Homemade Almond Milk

It's a cinch to make Almond Milk at home - simply soak almonds in water overnight and drain them, then blitz them with cold water, strain, add a touch of flavor, and voila.  Couldn't be easier.

Soak almonds overnight in water.

The almond on the left has soaked overnight - see how it has plumped up?

Blitz well. A high powered blender (like this) works best, but use what you have.

Strain.

The leftover almond pulp can be added to smoothies, or it can be dried and ground into almond meal. I usually feed it to the chickens at the farm where I buy eggs.

Items used to make this recipe:

• high powered blender https://amzn.to/3I6YPdJ

• cheesecloth https://amzn.to/48r5WIo

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Homemade Almond Milk

makes 4 cups

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw almonds that have been soaked and drained (see notes below)

• 4 cups cold water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)

• 1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey (or more to taste)

• pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a blender, place drained soaked almonds and 4 cups cold water; blitz for 60-90 seconds.

2. Strain mixture in a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth; squeezing every bit of liquid you can out of the cheesecloth.

3. To the liquid, stir in the vanilla bean paste, agave nectar, and a tiny pinch of salt. Use right away or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Notes

• Soak almonds in cold water for 8-48 hours.

• You can add the strained almond bits to baked goods, or toast them to sprinkle on cereal, yogurt, and ice cream.

• A dried date can be used in place of agave nectar or honey.

European Almond Butter Cake

Oh boy do I have a recipe for the almond lover in your life.  I'm telling you what, this super easy cake is the bomb.  Overflowing with strong almond flavor.  I brought it to a cookout recently and one of my neighbors kept calling it a marzipan cake and he absolutely insisted I give his wife the recipe, so there you go.  Oh, and my extended family reqeusts it at every holiday gathering.  I don't dare show up without it.

The recipe comes from Trisha Yearwood - she calls it shortbread which stumped me because it isn't a shortbread at all, it's really a classic European butter cake.  I'm so glad she shared the recipe though - it's rich, it's moist, it's totally decadent.  So, whether you call it a skillet cake, a butter cake, a marzipan cake, or Trisha Yearwood's shortbread, you simply have to make it.

You're welcome.

European Almond Butter Cake 

makes one 10-inch cast iron skillet cake 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

• 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 large eggs (100-110g)

• 1 teaspoon (6g) pure almond extract

• 1 1/2 cups (210g) all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon (5g) fine salt

• 1/2 cup (50g) sliced almonds

• 2 tablespoons (30g) turbinado sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 10-inch cast iron skillet with nonstick foil (or regular foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray).

2. In a large bowl, mix together granulated sugar and melted butter; then stir in eggs and almond extract.

3. Add the salt and flour; mix well.

4. Pour into nonstick foil lined skillet.

5. Sprinkle almonds and Turbinado sugar evenly over the surface of the cake.

6. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Cool completely in skillet (several hours).

8. Remove from pan, peel away foil, cut into thin slices with a serrated knife.

adapted from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood