Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter (This is HOLY COW Incredible!!)

I LOVE the Trader Joe's Crunchy Almond Butter with flax- have you had it? It's in a short little jar, and it is fabulous! It's a bit pricey though, and I've been thinking about trying to make some of my own.

Oh. My. Gosh. I made a batch of this almond butter, and TRULY craved it on apples as my dessert of choice this weekend. It is THAT good. I don't know that I'll be buying store-made again anytime soon.

Don't you love that?? When you try to make something as a substitute for something that isn't in your budget, hoping you'll like it almost as much, only to discover that the "make-your-own" version is a gazillion times better!!

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter with Golden Flax Seeds

From: The Edible Perspective

• 1 cup raw almonds (I used the kind below, raw slivered, because I had some on hand)
• 2.5 Tb pure maple syrup, divided
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tb Golden Toasted Flax seeds (optional, except not really because they're awesome)
• 1/2 Tb oil, optional, if needed (explained below)

Take the almonds and 1.5 Tb of the maple syrup and toss together. Spread onto a baking sheet that is covered with parchment paper or non-stick foil. (Don't try to be a cheapo like me and use regular foil sprayed with Pam. THE ALMONDS WILL STICK. You will be tempted to yell. You will burn your finger. Just use the right stuff. Learn from my mistake!)

Bake at 325 for 15 minutes, stirring 3 times.

Let them cool for 5 minutes. Apparently, letting them cool longer makes them harder to process.

Put the almonds into a food processor, and process for 10-15 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally. You will start to worry, because it seems like nothing is happening. You will furiously refer to the recipe, thinking I've made you waste your money, and that you've done nothing but make almond sawdust.

...just wait. All of the sudden the almonds will sort of ball up and butterize. It's super cool!! Then you will be saying, "I knew I could trust Shari. She wouldn't lead me astray. (Except if I was on a diet and never wanted to eat anything delicious. Then she probably would....)"

If, for some reason, it doesn't butterize, then you can add the oil. That will take care of THAT. I didn't need it, but it's nice to have as an option!

Now, add in the rest of the ingredients, the 1 Tb maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and the flax seeds, and process for a short time until combined.

Get thee an apple. Slice it. Spread some of the almond butter onto the apple. Eat. Delight in your ability to create such amazingness. 

I stored this in the fridge. It lasted 3 days. (Not because it went bad, because I ATE it.)