Peanut Butter

I always see the "grind your own pb" section at my health food store.  It's tempting, but stirring fresh peanut butter seems like a pain in the a$$, so i tend to stick to the regular processed store brands.  For this test, I am going to compare the store ground, regular Peter Pan, and a homemade version.

The Store Brand(s): Peter pan creamy AND tidal creek freshly ground

My Recipe:
1 cup peanuts
1 tsp honey
1 tsp vegetable or peanut oil

The homemade is pretty darn easy - put it in the food processor and let it go until it's the consistency of peanut butter.  You may need to add more oil if it seems dry.

This entire process took maybe 1-2 mins in the food processor.  I ended up adding a little bit more oil, and left it just a little bit chunky.

So the final products:

Starting on the left is my homemade, middle is fresh ground from the store, and right it Peter Pan.  Husband and I tasted all three and we both agreed the fresh ground from the store was the best.  I'm pretty sure there are no add-ins to that type, but it tasted very similar to my homemade version.  The homemade seemed dry compared to the store ground - not sure if it's the peanuts they use, or the grinder.  The Peter Pan was, well, Peter Pan - creamy and salty.  It's good if you're into that sort of thing.

And the cost?  Making your own peanut butter is pretty expensive compared to Peter Pan.  The grocery store type is basically just a vat of peanuts and you select how creamy/chunky you want it and then push the button to fill your container.  It was $3.99 a pound, which I estimated to be 1 3/4 cups.  Using my Planters dry roasted peanuts, the homemade version is actually really expensive, but I'm sure you can get peanuts a lot cheaper.  If you're willing to splurge a little on the cost, it seems like the fresh ground is your best choice.

	Size	Cost	Cost/Cup
Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter	18 oz (2 cups)	$      2.75	$            1.38
Tidal Creek Fresh Grind	1/2 cup	$      1.15	$            2.30
Homemade	1/2 cup	$      1.84	$            3.68

Bake or Buy?  BUY... but buy the good, fresh stuff!