Hellooo people! So I am back in the blog world after a little break for a big exam last week. I mentioned this on my last recipe post (Butternut Squash & Chicken Curry – check it out!), so no more exam talk! Instead, let’s talk NUT BUTTER. What more is there to say? I actually can’t remember a time when I didn’t consider a day complete without a little nut buttery goodness in it. I usually eat 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter a day, and I don’t consider it a ‘treat’ or ‘cheat’ food (nor do I consider foods under those headings!). Quality nut butters, where the ingredients literally are blended unsalted nuts, are a fantastic source of unsaturated fats (both mono- and poly-unsaturated) which we NEED in our diets. Pecans in particular are packed with micro-nutrients too – vitamin A, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins among others. They’re also a great source of plant protein and contain a good dose of natural anti-oxidants. As if you needed any more reasons to try this recipe!

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again – I believe more exotic nut butters, such as those made using hazelnuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, pecans or walnuts, are RIDICULOUSLY expensive and to be frank, a total rip-off. I can never justify spending up to ten or fifteen euro on a TINY jar of branded versions of nut butters made using these varieties. Especially when I know that I can make a BIGGER jar of nut butter at home for a fraction of the price! Rant over, but hopefully you get my point, and it might convince you to save some of that hard-earned dollar and try your hand at homemade nut butters too! So let’s get to the recipe!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted pecans (I used the Lidl brand, that’s where I usually buy raw nuts from!)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• A pinch of sea salt
• Optional Sweetener: I didn’t use sweetener myself, but that’s my own preference! If you prefer a sweeter nut butter, I recommend adding either 1 tsp of granulated or liquid sweetener like Stevia or Stevia extract, or alternatively add 1 tbsp honey/maple syrup/agave etc.

Method

1. Toast the pecans in a large pan for about 5 minutes or until they start to brown and become fragrant – you’ll know they’re ready by the delicious smell! Don’t skip this step – toasting the nuts not only gives a fantastic flavour, it also softens the pecans making blending them a lot easier!
2. Add the pecans to your blender cup – I used my Nutribullet to make this, but of course a food processor would be perfect too.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, and screw on your blender/food processor lid.
4. Time to blend! If you saw my post for my Walnut Butter recipe, or if you’ve made nut butters before, you’ll know that this stage can take a little while. Generally, I find blending in pulses for about 10 seconds at a time over 10 minutes works best for me! You will need to pause between pulses to scrape the nut butter off the sides of the blender cup.  Saying that, I think this depends on what type of nut butter you’re making – I found this time around I didn’t have to do any scraping, which I’m convinced is because I toasted the pecans first. After about 10 minutes, I find that’s when the oils in the nuts start to release, and you get that creamy nut butter texture!
5. Store in the fridge for up to a week – if you can keep from devouring it before then!

Enjoy guys! I am absolutely loving making my own nut butters, and I hope these recipes inspire you to try it out! Next up for me is seed butters – I’ve made pumpkin seed butter before and I can’t wait to try it again! Tag me if you try this recipe out – @theirishbalance on Instagram!

Ciara 🙂 x