Roasted Cashew Nut Butter

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving here in the states.  I definitely did!  I hosted the holiday this year, and I made the turkey with homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, cranberry orange relish, and homemade rolls.  Everyone else brought the rest of the dishes.  I was honestly just so tired and hungry by the time dinner came that I didn’t even think to take pictures.  I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it that everything was great. 🙂

I recently bought a 10 pound case of raw cashews.  Because I love them!  And because I wanted to experiment, and the price was right.  I almost feel silly posting this basic nut butter recipe, but it’s one of the first things I made with them.  Handsome Husband hates peanuts.  WHAT?!  That’s right.  Won’t come near anything with peanuts or peanut butter in it…or me after I’ve eaten those things.  But we both love cashews!  So I thought cashew butter would be a great start.  Cashew butter turns out to be a little lower in calories than peanut butter, but is just a tasty!

I roasted the cashews first for more flavor.  Make sure you spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

They take a while in the food processor, but keep at it!  The cashews will turn into something like cashew flour first, and after a few minutes will resemble something more like cashew butter.  You’ll have to scrape down the side of the food processor several times.  Mine formed itself into a ball when it was done.

This is amazing on toast, and I’m planning to make some cookies out of it soon.  It is nice and creamy, and it sticks to the roof of your mouth in a delightful way.  It retains the slightly sweet qualities of the cashew, and my husband loves it!  Score!  I will be using this frequently in place of peanut butter.  And it’s really easy.  What could be better?

ROASTED CASHEW NUT BUTTER

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1 ½ cup raw cashews
1/8 tsp salt (optional)

Directions

1. Spread cashews in single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 350⁰ F for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and transfer to food processor. Add salt if using. Process until smooth and creamy. This is take several minutes, and you will have to scrape down the sides of the processor several times.
3. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator to prevent oil separation.  I originally assumed the oil would separate because it does in other natural nut butters.  But I’ve had my cashew butter sitting on the counter for a few days now, and it’s not separating – and it’s much more spreadable!

Happy, healthy eating!