Smoked Paprika Almond Butter & The Liebster Award

Lately, I’ve been on a little almond butter kick. And by lately, I mean this week. Last week, I couldn’t get enough vegan nutella.

roasted_almonds

I love the TJ’s brand of creamy, raw almond butter. It’s not too expensive (about $5 per jar) and has just the right consistency – thick, but not crumbly or dry. Unfortunately, I ran out of it mid-week.

TJ’s is literally up the street from me, which is both convenient and kind of dangerous. I’m generally good about making a weekly trip on the weekends and sticking to my list, but for whatever reason, if I set foot in there on a weekday with only one item I need, I leave with $25 worth of impulse buys and random, seasonal items. Chocolate cookie butter bars? Yes, please.

almond_butter

I decided it was safer to make my own almond butter (burning nuts aside!), and used it as an excuse to get creative with the flavors. The smoked paprika caught my eye. Weird idea? Yes, but this was after I picked up and then put back the curry powder. I’ll attempt that one on a day when I have a back up jar of nut butter in case it goes horribly wrong.

smoked_paprika

I also added a little salt and some agave, and was careful to only add a touch of the smoked paprika. The end result is a nut butter that’s slightly sweet, salty, and a little smokey. Normal enough to enjoy on toast, but different enough to keep your taste buds guessing. It’s also not bad straight out of the jar.

smoked_paprika_almond_butter

Smoked Paprika Almond Butter

Author: Amanda Maguire

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: about ¾ C. Almond Butter

Ingredients

1½ C. Raw Almonds
½ Tsp. Sea Salt
½ Tsp. Smoked Paprika
2 Tsp. Agave (maple syrup would also be great!)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the raw almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.
Allow roasted almonds to cool for 3-5 minutes.
Place the almonds in your food processor and process until slightly drippy, making sure to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl as needed. This took me about 10 minutes.
Add in the sea salt, smoked paprika, and agave.
Process until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Store in a Ball jar or tupperware in the fridge.

Notes

Smoked paprika is very potent. I went a little light on it in my recipe, but feel free to add a little more (1/4 Tsp. at a time) if you’d like a more pronounced flavor. If you wanted to make a more savory nut butter, you could certainly skip the agave.

…

In other news, I was recently nominated for the Liebster Award by one of my favorite bloggers, Sally of The Spontaneous Hausfrau! The Liebster Award can be given to any blog that you’re loving that has less than 200 followers. To accept the award, you have to thank the person who nominated you on your blog and . . . .

–Link back to the blog who nominated you
–Nominate 5 other blogs for the award
–Inform those 5 blogs by leaving them a comment on their blog
–Post the award on your blog

I started Pickles & Honey back in October, and it made my week to find out that someone enjoys reading this little labor of love, especially Sally. If you’re not currently reading The Spontaneous Hausfrau, add it to your reader now. And then click over to check out her recipe for the cutest cherry chocolate chip donuts.

I don’t really pay attention to the number of followers when I read blogs, but here are a few that I’d like to nominate for the Liebster Blog Award (I’m breaking the rules and choosing 3):

Tutupa’s Lab
The Crunchy Kind
Marian Writes

Which blog(s) would you nominate for this award? Share the link love!

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

Kim @ Wonderings February 10, 2012 at 8:45 pm

The Liebster Award is such a great idea! The pictures on your blog are so great!

Amanda February 10, 2012 at 8:48 pm: Thanks, Kim!

Gina @ Running to the Kitchen February 10, 2012 at 8:56 pm

Love that you went savory/spicy with this, I’ve actually never had a savory nut butter before but I imagine I’d love it

Meg February 10, 2012 at 10:55 pm

Mmm. What a good idea to add a little paprika. Curry would be a bold move!

Amanda February 10, 2012 at 11:16 pm: Yeah, curry would be tricky! It’s an interesting thought though…

Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau February 11, 2012 at 3:55 am

Thanks for the donut shout-out

I’m thinking this nut butter smothered all over a pita with hummus, tapenade, and a bunch of crisp veggies. Oh, yeah.

Amanda February 11, 2012 at 1:34 pm: Sounds good to me!

Lee February 12, 2012 at 12:02 am

I can never get nut butter to be drippy!

Amanda February 12, 2012 at 12:17 am: I think the key is processing it for a long time. Although, it doesn’t stay drippy after I refrigerate it…perhaps the grocery store brands add extra oil?

margaret christine perkins February 17, 2012 at 5:15 pm

I was going to nominate your blog for the Liebster I recently received but looks like someone else beat me to it! Congratulations!

Hope you’re having a wonderful year–
Margaret Christine
Notes from Maggie’s Farm

Amanda February 17, 2012 at 5:19 pm: Aww, thanks Margaret Christine! I think this is the best winter I’ve had in Boston in a long time. I’m loving the mild temps!

Hope you’re having a great year too!

laurel March 2, 2012 at 1:45 pm