maple pecan butter
Just to set the record straight, I have never ventured into the land of making my own nut butter. I always dismissed it, speculating that it was too complicated or time consuming a task. Now that I have made it – and understand how easy it is – I’m a little sad that I waited so long. Oh, how I have been missing out. Seriously missing out.
The desire to fiddle with making my own nut butter came out of the need for us to be on a pretty strict rotation diet. The pecan butter we were eating by Artisana contains cashew butter. But, we have our own (separate) rotation day dedicated to cashews. Sadly, I came up empty handed in my search for a (strictly pecan) nut butter. I understand why manufacturers do it: cashews render the pecan butter extra creamy.
Without cashews, some liquid was going to be necessary to achieve a spreadable consistency. I remembered my love: the maple masala pecans I made a year ago after sampling them at the farmers’ market. If you’ve never given them a try you should: pecans and maple syrup are such a stellar combination.
Pecans, like macadamia nuts, have a higher fat content than most other nuts. But, don’t let that scare you off, it’s the good kind (mono and polyunsaturated). According to The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry pecans have the highest antioxidant level of any nut out there (yes, even more than the beloved walnut). They are also a great source of protein, iron, calcium and B-complex vitamins. Never mind that eating nut butter satisfies your appetite. For a snack, spread some on apple slices or banana halves. We had it for lunch in the form of pecan butter and jelly sandwiches. The sky is the limit – go ahead, shake it up a little bit!
Side note: You don’t have to use soaked and dehydrated nuts. I choose to do so because I digest them much more easily (ahem, without any of the lovely side effects of un-soaked nuts: gas, bloating, discomfort).
2 cups pecans, soaked overnight in filtered water with salt, thoroughly rinsed, then sun-dried (or dehydrated) for 12-24 hours.
2 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup (I prefer Grade B) or honey (depending on your taste)
1. ) In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dried nuts for about 20-25 seconds, until they resemble coarse crumbs.
2.) Through the feeder tube, with the motor running, pour in the maple syrup/honey one tablespoon at a time. The pecans will form a ball of sweet, spreadable nut butter. Scrape down the food processor and transfer nut butter to an airtight container. Refrigerated, mine lasted a full week. We ate it all before the nut butter had a chance to spoil. The second batch shared the same fate.
3.) Makes about one 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup heavenly maple-y pecan goodness.
Tags: how to make but butter, refined sugar free pecan butter
Stephanie,
I just got a VitaMix so this is perfect timing. I love pecans and make my own versions of your pecan treats (the maple masala ones), but haven’t made nut butter out of them. Do you have to dehydrate the soaked pecans first if you’re going to make nut butter out of them? Just curious, as you do want a little moisture in the mix. Just trying to cut corners. :-)
Great addition of maple syrup (my total weakness). Brilliant idea. I am definitely going to try this recipe of yours.
How are you? Hope all is well. Can you believe there’s snow on the ground this morning?!
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Oh – A VitaMix – you lucky bum! You’re going to have some serious fun with that thing!
You know, I thought of just soaking the nuts and then just making the nut butter out of the (wet) nuts. It makes absolute sense to me. And, believe me, I’m with you – it’s all about time saving short cuts. But, then I had 2 thoughts: First, I speculated there could be a mold issue. Which I’ve run into before when I thought the nuts were completely dry and were not. Second, I thought the wet nut butter wouldn’t come out as smooth (i.e., finely ground) as dry nut butter. To be honest I haven’t tried it. So, I can’t be sure. Thoughts?
We are well. Been in New Jersey 6 weeks now. It’s so green here. We’ve been to the ocean a few times. But, I sure miss waking up to those snow-capped peaks. And I missed the dusting of snow this morning. It’s raining here! Our house backs up to a 50 mile long wooded dirt running/biking path. It’s gorgeous. So, I’m still getting my nature fix. The kids are settling in nicely. Lots of other school age children on our street. But, the best part is having my hubby home every night. After commuting to NJ from CO for 2 years – words cannot convey how wonderful it is to be a family (under one roof) again :)
How are you? Did you manage a lot of spring skiing days ?
Wow, I love this recipe! I guess I could just use my oven to dry them out a bit. Is there such a thing as a solar dehydrator? That sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? Anyway, I am crazy about pecans and adding maple syrup to them to make a nut butter sure sounds good to me. And, no, I didn’t know they ranked above walnuts–way cool! :-)
Thanks, Stephanie!
Shirley
Hey Shirley,
Thanks! Found your comment in “that other place” again. So strange.
I love it – a solar dehydrator! Now that’s an idea for an invention if I ever heard one :)
I used to dry my nuts outside on my patio before I bought a proper dehydrator machine a few months ago. Ok, well, not ON my patio. On a sheet pan set on the table on my patio. Personally, I preferred the taste of the nuts when sun-dried to being dried in the oven. They seemed to be crisper, sweeter somehow. I used to soak the nuts overnight. Then in the morning I would rinse and set them out relatively early (say, 7 am) – provided it’s a mild sunny day. I wouldn’t bring them in until after dinnertime. So, I guess that makes it a good 10-12 hours of drying time.
Have a great rest of the week~
Stephanie
Stephanie. Oh my GOD. This looks like HEAVEN. I love pecans and I love maple syrup and I love nut butter. Can’t wait to try this – Thank you so much!
I love your spin on this…it’s simple, healthy, and sounds delicious. I had no idea that pecans had more antioxidants than walnuts…I always think I should reach for walnuts instead of pecans.
I’m with you Stephanie! I’m so jealous of whoever has the Vitamix! I’ve been dreaming of one for years! I do make my own nutbutter too and I also soak my nuts. I often use my little magic bullet to make about a cup worth of nut butter at a time! Your picture of your maple nut butter looks SO good ! I generally use honey to sweeten the nut butter I make, but I’m definitely going to give maple syrup a try! I bet that is absolutely delicious!!
Thanks, Amy!
I agree – I always tend to gravitate towards the walnuts myself. It’s great to have a nutrient rich alternative, don’t you think?
Carrie-
Ahh, the beloved VitaMix. Someday, right ?? Now the magic bullet. There’s a great invention – why didn ‘t I think of it? haha
Since you’ve made nut butter with honey already, I am curious to see what you think if you try maple syrup. Let me know if you give it a whirl. I’ve love to hear your thoughts :)