I pretty much love anything with the word butter in it. Peanut butter, almond butter, butter cookies, butter butter. I don’t really eat peanut butter much anymore since legumes are the devil to cavegirls and have been opting for almond butter for the most part. Walmart sells the cheapest almond butter, but it’s got more than just almonds and salt in it. Hydrogenated oil, sugar, and so on.
I’ve bought the more expensive natural version at health food stores but every time I leave the store, I feel ripped off. These aren’t gold plated almonds for Pete’s sake. I’ve been taking matters into my own hands and making my own almond butter. That’s right. I bought a $35 food processor at Target and a massive bag of almonds at the Sam’s Club (48 oz for under 10 bucks!) and whip up fresh batches as I need them. In about 5 minutes.
This weekend I got creative when I ran out of my current batch. Instead of making almond butter, I made pecan butter. Not just run of the mill pecan butter, but chocolate pecan butter! Altogether now. Oooooh, ahhhhhh. It took even less time than making almond butter. Unfortunately for me, I started cutting this week in an attempt to lean out. The calories and fat are limited for now so no nuts in my eating until Sunday. 🙁
Chocolate Pecan Butter
- 8 oz pecans
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa
Put pecans in the bowl of a food processor and process until pecan butter. Mine took about 3 minutes. I stopped and scraped the sides down twice. Once you have pecan butter, add in the baking cocoa and pulse a few times until mixed. Scoop out into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
I’ve been told that you can make nut butters in a blender, but I haven’t attempt this myself. If you’ve been successful, please let me know. I usually don’t sweeten things and liked the taste of the pecan butter plain. If you prefer a sweeter version, add in some sugar or honey after mixing in the cocoa. I’d start with about a half tablespoon and add more if you need it a little at a time. You don’t want it too sweet or too runny.
I also bought some hazelnuts to give hazelnut butter a try! I’m also thinking coconut almond butter, cinnamon hazelnut butter. What flavor would you make?
might this work with a regular blender?
um, apparently, i don’t read. ignore me!
I imagine it would work but you may want to try a smaller batch since the blades and “bowl” area in the blender is smaller. I only have a magic bullet and not a real blender or I’d try it. I’m dying to have more of the buttah this weekend. Patience. 😉