Journal of the development of a cookie

I learned how to make Almond Butter; it’s like peanut butter but made from Almonds. Nate (my oldest) and his brother-in-law had the idea to make Almond Butter and sell it at their local farmers markets. The almonds come from Nate’s father-in-law’s orchard (Ryan’s dad). They borrowed a small professional blender type machine initially and Ryan experimented with making the butter. Now they have a technique and have started to sell in the Santa Barbara area.

Nate and Ryan bought a larger grinder, refurbished from some outfit in Florida. It will grind larger amounts of almonds in a shorter amount of time. They rent kitchen space from a commercial kitchen facility in Ventura and make the butter there.

Yesterday I went to Ventura, a 2 hour drive, first picking up 250# of almonds in Wasco a 30 minute drive to the north. I met Nate and Ryan at the kitchen with almonds in tow.

For 4 hours we roasted almonds and ground almonds into butter. As they are still experimenting some almonds were roasted at a higher temp but didn’t seem to grind as well. I suggested a lower temp and longer roast which seemed to help. Unfortunately, the grinder quit working and was so hot I hope that it didn’t burn itself up. I’m not sure what the guys will do if it is damaged but fortunately it has a warranty of some sort.

Quite a few pounds of almonds did not grind into butter. My job now is to develop a product out of the almond meal. Creating food is something I like to do, as most who have come for a meal know that every meal is an experiment. But this time I’m forced to take copious notes for each new recipe, something that is unnatural to me.

I did make an almond bar today. I was baking it when Jerry arrived to look at the landscaping. We were outside when I heard a beeping and finally realized it was the oven timer. I took the bars out and left them on the counter. About 15 minutes later I looked at the bars and decided that they really needed more baking so back in the oven they went. Again we went out but this time I tried to be more aware of the timer. I’ll need to time the bars better otherwise it could be a disaster for those trying to copy my recipe.

The bars were crusty on the outside and moist on the inside. Jerry, my guinea pig today, loved the bars. We put a little whipped cream on top and they were so yummy. What is great about these bars is that they are gluten free so those of us who can’t eat gluten have a treat. Tomorrow I’ll make the bars but just a little different to see which might be better.

I told Nate that he could put the money he would normally pay me into an account that would go toward a trip with his eco-tour. Great Wall trekking here I come!