Salted Chocolate Cashew Butter

When Dude was 2 or 3 years old and in the height of his picky eating, Nutella was a lunchtime staple.  Gradually, I was able to expand his palate and then I would conveniently “forget” to buy Nutella as the jar ran out.  And eventually I stopped buying it all together (especially once Dude started going to a school with a “no peanut no tree nut” policy).

Then, out of the blue, Spud started asking me if he could have a Nutella sandwich for lunch.  I told him that we didn’t have any and had him pick something else.  Then he asked the next day.  And the next.  And the next.  Clearly, he wasn’t giving up. 

Finally, after telling him (again) that I didn’t have any Nutella, he asked me to make some instead.  I didn’t have any hazelnuts on hand, but I did have cashews.

And so, Salted Chocolate Cashew Butter was born, just in time for this week’s #HandCraftedEdibles.

I left my cashew butter quite thick (more of a frosting-like consistency), because I wanted to reduce the amount of oil I was adding to the butter.  It made it a little difficult to spread and I didn’t get the super silky smooth consistency I’m used to with nut butters, but I was fine with it and so were both boys!  Dude especially was thrilled to have “Nutella” back in the house…at least for a little while!

Looking for more?

Don’t miss Spicy Peanut Brittle & Dark Chocolate ToffeeNut Clusters.  Or if you’re looking for something more savory & diet friendly, Sweet & Spicy Roasted Chickpeas!

Plus don’t miss the recipes from the #HandCraftedEdibles crew:

• Amy's Cooking Adventures shared her Salted Chocolate Cashew Butter
• Cookaholic Wife cooked up Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
• Making Miracles made Honey Roasted Almonds
• Christmas Tree Lane posted Crockpot Spiced Nuts
• A Day in the Life on the Farm wrote about the Easiest Nut Brittle in the World
• Sew You Think You Can Cook prepared Orange Rosemary Roasted Almonds
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla rolled some Lentil-Chestnut Stuffed Grape Leaves
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla blended together some Pistachio Dukkah

Salted Chocolate Cashew Butter

Adapted from With Salt & Wit

1 cup lightly salted cashews

2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup or agave)

2 tsp dark cocoa powder

1-2 tbsp neutral oil

Place the cashews in a food processor.  Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.  This may take several minutes.

Add the honey, cocoa powder, and 1 tablespoon oil.  Process until smooth.  Add more oil, 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

In an effort to make all of my holiday gifts this year, we are sharing recipes for hand-crafted treats. Over the course of twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones, or things to serve at holiday parties. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule: here.

This week, we are "going nuts" and sharing all sorts of recipes with nuts. Think spiced nuts or nutty fruit cake or whatever floats your nutty boat!

Next week - week 10 - check back for our recipes to inspire you as we let our confectioner’s skills shine. Think truffles, barks, anything and everything with chocolate. Don't forget to check out our #handcraftededibles pinterest board.