4 Little-known Uses Of Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has been in vogue for a while . We can find it in any supermarket, of different brands and compositions. Some with pieces, others with sugar or other sweeteners.

A good peanut butter should contain only peanuts (and at most a pinch of salt) and be neither salty nor sweet, just a cream with an intense peanut flavor.

To choose a good peanut butter, it is best to buy one that only has peanuts and a pinch of salt. Look at the list of ingredients and you will see that they are not all the same. Some contain palm fat, sucrose (sugar), hydrogenated vegetable oils, etc.

If you can’t find a decent one close to home, you have two options: order it from an online store (they are not usually expensive) or make your own peanut butter.

How to make homemade peanut butter

To make it you only need peanuts and a powerful mixer. Buy a large package of raw or roasted peanuts (preferably unsalted). If they are raw, toast them in the oven at 180ºC for about 10 minutes, just enough for them to brown a little and are fragrant, and let them cool.

Then beat them with the mixer. It will take a few minutes. First they will be chopped into pieces, then a sandy paste will form and finally a cream, you just have to keep beating.

For this, a glass blender is more comfortable , but you can use an arm mixer perfectly. Once done, transfer it to a tightly closed jar and store it in the fridge.

More uses for peanut butter

In addition to the uses that we have seen in series and movies (the classic toast with jam and peanut butter) or in Instagram accounts (banana with peanut butter, toast, etc.), there are many more ways to use it.

It can be incorporated into sweet or savory dishes as is, it can be diluted in water or vegetable drinks to make sauces, it can become a main ingredient in ice cream and desserts …

Today I give you a few ideas to use peanut butter in other preparations beyond toast for breakfast or snack.

As a substitute for butter or margarine

In toast, cookies and some types of breads and cakes we can substitute butter or margarine for peanut butter. The difference, in addition to the flavor and color, is that it provides the peanut solids, so we will have creaminess and structure, two in one.

If it is for cooking, that is, to fry or brown something in the pan, better use olive oil. Peanut butter does not melt like margarine because they are ground peanuts (margarine is 80% fat, 20% water).

It is especially good for making frostings and fillings, substituting margarine or other vegetable fats. They will leave you with much better flavor and a pleasant texture.

As a binder

When you need a series of ingredients to stick together, for example when making homemade cereal and seed bars. Instead of sugar, margarine, sweet chocolate, maple or agave syrup, coconut oil, or other ingredients, add peanut butter.

You do not have to use much and, if you later put the dough in the oven, it will be crispy. The same can be applied for other preparations: granola, whole grain cookies, vegan burgers, etc.

In sauces and creams

They can be both salty and sweet, as long as we choose unsweetened peanut butter. In Thai cuisine, for example, it is widely used, grinding peanuts at the time, to make dressings or sauces for salads, rice, noodles and curries.

It is also widely used in West African cuisine to make vegetable stews like maafe , peanut soups and stews ( domoda ), sauces like binyebwa , or condiments like yours (in this case, with groundnut powder, but it is you can make a peanut butter version).

The trick to make it more liquid is to dissolve it with a little water in a bowl with a small hand mixer or with a fork.

Plant milks such as coconut, soy or almond can also be used for a lighter color and a different flavor. You can add the melted butter to any salad or vinaigrette you have prepared.

To make homemade ice cream

One of the things we like the most about ice cream is its creaminess, which is given by different factors (ingredients, mechanical action, frozen, etc.).

The easiest way to make a homemade ice cream that is not hard as a stone and that does not need an ice cream machine is by combining ingredients that are very creamy, that do not have a high water content and that freeze well.

For example fleshy fruits (banana, peach, etc.) and high-fat items (such as avocado and peanut butter). Add peanut butter to your homemade ice cream and whisk it all together for extra flavor and creaminess. The difference is evident.

With a refrigerator, you will also have very creamy and tasty ice creams without the need to add vegan whipped cream.