When the ingredients list for his favorite brand of peanut butter suddenly included sugar and palm oil, Food Guy Jon Jackson decided to make his own. A cup and a half of inexpensive roasted, salted Spanish peanuts, a dash of high-quality peanut oil, and a three-minute whirl in the food processor later, Jon had six ounces of tasty, sugar-free homemade peanut butter.
Other Food Guy Greg Patent points out that nuts are high in healthy fats, and that to be coaxed out, those fats need the heat of high-speed blending in a food processor or blender. Often, you won't even need to add oil. Making it yourself means you get to decide how chunky you want it.
To make hazelnut butter, roast the hazelnuts in a 350 degree F. oven for about ten minutes, or till you can smell them roasting. Rub them vigorously in a cloth towel to remove the skins, then pulverize them. You can make homemade Nutella by combining chocolate - as sweet or bitter as you like - to the hazelnuts.
When he makes almond butter, Greg leaves the skins on. Cashew butter is particularly buttery, whether or not the cashews have been roasted. Macadamias also make a great, high-fat nut butter.
(Broadcast: "The Food Guys," 11/25/18. Listen weekly on the radio at 11:50 a.m. Sundays, or via podcast.)