I make a habit out of re-testing recipes for this blog. There is never a recipe that has not been tested at least twice before appearing on this blog. With this recipe, I kind of went a little overboard with the testing, because six is the number of interest here. I made these nut butter cups six times already. And not just for friends and family. Mostly for me. Whoopsi.

Let’s be honest here. I never had a sweet tooth. Chocolate, gummy bears, cake or cookies are all fine, but I could never eat more than a few at once or else I felt sick. No, I’m all for the second and third portion of real food. I can easily eat a whole pizza, lots of pasta and breeeeead. And more bread.

So when I made these the other night, Jannis and I both tried one. He was about to put the box back into the freezer, when I yelled „STOP – excuse me, but I want another one“. Can’t blame him because usually that would have made so much sense. But I almost ate the entire first batch that night so I had to make new ones to photograph them.

It’s been a long time since I have tried something so delicate and delicious. You will never tell that it’s made with healthier ingredients, that it’s plant-based and only naturally sweetened with a little bit of maple syrup. And the best part is that they taste extremely delicious as a frozen treat. Incredibly delicious. Trust me.

Whether you’re using peanut, almond or cashew butter to make these, they always taste good. Obviously different nut butters will mean different tastes, but that’s a no brainer, right? I’m not going to lie, I am a sucker for peanut butter, which make these cups taste even better than Reese’s peanut butter cups. But the almond version is my second favorite, especially since almond butter is so healthy and full of valuable plant-based protein.

If you love baking, then you should also go ahead and make the chocolate myself, like I did in this recipe. Making your own plant-based chocolate is the real deal, people. After that, you’ve mastered the plant-based cooking 100 %. It will also safe you quite a lot of money as plant-based and refined sugar free chocolate is still quite expensive. However, I know time is money, so in the instructions, I give you two options. One with store-bought 70% dark chocolate and one with homemade chocolate.

No matter what option you chose: don’t be afraid to try them! They are almost fool-proof, are ready in less than an hour and will leave your taste buds and those of your friends very impressed.

Have fun baking!

xx

Lynn

Enjoy!

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Ever since I’ve fallen in love with almond butter, I seriously can’t get enough of nut butters. Even my sister told me the other day that her Nutella consumption has immensely decreased ever since she started making nut butters, which, if you knew her, is a big deal for her. The good thing about nut butters is that you can literally make them with every kind of nut: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios (recipe coming soon) and even brazel nuts. Since I absolutely love roasted cashews, this cashew butter is my new favorite. I added some sea salt, which makes it the perfekt savory spread – similar to peanut butter, which I love. I eat it with literally anything: on bread, with apple slices, in my porridge and overnight oats, in smoothies and in baked goods. It’s incredibly versatile and it’s the perfect butter substitute, just try spreading some healthy chia jam on top – absolutely heavenly! 
Cashews are also incredibly healthy. As all nuts, they have a high mono-unsaturated fatty acids content which protects the heart from heart disease. They also contain lots of manganese, a mineral that is mainly important for healthy bones, nerves and thyroid function.

It’s also very easy to make. As with all nut butters, you need a strong food processor though. I’ve tried it in a regular blender, and the result was anything but satisfying. It’s really worth it to invest in a food processor – you can already get great ones for as little as 60 Euros, so it doesn’t even have to be extremely expensive. Think about all the great things that you can make with them – including this healthy cashew butter with sea salt.

Ingredients:
– 2 1/2 cups (250g) natural cashews
– 1/4 tsp sea salt

Start by pre-heating the oven to 180 °C. Spread the cashews onto a baking sheet and roast them for about 8 – 10 minutes. Be sure to watch them carefully, so they don’t burn.
Remove the cashews from the oven and let them cool off completely. This is so important that I cannot stress it enough. If you don’t let them cool, the recipe might not work.

Pour the cashews into your food processor and blend for about 10 minutes until the cashews have completely transformed into a creamy butter. You might need to scrape the butter down from the side a couple of times depending on your food processor. Finally, add the sea salt and blend for another 10 to 20 seconds.

Stored in an air tight container in the fridge, the cashew butter lasts for about 2 – 3 weeks. (It never lasts that long in my family though, but that’s not due to spoiling).

Enjoy!

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Let me introduce you to my newest addiction: almond butter. Ever since I made our first batch, I have been constantly buying almonds to keep up with our high demand for this delicious nut butter. Since I am technically American at heart, I am of course a big fan of peanut butter, but ever since I tried almond butter I don’t think I will ever go back. Almond butter is the perfect addition to any meal. I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner sometimes. It’s also a great healthy snack if you combine it with sliced apples or pears. I love it with my morning bowl of oatmeal, in breakfast smoothies, on toast topped with banana slices or homemade jam. It’s also a great substitution for cream in sauces or soups. You can see, I am pretty obsessed with it.

Making almond butter only requires one ingredient so you couldn’t even call it cooking really. Unfortunately you will need a high quality and powerful food processor to get the perfect texture. I am really sorry, but I have tried it with my 20 Euro blender – without success. It doesn’t need to be a very expensive machine, but it needs to have power to break down the almonds completely.
Since almond butter consists of only one ingredient, it is a very clean food, and totally healthy as well. Nut butter in general is a great way to add some healthy protein and unsaturated fats to your diet. The healthy fatty acids protect our heart and lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Almonds are also an amazing super- and beauty food because of it’s high vitamin E content. Vitamin E is especially important for healthy nails, hair and glowing skin.

Health benefits:
– copper (important for strong tissue, maintaining blood volume, and producing energy in your cells)
– mono-unsaturated fats (decreases risks for breast cancer, important for heart health)
– biotin (important for blood sugar balance and skin health; building healthy fats for soft skin)
– manganese (for nerve health)
– protein (important for a healthy metabolism, immune systems, production of enzymes)
– vitamin E (antioxidant against free radicals, prevents skin aging)

Enjoy!

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