Homemade Nut Butter

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Homemade Nut Butter
Come autumn, the harvest of almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts begins in earnest. Turning them into your own homemade nut butter not only makes storing easy, but also transforms an everyday snack into a rich, spreadable butter. A blender produces the smoothest results, but only a heavy-duty one is up to the task. As an alternative, use a food processor; the butter will just be a bit coarser.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups untoasted pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1-1/2 to 4 Tablespoons canola, vegetable, or other neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Preparation

  1. Put the nuts in a heavy-duty blender or a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
  2. Add the salt and purée until the nuts become fairly smooth, adding only enough oil to help the nuts break down.
  3. Add the honey and pulse to mix.
  4. Transfer the nut butter to a sterile jar and store in a cool, dry place or the refrigerator.

Make Ahead Tips

The nut butter will keep at cool room temperature for up to 2 months, or in the refrigerator for 6 to 9 months.

Variations

Chunky Nut Butter: Coarsely chop 1/4 cup of the nuts. Make nut butter with the remaining nuts, and then stir in the chopped nuts by hand.

Flavors: You can adjust the flavor notes even more by adding additional honey, salt, maple syrup, cinnamon, or vanilla.

Serving Suggestions

Nut butter is delicious any time of day, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Here are a few tasty ways to use yours up:

  • Make banana and nut butter sandwiches.
  • Top a bowl of oatmeal with a spoonful of any nut butter.
  • Toss lo mein noodles with almond butter, soy sauce, sautéed snow peas, carrots, and scallions.
  • Dollop cooked green beans with hazelnut butter.
  • Swirl any nut butter into vanilla ice cream.
  • Spread pecan butter between two shortbread cookies.
  • Blend hazelnut or almond butter into smoothies.

Pan-Fried Fish with Peppers and Pecans

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White fish is topped with a spicy-sweet mixture of pecans, sweet pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thin white fish fillets (such as trout, tilapia, or catfish), skinned if desired
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoon s butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 of a red sweet pepper, cut in strips
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Juice from one small lime
  • Green onions, sliced

Preparation

  1. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. If necessary, cut fish into serving size pieces; set aside. In shallow dish combine flour and salt. Dip fish in flour mixture to coat.
  2. In a large skillet heat half of the butter over medium-high heat. Add fish in a single layer. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fish from skillet. Cover and keep warm.
  3. Wipe out skillet. Add remaining butter to skillet and melt over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Stir in pecans, sweet pepper and cayenne. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until pecans are lightly toasted and pepper strips are just tender. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice. Spoon pecan mixture over fish. If Top with green onions.

Chicken Marsala

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We added buttery toasted pecans and even dredged the chicken in a pecan mixture for extra flavor and texture in this Chicken Marsala recipe. The results are amazing!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 cup pecan pieces, divided
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 skinned and boned chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb.)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces assorted mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup Marsala
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

  1.  Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat; add 2/3 cup pecans, and cook, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.
  2. Process flour and remaining 1/3 cup pecans in a food processor until finely ground; place flour mixture in a large shallow bowl.
  3. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; lightly dredge in flour mixture.
  4. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter with olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and done. Remove chicken from skillet.
  5. Add mushrooms and shallots to skillet; sauté 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add broth and Marsala to skillet, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Return chicken to skillet, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
  6. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; spoon mushroom-Marsala mixture over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley and toasted pecans.

Hot Caramel-Pecan Topping

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Spruce up your ice cream with this surprisingly easy caramel topping.

Ingredients

  • 1 (19-oz.) jar butterscotch-caramel topping
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

  1. Cook butterscotch-caramel topping, pecans, whipping cream, maple syrup, and kosher salt in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
  2. Serve warm.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies

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These easy drop cookies are crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. Chocolate minichips disperse better in the batter, but you can use regular chips.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 51/2 ounces)
  • 1 cup regular oats
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk; set aside.
  3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and minichips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks

Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Pecan-Stuffed Pickled Jalapeños

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Slice pickled Jalapeño pepper in half, fill with store-bought herbed garlic cheese and sprinkle with chopped pecans for an easy, 3-ingredient appetizer. You can make these a day ahead and keep chilled until serving time.

Ingredients

  • Whole pickled Jalapeño peppers
  • Spreadable garlic-and-herb cheese, softened
  • Chopped toasted pecans

Preparation

  1. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds and membranes. Pipe softened cheese into each pepper half. Press peppers, cheese sides down, into chopped toasted pecans. Cover and chill up to 1 day.