I am sure you have heard me say a couple hundred or so times that my dude is vegetarian - vegan when he is struck with sudden pangs of additional guilt. (enter eye rolls here). He wasn't always this way. I blame the two months spent at an Ashram a few years ago for this self-righteous approach to food and eating. Never mind the leather shoes, belt, jacket...
Seriously though, although I take every opportunity to poke holes in his beliefs, I admire his resolve. I have tried to convert, but I am severely anemic and need my iron any way I can get it.
I don't attach a label to my eating habits, but I do care about what is in my food, where and how it is made and the resulting environmental impact. Not in a preachy, holier-than-thou, restrictive way, but a non-judgmental, to-each-his-own manner. When time allows, we leave the pre-packaged foods on the shelves and make our own.
We love peanut and almond butters and they were our first foray into homemade butters a while back. We make small batches at a time and between us two and they usually disappear in a few days. We also love the rich, creamy taste of raw cashews as a snack, which made it long overdue for a butter transformation. This is our third batch and it was so freaking amazing, I felt I needed to share with you.
There is very little effort involved in making nut butters, yet it yields such creamy deliciousness. All it takes are your favourite nuts and a powerful food processor or blender. You may also choose to add a little oil and flavouring, as I have done here.
Start by scaling your ingredients - this is habit for me, as I scale everything for baking. I used raw cashews that were soaked and dried. You may choose to roast yours for a more pronounced flavour (see my sweet tips at the end of post).
Once in the processor for about 3-5 minutes, I noticed the nuts clumping. You could allow it continue in this manner and wait for the naturally occurring nut oils and the heat from the processor to work their magic, but I don't like the sound the processor makes at this stage. So I added 2 grams (1tsp) of coconut oil to help smooth things out.
You can see the transformation from clumpy to silky in the photo on the left above. Time to add a little flavour! I love cinnamon on just about everything and recently purchased a jar of cinnamon honey. YUM! Once the nuts reached a smooth consistency with the addition of the oil, I added 7 grams (1 tsp) of honey and a pinch of sea salt. This was around the 12-minute mark. I continued to process the mixture for another 3 minutes until the consistency resembled that of store-bought peanut butter.
Don't let the bland colour fool you. In approximately 15 minutes, I had a jar of rich, creamy, Cashew Cinnamon Honey Butter with a deliciously subtle cinnamon flavour. It is amazing on toast, makes a wonderful base for smoothies and is great in baked goods!
If cashews aren't your nuts, just sub in your fave and experiment with flavours. We have tried pecans with maple syrup (to die for), pistachios, hazelnuts, peanuts and almonds. Processing times varied slightly for each nut and will depend on the amount of nuts and equipment used.
Seed butters are also amazing and I have a pumpkin version in the wings to share with you, as well as some cashew nut milk. YUMMY!
If you can manage not to eat it all straight from the food processor, store your Cashew Cinnamon Honey Butter in a canning or mason jar. They make great gifts, as well. I simply added a cupcake liner between the lid and screw top to pretty things up.
If you have not made your own nut or seed butter, you simply MUST!!
Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 350 g raw organic cashews
- 2 g organic coconut oil 1 tsp
- 7 g cinnamon honey 1tsp
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Soak your cashews for about 3 hours, then dehydrate using your preferred method. I used a dehydrator, which took about 12 hours.
- Scale your completely dried nuts and add to the the cup of your food processor. I pulse my nuts a few times to help break them up to start.
- After pulsing three for four times, let the food processor process the nuts for about five minutes, or until you see the nuts clumping. Be sure to stop and scrape the sides of the cup from time to time, so that all the nuts are incorporated.
- Add the oil and continue to process for another 5-7 minutes until the mixture begins to look smooth and creamy. Add the honey and process for an additional 3 minutes, or until the mixture resembles store-bought peanut butter.
- Use a silicone spatula to transfer the butter to a canning or mason jar. Enjoy!
Notes
You will need: Food Processor (I use the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor) Mason or Canning Jars
Soaking nuts help remove naturally occurring enzyme and toxins that coat the nuts, allowing our bodies to better break down and digest the nuts.
If soaking, you must dehydrate the nuts to remove the moisture before attempting to make the butter. I used a dehydrator, but the oven works just as well.
For a more pronounced flavour, you can roast your nuts after dehydration. I especially enjoy this additional step for pecan, hazelnut and almond butters.
I find smaller batches work well in a blender, as it is more confined. A food processor does a better job with larger batches.
I generally remove the blade from my processor before attempting to scrape out the butter. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the butter from the blades and then the cup.
Butter will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
If soaking, you must dehydrate the nuts to remove the moisture before attempting to make the butter. I used a dehydrator, but the oven works just as well.
For a more pronounced flavour, you can roast your nuts after dehydration. I especially enjoy this additional step for pecan, hazelnut and almond butters.
I find smaller batches work well in a blender, as it is more confined. A food processor does a better job with larger batches.
I generally remove the blade from my processor before attempting to scrape out the butter. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the butter from the blades and then the cup.
Butter will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Tried this recipe?Mention @isugarcoatit or tag #isugarcoatit !
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