Make Pecan Butter at Home (Velvety Smooth Texture)

• Food: Pecan Butter
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

The inspiration for pecan butter came to me on the way home from Colorado, shortly after I awoke to see mountain goats outside my window.

I ate a cracker and then a couple of nuts from Peach Crest Farm, which Matt had received for Christmas. The pecans from Peach Crest Farm are incredible; one bite of those fresh, local, organic pecans convinced me that every other pecan I’d ever tasted had gone rancid with age.

I ate a few more pecans and a cracker, wishing I could spread the pecans like peanut butter on top. Bingo! Butter made with pecans.

Although a simple Google search showed that it was possible, no one has given pecan butter the attention it deserves.

I’ve tried to make peanut butter previously and failed miserably, but not this time. I’ve found that pecan butter is the least picky all-natural nut butter I’ve encountered.

Without any extra oil, toasted pecans merge together in a food processor to create a velvety smooth, spreadable nutty bliss with maple undertones. It’s made much better with a pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon at the end.

If you like pecans as much as I do, you must try this. It’s truly decadent. Pecans aren’t inexpensive, but pecan butter is well worth the investment. It’s gold in a glass.

Could I recommend spreading it on a slice of my favorite honey-sweetened banana bread, as I have done every morning this week? It provides a nutritious breakfast that tastes almost as rich as a slice of cake.

Pecan Butter

It’s simple to make pecan butter, and it tastes fantastic! If you want to create a larger quantity, feel free to double or even treble the number of pecans (you may find it easier to toast the pecans in the oven at that point). As written, the recipe yields 1 cup.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) of high-quality pecans, either whole or in pieces
• Sea salt, to taste
• Dash of ground cinnamon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large skillet, roast the pecans over medium heat, swirling frequently, until aromatic (do not burn!). This should take between 4 and 8 minutes.
2. Place the roasted pecans in a food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until smooth. Then incorporate in the pecans, pausing frequently to scrape the sides with a spatula. At first, the ingredients will be crumbly, but they will soon merge into a super-creamy delight. Make sure the mixture doesn’t get too hot, as this can cause oil separation. To be safe, you may need to pause and let the mixture/machine cool down for a few minutes. My old food processor takes ten to fifteen minutes to make the pecans into pecan butter, but my sophisticated Blendtec and Vitamix blenders can turn it into butter in a minute or two.
3. Season with a touch of salt and a smidgeon of cinnamon (if using). Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt or cinnamon if necessary.
4. Pour the mixture into a small jar, cover it with a lid, and keep it in refrigerated for safekeeping. This pecan butter will keep for about a month in the refrigerator—obviously, don’t eat it if you see or smell any symptoms of spoilage.

NOTES

• The pecan butter you make is only as excellent as the nuts you use. Look for fresh pecans in a store that has a lot of them. If they’re local, organic, and/or kept in the fridge, you’ll get bonus points.