toasted coconut butter
January 18th, 2013
Thank you, everyone for all the emails and comments after my last post! One of the things you want more of is food and recipe posts. And I do too! I am a little insecure about my food photography skills especially when there are so many drop dead gorgeous food blog out there, but that is a silly reason not to share the awesome recipes I’ve found with you. I also wonder if you will find the recipes I like awesome, because I’ve adopted a rather odd way of eating–no, not with my toes. Last year I stopped eating gluten and felt so great I soon forced my whole family over to the gluten-free/dark side. Slowly I stopped eating legumes and most grains too and one of my new year’s resolutions was to cut out sugar from my diet. Wow, could I be more unfun?
I feel like I have to confess this all to you because the recipes I make are sometimes odd. Even if I don’t eat a lot of what is normal, the food I eat is always delicious! This recipe for toasted coconut butter proves my point (I think, I hope). I never knew coconut butter existed before last year. It’s a lot like nut butters, super delicious but more savory and crazy expensive ($15 a jar!). Toasting the coconut brings out a nutty sweetness and grinding it yourself brings the price down (~$5 a jar). All these dietary confessions are making me hungry–I think I might go scrape the last bit of toasted coconut butter out of that jar up there–and you need to go make some!
toasted coconut butter
ingredients:
- 16 oz unsweetened, shredded coconut
- a pinch of salt
directions:
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees
- Spread the coconut out on a cookie sheet and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Taking it out after 5 minutes to stir the coconut, so it toasts evenly.
- Let the coconut cool (at least 10 minutes, but longer is fine)
- Put the coconut and salt in your food processor or high-powered blender.
- Buzz, whiz, chop, whatever the verb is, for 5 minutes. The coconut will get clumpy at first, then slowly turn more smooth and liquid-y. Be sure to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula a few times, so all the coconut turns into coconut butter.
- Pour into a jar and store in the cupboard.
a word about texture
Coconut butter is weird. It is liquid when it’s warm (and when you make it fresh) and very solid below 70 degrees F (20 C). Think of coconut butter like you on a tropical island: totally relaxed when it’s over 80 degrees F, but uptight and pissy when it falls below 70 degrees F. So be sure to store your coconut butter in the cupboard. because it will turn into cement in the fridge. To eat it you can warm the whole jar in a hot water bath or heat a bit up in the microwave (30 seconds at 50% power–it burns easily!). What to eat it with, you ask? I have a delicious recipe coming up on Monday, so you’ll have to eat it straight from the jar until then!
variations:
quick disclaimer: I haven’t tried any of these, but really you can’t go wrong adding sugar and nuts or chocolate to pretty much anything.
maple pecan coconut butter:
follow the recipe above, but toast 1 cup pecans at the same time as the coconut (on a separate pan), then grind both the nuts and coconut together. When all is mixed up and smooth, add 1/4 cup real maple syrup.
honey cashew coconut:
same as the maple pecan, but use honey and cashews instead!
chocolate coconut swirl:
after everything is smooth, swirl in 4 oz. melted dark chocolate. It’s like a grown up Goobers.
coconut caramel butter:
okay, this one might be a little much, but I think a mixture of 1 part dulce de leche and 1 part coconut butter would be pretty freakin amazing. Oh look, I have a recipe for dulce de leche right here.
This could not have come at a more fortuitous time for me! I was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis at 36 and yesterday my doctor told me to cut out wheat, dairy, sugar, coffee, corn and soy. I was up all night brainstorming what in the world I am going to eat now! And then I wake up to Coconut butter!! So excited to see what you will put it on! (I’ll be posting an almond meal muffin receipe on my blog later in teh week)
great timing indeed! The diet sounds restrictive at first, but really there is a world of food out there waiting to be explored!
Meg – As an enjoyer of your food and reader of food blogs: I don’t think you should shy away from highlighting your recipes because they’re weird. I don’t think blog readers come to the internet for ‘normal’ food, they can get that in any old cookbook. I think they like to see what people are actually eating, if it tastes good. I, for one, would LOVE more of your recipes.
Me too! Good for you. I’ve been doing it for just five months, but I tried to switch over for 2 years prior to that. I finally did it and I’m so glad! I’m working on eliminating cheats (it’s easier as I go on) and processed foods. I don’t cook too well, though, and I have three young children (including a baby and 3yo), which I know you understand, so sometimes I do resort to processed stuff.
Wow, great idea! I can’t wait to try this. I have a vitamix in the mail and we just decided to start living the Paleo/Primal lifestyle which I guess is where you are too basically! I’ve loved reading your blog and will love it even more as you post your recipes. We just started this so food ideas are going to be so awesome!
the vitamix was made for this recipe!
Yes it was! Will be trying this out very soon! :)
Coconut butter! That sounds delicious and I for one LOVE unusual recipes. Looking forward to more food posts (though of course I love all your posts)
This is great, my husband’s doctor told him (because he has a kidney disease) start to eat a gluten free diet last week, so this will be great if you show us more recipes. A few years ago, my oldest son can’t eat wheat and cow milk and we helped him no eating bread and cow products. All was prepared at home and without sugar, was great. First without sugar you look slim, because sugar provoque inflamation in your body and look younger too. Is good eat without wheat and sugar and some people eat without milk and derivates. But the temptation is around the corner and to me is very dificult avoid it.
Yay, you’re going to post more recipes, especially GF ones! I love all the crafty posts too, but this is so awesome. Photos included :-) xo from the Big Apple. You’ll be missed at dinner next week.
Love this and can’t wait to try. I’ve been eating paleo-ish for awhile now and am excited to see one of my favourite sewing blogs have such a great recipe. I haven’t tried coconut butter yet, but the coconut milk, oil, and water are all great so I’m assuming this will be too! (I just finished a snack of coconut, almonds, cocoa nibs and almond butter, yum!)
This sounds delicious. My friend started eating a gluten free diet last year and she’s feeling so much better … a lot her persistent health problems have gone away (or are much improved). She’s working on bringing me over to “the other side”!
I’ve never heard of coconut butter before…looks delish! I think it’s a great idea to post GF recipes! I find food photos sooooo much harder than craft photos, so don’t worry, it’s not just you! (oh, that makes me sound like I think your pics are crap…which I don’t, totally the opposite!)
Yay for Meg the food blogger! Yes the food you post (instagram) is often different from what I normally eat, but it always looks so delicious – and that’s why I look forward to your posts! I really want to try this; think the kids might get a kick out of watching it turn to butter in the food processor. If I can keep myself from eating the toasted coconut straight out of the oven, that is…
This looks and sounds amazing…. totally going to try it! And, I’m pretty sure right off the spoon is how I’d like to eat it! (as i do with anything that ends with the word butter….)
Hi, thanks for the excellent pictures – I have heard about making coconut butter before but I didn’t really get it until I saw your shots. I made some yesterday and it was ace. I have frozen it in ice cube trays and it stays hard in the fridge in little chunks that taste like coconut rough. I am trying to quit sugar too and have been inspired by Sarah Wilson’s writing on the subject – her blog is http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/. She has a no sugar cookbook too.
Yum, yum, yum! What a great recipe. What made you cut out legumes? We cut out most animal products (only eating a small amount of dairy and eggs of course), cut back substantially on carbs, and do only organics and all natural ingredients. Interested to see what you think about legumes.
Well, hey! Lookie here!
I was just about to come over again and ask WASSUP? Everything Okay? And lo! Two new posts, all howdy doody.
So instead of wassup, hello! And happy new year, and welcome back, and bring it on, coconut butter and all.
M
[…] long had homemade coconut butter on my list of things to make, but this toasted version looks better than anything I’ve […]
I’m working on sugar-free and wheat-free! Recipes are great!! It’s harder to convert the kids, though. For now, I’m just trying to sort it out for my husband and myself. This coconut butter looks amazing. Eating like this is a cancer-fighter, too. I can’t wait for more from you.
Can you use flaked coconut? I have a ton of it at home, and would hate to buy shredded if flaked will do just as well. Looks incredible!
as long as it’s unsweetened, it should work just fine.
I for one am very excited to see recipes from you!!! Bring it on!
Mmm this looks delish! Gluten free or not, am looking forward to seeing your recipes. I love new recipes but I do love recipes made by real people with large families. I’m in need of some inspiration in that area for my growing family. Thanks :)
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How long does this keep? I am so excited to try it!
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I LOVE coconut butter. I even asked for a jar for christmas. And yes, it is SO expensive. I dont know why I didn’t think about being able to make it myself. I feel all free and liberated now. Thank you so much. I will be trying this.