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November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 2 Comments

Shop Craftsy's Black Friday Sale!

It's Craftsy's biggest sale of the year!! From Friday through Monday, Craftsy is hosting their Black Friday Sale! All Classes $19.99 or less! Now is a great time to get the classes you've been eyeing all year! Craftsy classes also make great gifts, so do some holiday shopping for the crafter in your life.

I've learned a great deal over the years from Craftsy courses. The Gilded Cage Cake you see above was inspired by a Craftsy course taught by Colette Peters. Learn the skills to make this cake by purchasing Vintage Cake, Modern Methods for the amazing price of $19.99. It's like having a private class with Colette, but for a fraction of the cost!

Here's one of Craftsy's newest classes, Creative Cuts for Color Reveals by the very talented Rachael Teufel. How gorgeous is this cake?!? You will learn to make this and three other stunning designs through this course for $19.99!! If you are in the wedding cake business, you will most certainly want to purchase Rachael's Cake Design Made Simple - The Wedding Dress class, as well. Can you guess the price? $19.99!! Do you see a pattern here?

The wafer paper craze is still alive and well and it's about time you got in on it! Delicate Wafer Paper Cakes by Stevi Auble will have you decorating like a pro in a fraction of the time it takes to make gum paste flowers.

Before you can decorate, you need cake! Delicious Gluten-Free Cake, you say? Let Catherine Ruehle walk you through a number of recipes for cakes, frosting and fillings to sate your gluten-free sweet tooth.

All, that's ALL Craftsy classes are on sale for $19.99 or less until Monday, December 1, 2014. Click any of the links I've provided to take advantage of these amazing deals.

{This is a sponsored post; however, all opinions expressed are my own and are based on my experience, to date, with the products and vendor}

November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 10 Comments

Gold Doily Stencil Cake Board {Tutorial Tuesday}

Cake boards are like the shoes of a cake. Right! And who doesn't love a great pair of shoes? I am currently crushing on everything Tieks and have placed my order for well...every colour! Ok, a couple pairs for now AND I am hoping they arrive before the holidays. Browsing through the styles also provides great cake inspiration. You know ballet flats, cake...there is a connection there somewhere...

So, back to this cake board couture. Nothing disappoints me more than seeing a gorgeous cake sitting on an unattractive, naked cake board. Even Cinderella managed to keep one shoe on in the toughest of situations, and look how that turned out for her. I therefore decree that from this moment forth, no cake shall be complete without a shoe. It really doesn't take much to add that finishing touch to your cakes. So here's a mini tutorial on how I made this Gold Doily Stencil Cake Board.

I used a ten-inch cake drum, which provided a wide enough border for a seven-inch cake, while still showcasing the design.
Generously coat the surface of the board with vegetable shortening. You can use piping gel, but I find it a little too tacky for this purpose. The vegetable shortening allows for adjustments without ruining the fondant.
Use a rolling pin to roll out about 85 grams (3 ounces) of fondant to an even thickness. I rolled my fondant out directly on the cake drum (the lazy way). It's actually best to roll it out on the counter and then use your rolling pin to place it onto the greased board.
Use a large cake smoother to level and smooth the fondant, removing any air bubbled as you go.
For a smooth finished edge, use a small pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut around the perimeter of the board, keeping the wheel flush with the board. Allow to set oversight.
To add the design, I used the Doily Side Cake Stencil from Designer Stencils. It's one from the beautiful designs in the Sharon Wee line. To achieve that luminescent gold, I added a bit of gold highlighter dust to some gold airbrush liquid and dabbed it onto the fondant with a clean sponge (the type used for makeup).
Allow to dry. This dried completely within thirty minutes. Add a ribbon, or other embellishments to finish the sides.

Now your cake's decked out in gold-accented, coral slippers! Is that not better than the silver foil of the cake board? If you said no, I shall have no further dealings with you. Off with your head! Alright, keep your head and you are most definitely welcome to your opinion. Maybe silver foil is your thang. We won't judge...too harshly. 🙂

I'll share the completed project with you in a future post, but I'll see you back here in a few days with another sweet treat!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 16 Comments

Mocha Latte Chip Cake & Chocolate Whipped Cream

As promised... CAKE! Half naked, Mocha Latte Chip Cake & Chocolate Whipped Cream. It's littered with dark chocolate chips and filled and topped with billowy clouds of chocolate chipped cream. Just because!

It's one of the least labour intensive of my cakes, but ridiculously huge on taste. No mixer to clean and no meringue to whip up for buttercream, just two perfect layers of Mocha Latte in baked form and lots of chocolatey whipped yumminess. Can you tell I made this before the cold front hit?

With the warmer weather behind us, you could easily replace the whipped cream with an espresso, chocolate swiss meringue buttercream - cinnamon chocolate would would be amazing too! The addition of pumpkin puree to the cake batter, with a few adjustments, would make this a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table. But I think as-is would do the trick just fine!

I wanted the top to look like little meringue kisses, but what you see is the result of multi-tasking, or as I refer to it - screwing two things up. You can see me in action doing just that on Instagram. The things I do for you, huh! 🙂 Looks aside, did I mention this cake is wicked delicious! Don't take my word for it, give it a try! And if you feel the need to enhance the rustic, make a topper and stake your cake.

Hope you had a spectacular week. If not, this Mocha Latte Chip Cake & Chocolate Whipped Cream may just be the thing to turn it around for you. Go ahead, you so deserve it!

Coffee & Whipped Cream:

Chocolate Oreo Cake with Raspberry Dark Chocolate Ganache

Coffee Chocolate Chip Scones

Chocolate Orange Coffee Bavarian Cream

Mocha Latte Chip Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream and DIY Topper

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Mocha Latte Chip Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Like a big mug of mocha latte, but baked and topped with mounds of chocolaty whipped cream yumminess!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Servings: 10 -12

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Mocha Latte Chip Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Cake

244 g coconut milk 1 cup
8 g instant espresso powder 2 tbsps
340 g all-purpose flour 3 cups
2 teaspoons baking powder 10 milliliters
2 g salt ½ tsp
229 g coconut oil 1 cup, room temperature
3 large eggs room temperature
44 g vanilla bean paste 2 tbsp
400 g brown sugar 2 cups, loosely packed
180 g dark chocolate chips 1 cup

Whipped Cream:

470 g 35% whipping cream 2 cups
28 g unsweetened cocoa ¼ cup
12 g super fine sugar 1 tbsp
1 pkg whipped cream stabilizer optional

Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Prepare two 7" round pans - lightly spray with coconut oil and line each with a parchment rounds and place on a cookie sheet.
Warm the coconut milk and stir in the espresso powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla bean paste. Add the brown sugar and continue to whisk until combined and free of any lumps. Add the milk espresso mixture.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a whisk until combined.
Use a spatula to fold in chocolate chips.
Divid batter evenly between prepared pans.
Bake on cookie sheet for 30-35 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan on a on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto wire rack and allow to cool completely.

To make whipped cream:

Chill a metal bowl along with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or hand mixer, by placing them in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Remove from freezer and add whipping cream to the bowl.
Sift the cocoa and confectioner's sugar (and stabilizer, if using) onto the cream and whisk until stiff peaks form.

To assemble:

Level the completely cooked cakes.
Smear a little whipped cream on a cake board and position one layer of cake on the board.
Use a plain tip to pipe whipped cream onto the top of the first layer.
Turn the second layer face-down onto the whipped cream.
Pipe little kisses on the top layer and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 7 Comments

Simple Cake Topper {Tutorial Tuesday}

I'm about to send a little cake love your way! But first, let's make a little polka-dotted topper to officially crown it, celebratory!

In the words and voice of Julia Childs - "A party without a cake is just a meeting." And sometimes a cake on its own is just...well, a cake. Add a little something on top - candles, sparkles, flowers - and said cake magically transforms into something worth celebrating. But really, do we ever need a reason to have cake, or celebrate for that matter?

So, for no particular reason, I made cake! Well, to sate my ferocious sweet tooth, but let's not tell my hips. Deal? And to trick my overactive brain from over analyzing the situation, we'll top it with this DIY banner and call it a celebration. Yep, that's what we'll do!

How To Make A Simple Cake Topper:

Grab some ribbon, twine, wooden skewers, scissors, a lighter, glue gun and a glass of wine (optional, but always encouraged).
Cut the ribbon into squares - these were 5cm (2-inches).
Fold in half lengthwise and cut at an angle from base to somewhere around the midpoint.
Use the lighter to quickly heat the cut edges where we cut the ribbon to prevent fraying.
Next, cut some twine, fire up your heat gun and pipe a line of glue at the top edge of each ribbon piece. I used five because it provided the perfect spread and drape for the size cake I made. More importantly, because I find odd numbers sexy. Right!
Drape and wrap the twine around the top of the skewers, positioning the topper where best suits your needs/cake size and secure the twine with a knot or a bead of glue. Insert skewers into cake and there you have it!

Where's the cake to go with this Simple Cake Topper {Tutorial Tuesday} , you ask?! Right here...

November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 13 Comments

Kale And Lentil Salad Spoons {Savoury Sunday}

The holiday season is quickly approaching and with it comes a great deal of entertaining. Whether your guests are invited or unexpected, these mini Kale and Lentil Salad Spoons come together quickly and deliciously and are definite crowd-pleasers!

I attended an event a few weeks ago where the appetizers served left a bigger impression on me than the meal itself. The idea for these spoons stems from one of the many little bites served. The one I enjoyed the most had lobster in the mix, but my mister is allergic to seafood, so we omitted it from our version in order for him to partake.

We started with a couple small whole wheat tortillas. These were store-bought, but homemade would be even better. Once cut into wedges, push wedges into the wells of a lightly greased mini muffin pan, pointed edges facing up. Bake for a few minutes in a warm oven. Try not to forget them like we did - they burn easily. And voila! Edible spoons... well, scoops, really! We have also used a round cookie cutter to cut out smaller circles and bake them in the same manner to create little edible salad bowls. They didn't quite work for soup, however...

Mise en place! Once you have gathered and chopped your colourful array of ingredients, add a little coconut oil to a skillet and brown the onions and garlic, without burning them. Burnt equals bitter. Add all the other ingredients and continue to cook on low heat. It's ready when the kale has softened, but the peppers still have a little crunch. Allow to cool, then add to the baked tortilla spoons and serve!

As I start to share some of our savoury creations here on the blog, it's become apparent that I have two very different personalities reserved for cooking and baking. I am an OCD, weigh twice, recipe test a few times, no one allowed in the kitchen, stare at the oven while baking type of baker. On the flip side, I morph into the Swedish chef from the Muppet Show when I cook and I am usually accompanied by the dude. I'm slowly getting into the habit of documenting our cooking as meticulously as I would my baking. So be prepared to see a few more entertaining bites here leading up to the holidays.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from enjoying a few of these Kale and Lentil Salad Spoons this weekend, or weeknight. The spoons can easily be made ahead and stored in an airtight container. They make perfect finger food for a cocktail party, or starters for a more formal dinner. Heck, we sometimes make as a main course when we are too lazy for anything more involved. The dude will sometimes add nuts for protein and that extra crunch. You just can't go wrong! Best part, other than the taste...no dishes to wash! (skillet notwithstanding).

What's your favourite party food or drink?

More Savoury Servings:

Onion Gorgonzola Tart

Cheddar Chive Chili Scones

Maple Bacon Cheddar Flax Scones

Print Recipe

Kale And Lentil Salad Spoons

Kale and lentil salad in a baked tortilla spoon make the perfect party finger food!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Servings: 16

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

2 -15 cm whole wheat tortillas 6 inches, use a larger size to create bigger spoons or bowls
40 g onions ¼ cup, diced
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
135 g kale ¾ cup, finely chopped
151 g canned lentils ¾ cup, drained, rinsed and dried
42 g green pepper ¼ cup, coarsely chopped
42 g red pepper ¼ cup, coarsely chopped
3 g lemon zest 1 tsp
generous pinch of Chipotle & Himalayan Pink Salt seasoning or sea salt
4 g dairy-free sour cream ½ tbsp
coconut oil
1 small avocado optional, cubed

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 300ºF. Use a pastry brush to lightly grease the wells of a mini muffin pan.
Cut the tortillas into uniformed wedges. I used a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas in half, then quarters and so on. For larger spoons, cut 8 wedges and 16 wedges for smaller spoons.
Push the fatter end into the muffins pan wells, pointed ends up and bake for 5-10 minutes, depending on the level of crispness you want to achieve.
While the tortillas are baking, heat a little oil in a medium skillet and cook the onion and garlic until lightly browned.
Add the chopped kale and continue to cook until the kale begins to wilt.
Add the lentils and green and red pepper and continue to cook for a couple minutes. The peppers should still have a bit of crunch, when ready.
Remove from heat and add lemon zest, salt and sour cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Spoon into cooled tortilla spoons when ready to serve.

November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 11 Comments

Pumpkin Pie Popsicle Bars

Easing into fall, but not quite ready to give up your summer ways? My Pumpkin Pie Popsicle Bars deliver fall flavours dressed up like a summer treat!

It's cold out, but I could not pass up sharing these creamy, decadent Pumpkin Pie Popsicle Bars with you. I meant to share them at the end of summer when I wrapped up my Frozen Fridays summer series. At the time, I was toying with the idea of a fall version, but life got in the way and the idea and these little bars melted away in my draft posts.

I call them popsicles, but they more resemble gelato in their taste and texture, or as the Dude puts it - frozen pumpkin pies on sticks!

Just like a great pumpkin pie, these Pumpkin Pie Popsicle Bars are packed with pumpkin puree and all the wonderful spices we've come to associate with fall. They are ridiculously delicious and would make an unexpected addition to your Thanksgiving dessert line-up this year!

Popsicles, you ask? You eat ice cream this time of year, don't you? I say put down the spoon and run your tongue along one of these bad boys - you deserve it!

Any popsicle mold would do, but this Silikomart Silicone Easy Ice Cream Bar Mold is one of my all-time faves. It comes in a set of two molds for four bars and includes popsicle sticks!

These Pumpkin Pie Popsicle Bars are a deliciously creamy, frozen version of pumpkin pie, on a stick! The perfect sweet treat to transition into fall.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Popsicle Bars

A deliciously creamy, frozen version of pumpkin pie, on a stick!

Prep Time10

Cook Time6

Total Time6 10

Course: Dessert

Servings: 4 popsicles

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

487 g coconut milk 2 cups, low fat
1 cinnamon stick
5 g freshly grated ginger 1tsp
.5g ground nutmeg ⅛ tsp
a pinch of ground clove
1 g ground cinnamon ½ tsp
87.5 g maple syrup ¼ cup
2.5 g LorAnn Pumpkin Bakery Emulsion ½ tsp
135 g pumpkin puree ¾ cup

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan, bring to a simmer the coconut milk, cinnamon stick, ginger and nutmeg.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, use a hand whisk to stir together the clove, ground cinnamon, maple syrup, bakery emulsion and pumpkin puree until well combined.
Pour the milk mixture through a sieve, into the pumpkin mixture. This will help remove any pieces of ginger.
Continue to stir the mixture with a hand held whisk until smooth.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 6-10 hours.

November 2014 By i sugar coat it! 14 Comments

Funfetti Cupcakes With Champagne Whipped Cream & Mini Pumpkin Toppers

Welcome to my new hood! I am finally here, ya'll! Granted, it's the same address and branding, but so much else has changed. Did I mention how excited I am to finally make a move I had put off for so very long? There's still a fair bit of unpacking and decorating ahead, so bear with me. My hope is that you will be spending a fair bit of time here with me, so grab a Funfetti Champagne Cupcake, or two, and let's get familiar with the new landscape that is I Sugar Coat It!

Firstly, you may not have noticed, but I am no longer on Blogger! I got myself a piece of WordPress real-estate, built my foundation on Genesis and designed my new digs with Foodie Pro . Yeah, I realize it's a popular theme and I've chosen the builder's beige, but sometimes all one needs is a good, strong roof overhead before paint colour and fixtures become a priority. I'll work my way up to customizations and the like once I have settled in some.

Most exciting feature of my new home, you ask? It has to be the Foodie Recipe Index! Right!! Second to that, the Easy Recipe Plus plugin for formatting my recipes. Recipes were such a pain on Blogger. I am also loving the ease of switching up featured content along with the nuts and bolts that aren't apparent, but make my blogging experience here a little more enjoyable.

The move itself went fairly smooth. Unfortunately, as with any move, a box or two was damaged or misplaced along the way. In this case, that box would be most of your previous comments. I am heart-broken, as one of the best parts about blogging is hearing from you, my fellow sweet fiends and friends. We are still working to fix the issue, but there isn't an easy fix of which I am aware. So word of caution, if you currently use Disqus as your commenting tool and you plan to relocate your blog and stop using it, syncing or transferring your comments will be a bit of a nightmare. If any of you have done this successfully, please help a sister out and leave me a note, or drop me a line.

I am also having some issues with my AddThis share tools - the share data for older posts seems to have disappeared, from the blog at least - the data still exists in the backend. There are a number of less urgent items, like formatting of older posts and recipes, adding a contact form etc, etc etc. that I will get to over the next little while. Feel free to send me a note if you happen to come across anything wonky.

But all that's really my headache. For you, I want each visit to be a sweet, pretty and fun experience. And nothing says fun like a than a tall glass of bubbly. Or in this case, mini Funfetti Cupcakes piled high with fluffy cloud of champagne-spiked Whipped Cream, topped with sugar pumpkins dressed in white and gold, or gold dragèes.

To make some toppers of your own for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities, visit my Mini Pumpkin Toppers tutorial. The cupcake recipe is a slight variation of my Vanilla Bean Dulce de Leche cupcakes. See the full recipe below. You can see me frosting the cupcakes here!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you will take a moment to leave me a note, share my cupcakes and make plans to visit again!

Funfetti Cupcakes with Champagne Whipped Cream and Mini Pumpkin Toppers

Print Recipe

Funfetti Cupcakes With Champagne Whipped Cream & Mini Pumpkin Toppers

Mini Funfetti Cupcakes with mounds of light, fluffy Champagne Whipped Cream, topped with mini sugar pumpkins.

Prep Time15

Cook Time24

Total Time39

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

172 g unsalted butter ¾ cup, room temperature
287 g granulated sugar 1 ½ cups
6 large egg whites
177 ml whole milk ¾ cup
44 g vanilla bean paste 2 tbsp
199 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
7 g baking powder 2 tsp
1 g coarse salt ¼ tsp
43 g sugar confetti ¼ cup

Whipped Topping

500 ml 35% whipping cream
24 g confectioner’s sugar 3 tbsp
30 g champagne 2 tbsp
whipped cream stabilizer optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Place muffin cups on a baking sheet about 2-inches apart.
Add butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg whites, milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste; mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix until just combined.
Use a spatula to fold in the sugar confetti.
Divide batter among paper baking cups using a small ice-cream scoop, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake in preheated oven until very light golden brown, approximately 24-27 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool completely.

To make the whipped topping:

Chill a metal bowl along with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or hand mixer, by placing them in the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from freezer and add whipping cream to the bowl. Sift the confectioner’s sugar onto the cream and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the champgne and whisk until peaks are stable, but not overly stiff.

October 2014 By i sugar coat it! Leave a Comment

Gone In An Instagram!

Hiya fellow sweet fiends! I Sugar Coat It is bringing the first three chapters of its existence on the inter-webs to a close (insert sad face here)....

A photo posted by J (@isugarcoatit) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:22pm PDT

We're moving to new digs and I couldn't be more excited... and a touch nervous to be completely honest (insert gigantic, pearly white smile here). But I've never been averse to change or challenges. In fact, I welcome them! It's part of learning and growing and anyone who knows me well will tell you I'm all about continuous learning and growth.

A photo posted by J (@isugarcoatit) on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:30pm PDT

And there will be a great deal to learn! A new way of posting on a new platform seems a little daunting, but I think you will like the ease of navigation and the layout to come. I do hope that you will stick around and join me in my new home. I will be celebrating my long overdue blogiversary and sharing some of my other hobbies along the way.

Wednesday #SPRINKLES!

A photo posted by J (@isugarcoatit) on Aug 8, 2014 at 3:34pm PDT

I won't be able to share any new posts for the next week or two, but you will still be able to access my posts and recipes, leave messages and share what you like on social media. I will remain pretty active on Instagram, so feel free to join me there to catch a glimpse of the behind the scenes goings-on in my kitchen.

The mister's freshly made #guacamole and these #kale #chia #tortillas from Costco. Now pass me a Corona.

A photo posted by J (@isugarcoatit) on Jul 7, 2014 at 5:03pm PDT

So what can you expect, you ask?

Same address, different location (huh??)
Current branding will remain intact. You should know by now how much I love me some elephants
Improved navigation
Better recipe card format and recipe page
Lots of sweet stuff with a few savoury stand-ins
More tutorials
And hopefully an overall better reader experience, among other things

A photo posted by J (@isugarcoatit) on Jun 6, 2014 at 7:42pm PDT

And now I bid thee so long friends. I leave you with a few images from my Instagram feed. I look forward to seeing you at my house-warming gig very soon! There will be cake!!

In the meantime, I would love to hear what you enjoy most about my blog. Please leave me a comment below.

October 2014 By i sugar coat it! Leave a Comment

Cashew Cinnamon Honey Butter

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!!

Print Recipe

Cashew Cinnamon Honey Butter

Course: Nut Butter

Servings: 1 cup

Author: I Sugar Coat It

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.