The first person to really introduce me to the joys of almond butter was Heather of "Heather Eats Almond Butter." After seeing the gorgeous pictures on her blog of oat bran drizzled with almonds butter, muffins made with almond butter, cookies made with almond butter, etc... I really wanted to try almond butter. I probably started reading her blog about 3 years ago and ever since if I see a new brand of almond butter on the shelf I have to try it.
At Food Lion not too long ago I saw Barney Butter on the shelf. I picked up a jar and brought it home. Since I have about 5 OTHER jars of almond butter that are slowly being eaten, I really didn't want to open it up. But curiosity got the better of me and I tried it out.
This a very creamy almond butter. The texture is like JIF peanut butter. Personally it wasn't my favorite brand of nut butter. The texture was so smooth it seemed very processed. My favorite brand thus far (and one that's very easy for me to find) has been Maranatha almond butter. Justin's nut butter is also a favorite if I feel the need to be decadent!
I think this would be a great alternative for kids who are used to the very processed texture of JIF peanut butter and they can't have peanuts anymore. I think this brand is probably geared more towards a child's palate than adult palates. It is not overly sweet, but it does contain evaporated cane juice to give it just a hint of sweetness (again very similar to Peter Pan or JIF peanut butter brands). To create such a smooth texture this brand also contains palm oil -- which I am not against -- I love baking with palm shortening... but personally I enjoy the texture of all natural brands better.
I do LOVE that this brand is clearly marked gluten free and is processed in a completely peanut-free facility which is really important for those with peanut allergies!
What's your favorite almond butter? Do you ever drizzle it on oatmeal or ice-cream? If you don't you're missing out!
