This was a recipe I definitely did not mind testing. But though I tested (with LOTS of tasting), there’s still just a lot of wiggle room in the recipe. When you have a treat like chocolate peanut butter, it might as well be just to your taste. So please don’t be annoyed by my loosey-goosey ingredients list. Feel free to follow it to the letter the first time, but fiddle with it as you please! I mostly want to inspire you to just try making it, that’s all. And really, chocolate and peanuts? You can’t really mess it up.

chocolate peanut butter

makes about 16oz peanut butter

Ingredients:

• 16-oz roasted unsalted peanuts

• 1/2 cup - or up to 1 cup - powdered sugar (start with less if you’re looking for something less sweet)

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (start with less if you’re looking for a less intense chocolate flavor)

• 1-3 pinches kosher salt

• 1-3 Tbsp peanut or canola oil, or other neutral flavored oil

• Equipment: food processor or high powered blender (I use a Vitamix)

Instructions:

1. Blend the peanuts in a food processor or blender, starting on low and gradually increasing speed. At first the peanuts will be crumbly and kind of dry looking, but just keep the blender going and as the oil releases from the nuts it will get smooth and creamy.

2. Add the powdered sugar and blend on low. Add the cocoa powder and blend on low. Finally, add a pinch of kosher salt, taste, and add more if desired. I use at least 1/4 tsp because I like the salty-sweet.*

3. If the consistency is a little too thick and sticky for your tastes, add a tablespoon of peanut or canola oil and blend on low to thin it out. Add more oil as needed, by tablespoon. And if you want it sweeter, just add more powdered sugar!

4. Scrape into a jar and store in the fridge and try to not to eat it all in the first two days.

*Note:

This is a not-quite-a-treat treat that I like to keep in the house; which is to say, we eat a lot of it because it satisfies the sweet tooth while still being relatively nutritious. Also it goes well on basically everything, although really you don’t need anything more than a spoon. But because we eat it on everything from crackers to bananas to pancakes to s’mores, I’ll often use less sugar, sometimes only 1/4 cup. Weirdly enough, I find that the saltiness somehow compensates for the lost sugar. The sweet but salty element makes it all taste very indulgent. I’m sure there’s some science behind that - but I won’t bore you with data, just go try it! Or use the full amount of powdered sugar and