Nuts have high amounts of fat and fat keeps you warm, which makes them absolute winter essentials. What better way to utilize their potential than in the form of nut butter? By adding it to your typical hot morning beverages, nut butter can pair perfectly with your breakfast components like toasts, waffles or oatmeal so go wild with it!
In terms of flavour, this recipe will only focus on coffee and earl grey as a guide on how to prepare the nut butter.
Let’s talk about the type of nuts you can use for this recipe. Nuts with a high fat content will help incorporate your butter together. Nuts with a low fat content will result in a less creamy consistency, but this is easily fixed by adding about a tablespoon of coconut oil. The rule of thumb is the darker in colour and richer in flavour the nut is, the more compatible it will be with intense beverages like coffee. The lighter in colour and flavour the nut is, the more compatible it will be with lighter beverages like earl grey or matcha. Here are some nut recommendations:
- Cashews (for earl grey and other beverages like matcha)
- Almond (coffee, earl grey, matcha)
- Macadamia (earl Ggrey, matcha)
- Pistachios (matcha)
- Hazelnuts (coffee)
- Walnuts (coffee)
Depending on the nuts you choose, it may require extra preparations. Please refer to instructions most suitable for your choice of nuts as specific instructions will not be included.
Tools:
Food processor
Base:
Nut of your choice (preferably the ones above)
1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract
A pinch of salt (do not add salt if you are using salted nuts from the grocery store)
2 tbsp of honey or sugar (adjust according to desired sweetness)
Optional: 1 tbsp of coconut oil, depending on your nut’s fat content
Coffee:
½ cup of strong brewed coffee (you will probably only use half of the amount, however, I strongly recommend making ½ cup just in case the consistency turns out to be too thick — then the other half will help you thin it out!)
Optional: 1 tbsp of hot chocolate or cacao powder to enhance flavour
Earl grey:
1-2 tea bags or 2-3 tbsp of loose tea leaves
½ cup of whole milk, heavy cream or any milk substitutes of your choice (you will probably only use half of the amount, however, I strongly recommend making ½ cup just in case the consistency turns out to be too thick — then the other half will help you thin it out!)
Optional: ½ tsp of orange zest or dark chocolate for extra spice
Instructions:
Preparing your beverage:
If you are using other types of beverages, prepare it the way you usually would with the respective measurements above. For coffee, simply brew it and leave it to cool. For earl grey, steep your tea bag in milk at low to medium temperature on the stove until heated but not boiling, then let the tea infuse for 30 minutes. Leave aside to cool. For extra flavour, I recommend steeping loose leaves in heavy cream. If you are using loose leaves, make sure you have a strainer to strain the leaves.
Making the nut butter:
If you do not have a food processor, you may use pre-made nut butter. Combine the nuts, vanilla extract, salt and honey or sugar and blend until somewhat smooth. Slowly add earl grey or coffee and continue to blend until smooth. At this point you can add your orange zest, dark chocolate or chocolate powder if desired.
If your nut butter consistency is too runny, add more nuts. If it’s too thick, add more coffee or earl grey.
This nut butter is a jar of joy that sneaks up on you and gives you a warm hug, never knowing what gave you that moment of coziness. But it’s there, and it will be there for a month in your fridge! When you run out, you’ll find yourself making it again in the midst of a snowy winter — because coziness just doesn’t feel right without it anymore.
