Ok, so I splurged on a jar of Barney Butter a few weeks ago after not having any in the house for quite some time. Despite it being – in my opinion – the best commercially produced almond butter on the market these days, I do prefer to make my own almond butter most of the time.
As I neared the bottom of the jar, (always a sad sight… but it does mean oats in a jar is in the near future!), I realized that it was high time I came up with a new homemade almond butter recipe.
In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to highlight seasonal flavors, and gingerbread seemed like a perfect choice.
Although I love pure almond butter dearly, my favorite nuts – by far – are pecans, so they were tossed into the mix as well. The rich buttery pecans help the almonds to break down easier, negating the need for oil to create a smooth and “drippable” nut butter.
In order to replicate the flavors of gingerbread, I gathered together the necessary ingredients – molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves – and experimented with amounts until I was happy with the results.
Voila! Gingerbread-flavored pecan-almond butter.
The spices don’t overwhelm the nut butter, but the gingerbread flavor does gently come through. Like all homemade almond butters, this one is ever-so-slightly gritty, but in a pleasant way.
You may be wondering why I photographed the nut butter with a spoon.
Simple.
That is the precise vehicle with which the majority of this delectable concoction will be consumed. Sure, I smeared a bit on a slice of warm homemade banana bread and some of it will undoubtedly make its way into a few bowls of oatmeal, but something this delicious deserves to be enjoyed unadulterated by other foods!
I suggest making multiple batches; keep one for yourself and give others away as holiday gifts. I don’t have anything against gifting plates of homemade cookies this time of year, but you’ll certainly stand out from everyone else if you present your friends and family with jars of homemade nut butter.
Gingerbread Pecan Almond Butter
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: roast breakfast side snack vegetarian vegan almonds pecans Christmas winter
Ingredients (1 small jar)
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw pecan halves
- 2 tsp unsulphured blackstrap molasses
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or more, to taste)
- pinch ground cloves (or more, to taste)
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F. Lay almonds and pecans out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast nuts for 15 minutes, or until fragrant and golden-brown, stirring a couple of times throughout.
Place roasted almonds and pecans into the bowl of a food processor. Process until nuts break down into a smooth butter, scraping down the sides as necessary, about 5-10 minutes.
Add in the molasses, spices, and salt, and process until incorporated.
I store my nut butters at room temperature. Some natural oil separation may occur; simply give the almond butter a good stir before eating.
