Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean Almond Butter

So I snagged that run yesterday. It was my first time running outside since maybe the Shamrock Shuffle last year. Once I found out I was pregnant, I cut back on the outside running purely because the temperatures got too hot for me to manage. I still ran, just inside on the track or treadmill where it was a little bit cooler. And I did so up until my seventh month of pregnancy, when it just got to be too uncomfortable. But yesterday, well...it was nice to pound pavement again. I only went about 2.5 miles because I didn't have time to chart a path, but it was a good 2.5 miles so I'm not complaining. Neither are my shins, which I thought they might since they've been spoiled with the aforementioned track and treadmill.

Hopefully I can continue to sneak in these outdoor runs. "Sneak" being the key word, as the only time I really get to go running is at night while daddy is on bottle duty. One bottle a night, our girl gets.

She likes it. Almost as much as I like Trader Joe's. If only I lived by one, as if you haven't heard me say that before. Stop shaking your head like "get over it already, it's just a store, stop talking about it" because it isn't and I won't. I  would shop there all the time if I could. Like, all the time.

For example, I'm in need of hazelnuts. My sister's bridal shower is next weekend and I've begged one of my aunts to bring me a few bags from Trader Joe's because A) I don't live by this place of glory, and B) I can't seem to find hazelnuts anywhere. I'm dying for some hazelnut butter, and I refuse to buy Nutella. Not that Nutella is bad. It's actually quite good, thus the problem. But decidedly not good for you. And if I have it in my house, I will eat it right out of the jar which I'm prone to doing with my homemade nut butters, too.

I should have given up nut butters for Lent.
But that's crazy talk.
And this is crazy good nut butter.

One might argue I shouldn't be eating it because I gave up sweets (translation: chocolate) for Lent. And coffee. But to that I respond: God understands. See, I've had two Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean Grinders from Trader Joe's in my cupboard for quite some time now. Since I'm not really a bread and butter girl, which this stuff is virtually made for, I decided this weekend that it needed to go in some almond butter. Because good things always do well in almond butter.

Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean Almond Butter.

I won't even give you the recipe because there isn't really one worth typing. Just put four teaspoons from the shaker into the processor as it whirls and twirls two cups of roasted almonds. The rest is history. Good and glorious and delicious history.

And honestly, it's not that bad for you. Yeah, alright...so it's got some added sugar. But it's not sugar syrup. And it's real chocolate. March yourself to Trader Joe's right now and buy yourself a grinder. You won't regret it.

If you don't live by a Trader Joe's, well...I feel your pain, friend.

Question: What's in your favorite almond butter recipe? Anything crazy?