made by hand in Reading, Vermont
THE SEARCH FOR SOMETHING BETTER
july 10, 2020
Peanut butter was always a staple in our house growing up. Since we were essentially a butter-free household, peanut butter held a special and quite essential place in our kitchens and our hearts. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and banana logs were a staple. And peanut butter was always there to be smeared on a warm toasted bagel or slice of bread when butter was not an option.
Whenever the recipe called for butter, we swiftly adapted- with the help of peanut butter (most of the time, providing the texture and body of a solid fat ingredient). There were peanut butter cookies, peanut butter ice cream, chocolate peanut butter truffles, peanut butter pancakes, and so many more recipes to name here.
Peanut butter, we discovered, was versatile in its utility. It makes a delicious topping on oatmeal or cereal (hot & cold) and a substantial protein boost to smoothies. Not to mention, it partners famously with fruit for a nice little snack. (Bananas with peanut butter, anyone?)
I think it was around this time that other types of nut butters deliciously entered our lives – particularly almond butter, sunflower seed butter, and tahini, all of which would become staples in our pantry.
The thing is, the texture needed for a nut butter used in a recipe is so different than the kind you sometimes want drizzled over your bowl of oats. Skippy peanut butter is great when melty over a bagel, but it’s not loose enough to drizzle over a bowl of cereal at room temperature.
On the other hand, other natural nut butter brands (such as Woodstock and Teddie’s) were great in terms of their liquidy textures, but did not provide enough body when used in baking, and weren’t as satisfying melted on a bagel.
Years would go by, as we searched for the perfect nut butter brand, shuffling through a hefty rotation of favorites, kept untidy in our pantry, waiting to be eaten for the respective uses.
One cloudy day in Reading, Vermont. It was initially just one blend. A few extra roasted peanuts and sunflower seeds tossed into a Vitamix blender. But we couldn’t resist- the recipe had to be perfected both in taste and texture. A pinch of salt, a hint of cinnamon, a splash of vanilla… and it was done. Taste-tested by the two-year-old we were babysitting.
It was on this day that TwoRunningFoodies’ nut butter was indoctrinated. Julia embarked on a 31 mile bike journey- not a pilgrimage, per se, but a journey, nevertheless, to Woodstock, Vermont. The peanut butter toast she had had earlier in the day had fueled the trip.
The next step, naturally, was to make more nut butter.
two running foodies 