I was in Vermont recently, the maple syrup capital of the U.S., where I purchased a jar of maple walnut peanut butter, which quickly disappeared. Before I tossed out the empty jar I checked the ingredient list and saw that it contained just a few ingredients – peanuts, maple syrup, walnuts, and salt. Easy enough to make I thought, but since I’m more a fan of almond butter than peanut butter I decided to make Maple Walnut Almond Butter instead. The results were fantastic.
Put the walnuts and almonds on a sheet pan and roast them at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until they are slightly toasted. Check the oven after 5 minutes to make sure they are not browning too quickly. I keep the walnuts and almonds separate on the sheet pan so that if one is toasting more quickly than the other I can remove them easily and return the pan to the oven until the other nuts are done.
In the United States maple syrup is divided into two major grades – Grade A and Grade B. Grade A is usually light amber in color and has a mild maple flavor. Most of the maple syrup you find at the grocery store is Grade A. Grade B maple syrup is darker in color and has a deeper, richer, maple flavor. It is frequently used in cooking. I like to use Grade B maple syrup for this recipe but either grade will produce a delicious nut butter.
You can use this Maple Walnut Almond Butter the same way you would enjoy any other nut butter. My favorite things to spread it on are squares of dark chocolate and rice crackers.
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the walnuts and almonds on a sheet pan and bake them on the bottom rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes or until they are slightly toasted and just starting to turn darker in color.
- Let the nuts cool for 20 minutes then add to a food processor or high speed blender along with the maple syrup and salt.
- Process until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to a jar or other covered container and store in the refrigerator.
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