Homemade Peanut Butter

 

Chances are that if you like peanut butter, you love it and, if you don't, well, you just don't. I have been making my own peanut butter for quite some time now. Once you start making it at home there is no way you will be able to buy a bottle off the shelf. They suddenly seem so, 'preserved'.

  

 

 

Making your own peanut butter is not only healthier but there is a lot of variation that you can do to suit your personal taste. You like it sweeter, add more honey, you want it little salty, add in a good pinch of salt, you like it chunky, add in roasted peanuts, or if, creamy, just whizz the whole thing to creamy goodness.  You could even try a new flavour, like maybe vanilla or coffee or chocolate. 

 

 

 

The best part, just 4 ingredients and a food processor, and you are done.

 

 

Added some chocochips to half the quantity and boy, I am so glad I did.....mmmm...yum yum yum!

 

  

 

Peanut Butter

 

Roasted & skinned peanuts                 1 1/2 cups

Extra virgin olive oil or any other oil   1 Tbsp

Honey                                                as per taste

Salt                                                    as per taste

 

 

1. Put all the peanuts in the bowl of the food processor and whizz till it resembles a coarse powder.
 

 

 

 

 

2. Pulse on till it all starts coming together...check out the stages in the pics below. Remember to keep scrapping the sides, of the bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

3. And then it starts liquidising... at this stage put in your oil and honey and salt and whizz it more.

 

 

 

4. Finally, it starts thinning out and you have creamy, delicious peanut butter.
 

 

 

5. For chocolate peanut butter, once you have reached this stage, just add in choco chips and continue to process it.

 

 

 

 

 

Naan Khataai

 

“I just figured if I was going to make the world a better place, I’d do it with cookies.”

                                                                                                               Stranger Than Fiction

 

 

I love home baked cookies, eating something that is still warm from the oven is my idea of indulgence. Unfortunately, my oven had developed a mind of its own and had started acting little strange, heating up too fast at times and just refusing to fire up on endless occasions. Finally, managed to get my poor Mr. O, serviced and after what seems like decades we are back together, like good old times. 

 

 

What better way to celebrate than bake a batch of cookies and keeping up with the festive season, it only seemed right to bake Naan Khataai.  The recipe below is so simple and yields such amazing results that even a child can bake these.

 

 

 

 

Ghee, cardamom, pistachios, flour & sugar. Really, what can go wrong here? It’s all truly amazing stuff put in a bowl, kneaded together, baked to perfection and then, polished off.
 





Depending on your personal taste and flavour, you could substitute almonds with pistachios. I baked a batch with pistachios, as, that is what I found in the kitchen cabinet.

Right before popping the cookies in the oven



Naan Khatai

 

Maida or All purpose flour - 1 cup

Ground sugar - 10 tbsp ground sugar

Baking soda -  3/4 tsp

 

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Ghee - 6-8 tbsp.

Almonds or pistachios, chopped - ¼ Cup

Ready to be baked

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C

 

2. Sieve the AP flour and the baking soda.

 

3. Add all the other ingredients, except ghee and mix well.

 

4. Gradually add the ghee and knead the dough till it all comes together. Don't overwork the dough.

 

5. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.

 

6. Roll each portion into a smooth ball and flatten slightly between the palms. Place on a lined baking tray. Garnish the tops with a few chopped pistachios.

 

7. Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins.

 

8. Remove from the oven, cool them completely and store in an airtight container.