I am such a regular at the bulk section at the grocery that I have become quite chatty with the clerk who works in the department. We have moved beyond talking oats and grains to hair products and more. I blame a combination of our friendly banter and the speed that everything comes out of the dispensers for why I always end up with more than I planned.

The other week I went home with a whopping 2-pound bag of Virginia peanuts. It was way more than we needed for snacking, so I made a batch of homemade peanut butter in the food processor. The nuts went from chopped to gritty to creamy in a matter of minutes. The end result was an intensely nutty and fresh spread nothing like the kind from a jar.

Homemade Peanut Butter 

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

3 cups salted Virginia peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the peanuts in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast for 5-7 minutes until they are toasted and golden.

Transfer the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the nuts a few times to roughly chop them. Then process the peanuts for 4-5 minutes stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. The peanuts will go from finely ground to clumpy to smooth, thick peanut butter.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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