Ah, Monday. Nothing like that lovely “back to the grind” vibe to get one’s heart started in the morning. And by lovely, I mean pulse-quickening, potentially madness-inducing, depending on the state of the moon/whatever forces that be that dictate the level of insanity on a given day. Hectic days call for simple, tasty food.

One of my favorite ways to add a touch of satisfying sweetness to my day is peanut butter. I love it with sliced apples or banana or as a topping for oatmeal or even plain yogurt. You can also, obviously, enjoy it on toast. Or non-toasted bread. With jelly because why screw with a classic? I recently began playing around with making my own, and I found that making a small batch for the week (super-easy to work into that Sunday food prep) is a fun way to try new flavors without being left with tons of nut butter hanging out in your fridge for an eternity.

This recipe is smooth at first and then after a few hours in the fridge starts to take on the consistency of fudgy chocolate peanut butter frosting. That’s the magic of the coconut oil, which hardens as it cools. You don’t have to add the dark chocolate chips, but as a dietitian who’s concerned about your magnesium and antioxidant intake, I would highly encourage them ; ) 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts
• 2-3 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon mini dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: 

Process peanuts, coconut oil, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract in a food processor until smooth.

Just a note: Go slow to avoid burning out your food processor. Take it from a gal who’s been there, done that. Way too many times. Homemade nut butter is never going to have that same super-smooth texture as the store-bought stuff, so don’t feel compelled to try too hard. I wish I had known that when I killed my first Cuisinart 5 years ago.

Oh, and did I mention it’s amazing on steamed or baked sweet potato?

Enjoy!

Do you make your own nut butter?  What’s your favorite way to eat it?