you're just dying to know something about me. ;) As for the 15 bloggers to pass this along to:

Kate from Diethood
Susi from Susi's Kochen und Backen Adventures
Katrina from In Katrina's Kitchen
Bobbi from Fresh and Foodie
Hester from ¡Comida es mi vida y mi vida es comida!
Sarah from Baking Serendipity
Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Leanna from Raptor Toe
Lauren & Chrissy from From the Little Yellow Kitchen
Whitney from Amuse Bouche
Lindsey from Hot Polka Dot
Amber from Sprinkled with Flour
Victoria from So This Brunette Walks into a Kitchen
Lynn from I'll Have What She's Having
Zoe from Runny Yolks are Better

Enjoy ladies!

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 210	Calories from fat 160
% Daily Value
Total Fat 17.8g	27%
Saturated Fat 3.4g	17%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 96mg	4%
Total Carbs 9.8g	3%
Dietary Fiber 2.0g	8%
Sugars 4.8g
Protein 7.6g
Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 4%	Iron 19%