I’m at present in awe of peanut powder. It has all the flavour of uncooked peanuts and peanut butter, however a powdered construction that is nothing in need of food-witchcraft. Common, sticky peanut butter has all the time been the go-to for concentrated taste, however the its dense, oily texture generally is a actual hang-up on the subject of cooking and baking. To take pleasure in peanuts in methods you’ve solely dreamed of, add peanut powder to your cooking toolkit.
What’s peanut powder?
Peanut powder is manufactured from defatted, pulverized peanuts. This glamorous description doesn’t precisely do justice to its taste and capabilities, however I digress. The oil in peanuts is what makes peanut butter calorie dense, offers it that sticky consistency, and is what you see floating on high of some jars. Defatting it removes roughly 90% of this oil, making it dry sufficient to grow to be powder. Peanut powder is completely different from powdered peanut butter, and ever so barely completely different from peanut flour. Peanut powder is solely defatted peanuts floor right into a high-quality powder, and with no different components. Powdered peanut butter normally accommodates components like sweeteners, salt, and perhaps different flavors. Peanut flour can comprise barely extra fats than the powder, nonetheless typically they’re the identical, and it largely is dependent upon the manufacturers. I haven’t discovered the discrepancy to be greater than a 3 p.c distinction. For our functions, they act the identical. Since you should utilize this flavorful mud in additional than simply desserts, I recommend giving your self broader choices and steering away from the sweetened stuff.
Now that our pulverized peanuts are sorted, let the enjoyable start. You possibly can add peanut powder to your cooking and baking in new methods because it received’t introduce giant quantities of oil to your recipes, which may weigh them down or make an undesirable sticky consistency. You possibly can combine it right into a dry rub for smoked meats with out having to decide to a thick sticky layer of peanut butter. Stir a little bit of the powder into marinades, and it’ll add taste and viscosity with out overwhelming the skinny, liquidy texture. Make a dipping sauce for meats or veggies, or add a peanut butter notice to your Mrs. Buttersworth’s bacon French dressing. Add it to smoothies or oatmeal for a lower-fat possibility with full-peanut taste. You possibly can add potent peanut butter taste to cake batters, frostings, and buttercreams with out sacrificing the structural integrity of the combination.
How one can use peanut powder
For each candy and savory utility, begin your powdered peanut explorations with these pointers to make sure success. Begin including powder on the conservative aspect, style it for those who can, think about the consistency, and regulate from there. For dry rubs, maintain the peanut powder to lower than 1 / 4 of the combination. For instance, for a spice combine that’s made up of ½ tablespoon paprika, ½ tablespoon chili powder, and ½ tablespoon of salt, add a ½ tablespoon of peanut powder, or much less. When including the powder to liquid mixtures, like marinades and dressings, begin small and add small to maintain tabs on how thick the combination is getting. Style it to see if it’s peanutty sufficient. If it’s not, then add extra powder and regulate the moist components to account for the change in thickness. I normally add a teaspoon at a time if I’m making a dressing or dip. For cake batters that make two nine-inch layers, add 1/4-1/3 cup of peanut powder to the dry components and proceed as normal for a fluffy, flavorful cake.
Take pleasure in your latest “powder-tool” in your cooking toolshed. Chocolate-peanut butter lovers, take your new powdered peanut expertise for a spin with this no-bake pie. The peanut taste is supposed to be a background singer to the chocolate, however the combination is forgiving, so you’ll be able to all the time add one other tablespoon or two to bump up the nuttiness.
