Homemade Peanut Butter

Jar of peanut butterA day without a scoop of peanut butter just isn’t a day we want to have. We schmear it on apples, slather it on celery, and spread it on whole-wheat toast in the morning. We go through jars and jars of this household staple! It’s often misunderstood as an “unhealthy” food, but natural peanut butter is actually a good source of nutrition—in moderation, of course. Just a tablespoon or two will keep you feeling satisfied while also providing protein and folate. Not all peanut butter is created equal though. Some processed versions are sugar-laden while others may contain hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. While you can find plenty of natural varieties at Sprouts, we thought it would be helpful to have a homemade version too. This recipe will help you control the salt and sugar, and the roof of your mouth will never know the difference! Best of all, it only takes 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Raw, unsalted peanuts (we buy them from the Bulk Department)
  • 1 tsp. Honey or agave nectar
  • 1/4 cup (heaping) Coconut oil
  • 1 pinch of Sea salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it forms a paste.  

DIY Baked Goods in a Jar

Give the gift of baking by attractively assembling all of the dry ingredients needed for cookies, breads or brownies in tall glass jars. Use pretty ribbons to tie on the recipe, along with a wooden spoon or cookie cutter for an extra special touch. Don’t forget to print out and attach the recipe cards to the jar mixes! Baked Goods Here are a few tasty suggestions to get you started.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups Coconut flour
  • 2 tsp. Ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. Ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Ground allspice
  • 1 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 cup Brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup Solid coconut oil, melted
  • 2 Eggs

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, melted coconut oil, brown sugar spices and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold in coconut flour.
  3. Scoop cookie batter onto prepared baking sheet using a small ice cream scoop or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup Softened butter
  • 1 1/2 cups Brown sugar
  • 3 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Dried cranberries
  • 1 cup White chocolate morsels

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a medium pan with parchment paper.
  2. Soak cranberries in bowl with hot water for 3 minutes. Drain water from cranberries.
  3. Cream butter, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Carefully mix in cranberries and white chocolate morsels.
  4. Press mixture evenly into pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1 2/3 cups Flour
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Baking soda
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground cloves
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 cup Sprouts Canned Pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1/2 cup Chocolate chips, optional

Instructions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices and baking powder. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin and water. Stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips if desired.
  2. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55–65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Peppermint Brownies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 2/3 cup Cocoa powder
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Crushed peppermint sticks
  • 1 1/4 cups Flour
  • 1 pinch of Salt
  • 1 cup Butter
  • 1/4 cup Boiling water
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, allowing excess paper to overlap the edges.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and sugar; set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the cocoa powder and salt. Add the boiling water and stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is paste-like. Add sugar, vanilla and butter, mix using an electric mixer until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the flour mixture, and mix until combined.
  4. Spoon the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish, batter consistency will be thick. Smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 35 minutes or until the brownies are cooked through. Cool in the pan or a wire rack for 1 hour.