Cashew-Coconut Butter is easily made with a food processor. We want the flavor of freshly roasted nuts to shine through, so there’s only a modest amount of spices. When you taste the nut butter while it’s being processed, add more spices to your taste.
Enjoy this butter just as you would peanut butter—on bread or toast, or with fruit. Nut butter should be refrigerated if not eaten within a few hours. Cold nut butter is hard to spread; try brief microwaving, about 20 seconds, just to soften and make it spreadable, but not cooked.
Yields 1 cup
Time: 15 minutes
1¼ cups cashews
⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1½ tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
Preheat a conventional or toaster oven to 350°F. Place the cashews on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until lightly browned, but not too dark, 7 to 12 minutes. The timing also depends on whether the nuts are whole or chopped.
Whirl the cashews in the bowl of a food processor until they’re finely chopped. Add the coconut, salt, agave syrup, coconut oil, water, and the coconut extract and ginger, if using. Continue to process until the nut butter is fairly smooth, but still has some texture.
Cashew-Coconut Butter is good on graham crackers and dabbed on fruit such as strawberries, pineapple chunks, and mango. Or make a sandwich with thin apple slices. Spread it on toast at breakfast with a Sweet Fruit Smoothie or at lunch with Chilled Pineapple-Mango Soup.