Do you know how much money it would take to live in downtown Charleston, within walking distance of adorable little coffee shops that you could walk to? And spend an hour or two either enjoying the endless people-watching, or working on your laptop before sighing with joy before heading home to your two-story pastel Charleston style home in a safe area to continue the rest of your charmed day where you somehow never sweat? A lot. Not to mention the patience it would take to live amongst the tourists and students and stormwaters that flood the area. It's an amount I simply cannot fathom.
BUT that doesn't stop me from visiting said downtown Charleston and daydreaming about what that tea-olive scented scenario would be like. In my mind it's always a low of 60 degrees and a high of 80 degrees, where wearing a skirt and tank top is always absolutely seasonably appropriate. And I would stop more days than not at Baba's on Cannon, where I'd have their peanut milk mocha and a pastry for breakfast. Which is what I did earlier this summer on a two day trip down for a beach day.
Some Thoughts on Peanut Milk
Several years ago, a friend of ours who had some association with the state Peanut Board gave us some sample bottles of peanut milk, both plain and chocolate. In fact, there's an article about it from the Post & Courier. They were delicious and I was excited to have peanut milk available all of the time! As the peanut boards in this country have found, peanut milk is a harder sell as an alternative milk than other nut milks, so you likely will not find it in any grocery stores, not even boutique or specialty ones — I've been on the lookout.
Since peanut milk hasn't really taken off, I hadn't had it since, but I thought about it occasionally. When I saw the peanut mocha on the menu at Baba's, I was really excited to try it. And it was so delicious I knew I had to continue enjoying it at home in Columbia, since I don't have the kind of money it takes to live in a fancy house in Charleston and live a fancy no-work lifestyle. I figured I should try making peanut milk, and after a few tries, I got a pretty good recipe down to the point where it only takes a little bit of advance planning to enjoy peanut mochas as much as I want with the simplicity of unsalted roasted peanuts.
Easy Peanut Milk
Equipment
- mesh strainer
- Blender
- Cheesecloth optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
- 6 cups filtered water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or preferred sweetener, as desired
Instructions
- Soak the peanuts in 3-4 cups filtered water (enough to cover the peanuts by an inch) for 6 hours.
- Pour out the soaking water and reserve the peanuts.
- Blend the soaked peanuts with 2 cups of filtered water. Add more by the ½ cup full if needed).
- Place the mesh trainer over a clean mixing bowl. Use a metal spoon to press the liquid from the peanut paste into the bowl. It takes me about five minutes to squeeze all of the liquid out. You should end up with about 2 cups of liquid. NOTE: if you are really not a fan of pulp or a little graininess in the bottom of your cup, you may want to strain again through cheesecloth. I like it, so I am with the texture that comes from the mesh strainer alone.
- Mix the vanilla extract and maple syrup if using into the peanut milk.
- Pour into an airtight jar and shake well. Refrigerate for up to a week, and shake well before using.
Next up, if you so choose, is the peanut milk mocha. Prepare your mocha as you normally would, just substitute the milk for the peanut milk, whether you want to make a latte, an iced coffee, or enjoy it hot. Here's what I do:
- Pour a teaspoon of maple syrup into a coffee mug.
- Drizzle about 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup (I like Trader Joe's Midnight Moo) into the glass
- Pour in your coffee.
- Top with about ⅓ cup peanut milk.
- Stir together and drink while hot.
