Maple Vanilla Cashew Butter
Making your own nut butters at home may sound daunting, but it is actually quite easy to do and you can get creative with the flavors. Todays flavor of choice is maple vanilla cashew butter. I start by roasting the raw cashews with maple syrup in the oven, then I add vanilla and Maldon salt and let the food processor do the rest of the work for me. The result is a slightly sweetened, salted, toasty nut butter that’s delicious enough to eat on its own with a spoon.
There are dozens of ways to use this nut butter other than eating it by the spoonful. It’s great on toast, over ice cream, on graham crackers, as a dip for apples and bananas, you name it! I had a big dollop of it on a toasted piece of coconut bread for an afternoon snack…YUM!
This recipe will make about 12 servings.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A decent pinch of Maldon salt or sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (optional if consistency isn’t smooth enough)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F
Line a baking sheet with parchment, place the cashews on the parchment then drizzle with maple syrup.
Gently toss to coat the cashews.
Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden, stirring after the first 5 minutes.
Let the cashews cool for 5 minutes, place them in a food processor along with the vanilla and salt and blend until smooth. This can take anywhere from 5-8 minutes. It will go from a powdered consistency to a smooth, creamy consistency. If it looks a bit dry, add coconut oil.
Place the cashew butter in a jar and store in the refrigerator…after tasting a spoonful, of course.
