Ever since I finished my cleanse I’ve basically been addicted to nut butter. I kept trying to make my own, but I I didn’t seem to have the horse power to get it done. I would switch contraptions over and over with no success. Then I had a crazy idea – why not actually use the airmiles I’ve saved up for the last nine years and get myself some kind of food processor. That seemed to be what everyone was using and it seemed to get the actual butter consistency I have been looking for and failing to achieve.
I ended up with a cuisinart and it seems to do the trick – the level of excitement I experienced after my first nut butter success (cinnamon clove cashew!) was pretty absurd. My boyfriend hates it (the process, not the butters) because of all the noise, and I consider his chiding a small price to pay in order to feed my addiction.
I’m thinking of giving people random varieties of nut butters for Christmas as part of my homemade plan (I still have a lot of knitting to go, and some beadwork and sewing – weird things to be thinking of at the start of spring). Personalized varieties (white chocolate macadamia nut anyone? Wonderbar butter?) that I can try out and devour prior to giving them away. The combination ideas started with this amazing recipe for almond joy butter (if you try this, I implore you: do not use the extra oil, it is totally unnecessary!).
This cranberry walnut variety was the first idea to come to me – but it is by far my favourite nut butter I’ve made so far.
cranberry walnut butter recipe
2 cups walnut halves
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
salt to taste
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1. toss the walnuts, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl
2. transfer to a pan and toast until the smell is so intense you have difficulty not dumping the entire pan down your throat. I like to use a convection oven and a little pan so that I can just turn the dial to toast and not think about it, but an oven will work
2. dump the concoction into your food processor and start processing. if you’ve never made nut butter before, realize that it will take quite a while. if you have made nut butter before, be happy because walnut butter appears to take less time than most (peanut and almond, anyway). you will need to stop periodically to scrape the sides down. if you have an older food processor you should probably also give it a rest here and there (especially if it starts to smell like burning motor).
3. using some other food processor (I employed my magic bullet for this) to chop up your dried cranberries. you want a fine powder – sure it will be sticky sort of, but do your best.
4. when you are sure your walnut butter is butter – it will be creamy and liquidy – add in the cranberry. blend it up until it is well combined, then a little more for good luck.
5. enjoy on toast, sandwiches, in smoothies, as an ice-cream topping, with your favourite soup or straight from the jar.
Serving Size – 1 tbspcalories – 49
fat – 8 g
carbs – 7 g
sugars – 4 g
protein – 3.5 g
The next thing I would like to try it on is a prosciutto tartine, maybe with some kind of cheese (chevre?). I stole a piece of lefse from my roommate to use for the photos, which was also very, very tasty
forest feasts 