Step aside almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts, there’s a new (to me) nut butter in town . . .

Say hello to my latest love – Cashew Butter.

Well, salted vanilla cashew butter to be exact.

You guys, did you know about this?

Has cashew butter been a “thing” this whole time and I’v been so busy with my head stuck in a jar of almond or hazelnut butter that I didn’t notice?

Say it isn’t so?!

Not to worry, I’m here now and fully on board.

For those of you who, like me, are new to the wonder that is cashew butter let me get you all caught up . . .

It’s decadent and rich, thick and creamy, subtly sweet and simply divine.

I don’t know what it is exactly but, there is something about those little gems of golden goodness that seem to make this one of the thickest and creamiest of nut butters I have made . . . and I have made a looooooooooot of nut butter in my time!

And then there’s the taste;

The natural sweetness of those deliciously buttery cashews combined with a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla makes this creamy, dreamy, humble looking nut butter an absolute taste sensation.

It kind of tastes like cookie dough!!!

Honestly, I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me to make cashew butter before.

I love, love, love cashews (who doesn’t?!) they are a  super handy, seriously delicious and so versatile. They can be used in both sweet or savoury dishes I mean, you can’t really go wrong with a good ol’ cashew!

And just in case you need a little more convincing to come join me on my little cashew butter making adventure,  there’s also the fact that cashews are loaded with nutritional value.

Did you know that cashews rich in good quality, heart healthy fats – I’m talking the kind that helps to lower the “bad” LDL-cholesterol while increasing “good” HDL cholesterol in the blood?!

Cashews also happen to be high in dietary fiber and essential vitamins, minerals and numerous other health-promoting phyto-chemicals that research shows helps to protect against numerous forms of disease such as heart disease, stroke, and even cancer?!

Well you do now  🙂

So, what do you say we go ahead and make ourselves some cashew butter?

I’m so excited, you guys are going to love this!

Just like all the great loves nut butters that have come before it, our creamy, dreamy vanilla cashew butter is all natural, made with no refined flours or sugars and is vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free and paleo friendly! ♥♥♥

It also happens to be super quick and easy to prepare, coming together in a matter of minutes and, it’s made with just 3 simple ingredients that I bet you have on hand already.

All you need to get this in on this decadent and rich, creamy, dreamy, healthy, homemade deliciously indulgent, vanilla spiked cashew butter is simply – cashews, a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla – that’s it!

No hidden sugars or unpronounceable additives, just good stuff.

So much to love I tell you, here’s how we make it . . .

We start off by giving our golden, delicious, nutrient rich cashews a quick little toastin’ in the oven – toasting your cashews before blending helps to give your nut butter and incredible rich and totally decadent depth of flavour so although I say it’s totally optional I beg you, please don’t skip this step people, 5-10 minutes will make the world of difference to the flavour of your cashew butter, trust me – it’s absolutely, 100% worth the few extra minutes.

Now, once our cashews are nicely toasted, and your house smells like heaven, all you have to do it pop them into your food processor or blender, add a cheeky pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla then blendy, mcblend,  boomshakalocka – done.

Initially your cashews will get all chunky, then after a minute or two they will break down into a fine looking flour, then the real magic happens, the heat and friction from all that blending will extract the natural oils from our beloved cashews and in mere minutes, you will witness one of the most beautiful transformations of all time as your golden, delicious cashews are whipped into a smooth and creamy, deliciously dreamy nut butter right before your pretty little eyes . . .

Now, depending on the kind of blender or food processor you have (and how smooth you like you nut butter to be) this can take anywhere between 5-15 mins.

For me and my magnificent magimix it took about 10 mins and that included stopping to snap a few pics along the way. Keep in mind I like my nut butter to be super smooth and extra creamy. No chunks for this gal but, that’s the beautiful thing about making your own nut butter, it’s totally customisable so do what you feel.

So if you, like me, want super smooth, extra creamy cashew butter – just blendy mcblend for a few extra minutes and you have yourself some all natural, extra creamy, velvety smooth vanilla spiked cashew butter, just the way you like it!

But, if you want a more chunky cashew butter just pulse your cashews for a second or two, then take out a couple of Tablespoons of those extra chunky. crispy, crunchy, slightly chunky cashew pieces and set them aside while you blend, blend, blend the rest of those babies.

Then, once you have reached your desired consistency, stir through those chunky monkeys that you set aside earlier and there you have it – healthy, homemade, extra chunky cashew butter for the win!

Once your nut butter is ready it will be a little warm and a slightly runny from all the blending but once it cools, those natural oils will start to solidify and it will firm up into that thick and creamy consistency we all know and love.

And let me tell you, this cashew butter gets super thick . . . I’m talking seriously thick . . .

Thicker than any almond, peanut or hazelnut butter I have known . . .

And when I say seriously thick I mean it,

I’m talking stick to the roof of your mouth thick, which is awesome because it really helps you savour each and every subtly sweet, deliciously buttery, vanilla spiked spoonful.

And trust me when I say, this is something you are going to want to savour –

Decadent and rich, seriously creamy, deliciously dreamy, lightly toasted, buttery cashews that have been blended with a pinch of salt and infused with a subtly sweet hum of vanilla . . .

Would you just look at those delicious little flecks of vanilla! ♥♥♥

One taste and you’ll agree that this salted vanilla cashew butter is just so divine you will never want it to end.

Now, once your cashew butter is ready – feel free to go ahead and use it as you would, business as usual – dive head first into the jar and eat your way out . . . or you be a little more refined and get yourself a spoon, do what you feel 🙂

And, I’m not saying that you have to, ( ← but I strongly suggest that you do) . . . grab yourself a piece of your favourite, good quality dark chocolate then add a generous spoonful of your freshly made, creamy, dreamy, velvety smooth, vanilla spiked cashew butter and lose yourself in the deliciousness that you just created.

You can thank me later 😉

All natural, quick and easy, deliciously indulgent, thick and creamy, subtly sweet, lightly salted, vanilla spiked, healthy, homemade cashew butter . . .

Make it. Eat it, Love, love, love it.

Salted Vanilla Cashew Butter {Vegan, Gluten free & Paleo Friendly}
Makes approx 1 1/2 heaping cups of all natural, creamy, dreamy, vanilla spiked, healthy homemade cashew butter

Ingredients –

2 cups of raw cashews

1 Tablespoon of vanilla bean extract

1/2 teaspoon of salt flakes

Method –

1 – Preheat your oven to 175’C (350’F)

2 – Line a large baking sheet with baking/parchment paper (or a non stick silpat mat) and pour on your cashews, take care not to over crowd them.

3 – Roast your cashews for approx 10 mins, until slightly golden and lightly toasted. Watch them as they can catch and burn quickly – do not get distracted!

4 – Pour your toasted cashews into the bowl of your food processor or blender, add salt and process until smooth and creamy (or your desired consistency). Initially the cashews would grind down into a fine looking flour, give it a minute or two and the oils will extract and it will become deliciously, thick, rich and creamy. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

5 – Once you have blended to your desired consistency, add your vanilla then process again just to combine.

6 – Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly – add a little extra salt or more vanilla if you feel the need and if you prefer a thinner consistency feel free to add a drizzle of coconut oil to thin it out.

7 – Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep well for up to 2 weeks – if it lasts that long! (← seriously, good luck with that 😉 )

Enjoy xoxo

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Question of the day –

Are you a fellow nut butter addict? What’s your fave flavour? Or brand? Or recipe? And your fave way to eat it?! Straight up by the spoonful, with fruit, on chocolate?! Tell me, tell me . . . details please

Feel free to share recipes or leave links to recipes in the comments belowand please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your salted vanilla cashew butter (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to 🙂

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