Recipe PCP: peanut, cashew, and pecan butter

[JAS_OH1]

I was looking at a jar of regular peanut butter the other day and was astounded at the amount of sugar in it! The no sugar added peanut butter is very expensive, so it seemed like a good idea to make my own. I was trying to think of a way to make some no-sugar added peanut butter for a family member who has gestational diabetes, and it occurred to me I could add cashews for added sweetness. I decided to add some pecans as well, because...well because they are delicious! I already had the pecans on hand, so I picked up a jar of unsalted peanuts and a jar of unsalted cashews (plus I picked up a bag of Swerve sweetener just in case). I think just about any combination of nuts would be great, but of course for peanut purists, straight peanuts with a little sugar or sugar substitute and salt (to taste) is all you need!

Preparation time: approximately 30 minutes
Yield: 8 oz of nut butter

Equipment needed:
food processor or blender
Kitchen scale
Small bowls or measuring cup
Measuring spoon

Ingredients:
4 oz peanuts
2 oz cashews
2 oz pecans
Sugar substitute (optional: I did not use)
Salt

Directions:

Tare the kitchen scale with a bowl or measuring cup to 0 out the weight before weighing the nuts. Pulse the peanuts in the food processor until roughly ground. Add the cashews and pecans. Pulse until smooth. Add salt to taste (I used .25 tsp).

Notes: No added oils are necessary, the food processor naturally extracted the oils from the nuts. The cashews as expected add a hint of sweetness and the pecans add a delicious, buttery quality. No sweeteners were necessary and I only added .25 tsp of salt which was perfect for my tastes.

 

[medtran49]

Just FYI, anyone using artificial sweetener that contains xylitol, it is EXTREMELY toxic to dogs so please be aware.

I love cashew butter. Pecans too, never thought about making a nut butter with them.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Just FYI, anyone using artificial sweetener that contains xylitol, it is EXTREMELY toxic to dogs so please be aware.

I love cashew butter. Pecans too, never thought about making a nut butter with them.

That is very good information to know about the xylitol. I personally don't recommend it for humans either, based on feedback from my late aunt who had diabetes. She had a sweet tooth but candies made with xylitol gave her unpleasant intestinal discomfort.

Edited to add that I had to go take a look at the artificial sweeteners I bought to double check. The brown sugar substitute I have is Truvia and has no alcohol sugars, while the Swerve granular white sugar substitute has allulose and erythritol in it. I think erythritol is an alcohol sugar but no idea what impact it has on the digestive system.

At any rate, I know that my nephew's wife (the one who has the gestational diabetes) says she doesn't mind the alcohol sugars. This is good to know as I plan on making her some sugar-free nut butter cookies in the near future.

 

[TastyReuben]

Cool! Bookmarked!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I love cashew butter. Pecans too, never thought about making a nut butter with them.

Can you not buy other nut butters in the supermarkets?

Over here in Australia you can buy cashew nut butter in the supermarket. Almond butter is another, along with a mix called ABC butter, and a chocolate nut butter (not Nutella alternative) again from most supermarkets.
There are also 5 seed nut butters, chocolate peanut butter, an 'everything almond butter' which is almonds and 6 seeds. The combinations are almost endless. I've not seen dedicated Brazil but butter in the supermarket yet though but you can buy it locally (aka 65km away).

Very few feature added sugar thankfully and it is possible to buy some that are low salt or no added salt.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Can you not buy other nut butters in the supermarkets?

Don't know about the US, obviously, but over here, nut butters are exceedingly expensive. You're probably looking at $15-$20 a jar, which is only 230cc.

 

[TastyReuben]

Don't know about the US, obviously, but over here, nut butters are exceedingly expensive. You're probably looking at $15-$20 a jar, which is only 230cc.

As far as mainstream grocers go (like Kroger), almond and cashew butter are the two alternate options.

 

[medtran49]

Can you not buy other nut butters in the supermarkets?

I love cashew butter. Pecans too, never thought about making a nut butter with them.

No, you can't buy pecan butter in the supermarket. In fact, I've never seen it for sale anywhere.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Don't know about the US, obviously, but over here, nut butters are exceedingly expensive. You're probably looking at $15-$20 a jar, which is only 230cc.

Over here, the most expensive in a supermarket is AU$9 for 250g which is under US$6. A typical jar of say almond butter is AU$6 for 325g, so about US$4.

You can pay AU$16 (US$11) for a jar if you want 100% Australian organic almonds (no anything else added), ground whilst you wait. That's 250g and not at a supermarket.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Can you not buy other nut butters in the supermarkets?

Over here in Australia you can buy cashew nut butter in the supermarket. Almond butter is another, along with a mix called ABC butter, and a chocolate nut butter (not Nutella alternative) again from most supermarkets.
There are also 5 seed nut butters, chocolate peanut butter, an 'everything almond butter' which is almonds and 6 seeds. The combinations are almost endless. I've not seen dedicated Brazil but butter in the supermarket yet though but you can buy it locally (aka 65km away).

Very few feature added sugar thankfully and it is possible to buy some that are low salt or no added salt.

I have an aversion to commercially made peanut butter because I worked a product recall years ago where a brand of peanut butter contained salmonella. I had to actively destroy thousands of jars of peanut butter, taking the lids off and puncturing the seal on each jar. I haven't eaten peanut butter since. I know it's unlikely I'm going to get sick from eating it but I never loved it to begin with. Most other nuts I love and peanuts mixed in are ok.

Yes you can buy almond butter and cashew butter, but like medtran49 wrote, pecan butter is not sold anywhere and yes, karadekoolaid, it's not cheap for nut butter other than peanut butters,, which usually contain a lot of additives.

There are grocers here who have equipment to grind your own peanut butter and some have cashews as well. Grinding my own gives me complete control over what goes in my nut butter. I don't like peanut butter. I do love cashews and pecans though.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Yes you can buy almond butter and cashew butter, but like @medtran49 wrote, pecan butter is not sold anywhere and yes, @karadekoolaid, it's not cheap for nut butter other than peanut butters,, which usually contain a lot of additives.

It's about US$6 for 325g size jars here in supermarkets. They don't add anything extra, or if they do, it's a touch of salt, certainly not sugar.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Over here, the most expensive in a supermarket is AU$9 for 250g which is under US$6. A typical jar of say almond butter is AU$6 for 325g, so about US$4.

You can pay AU$16 (US$11) for a jar if you want 100% Australian organic almonds (no anything else added), ground whilst you wait. That's 250g and not at a supermarket.

Meh, not a big fan of almonds. I like them in my homemade granola or on a salad, but not as almond butter or plain. Pecans and cashews are my favorites. I like pine nuts but they're too expensive to make a nut butter with.

 

[JAS_OH1]

It's about US$6 for 325g size jars here in supermarkets. They don't add anything extra, or if they do, it's a touch of salt, certainly not sugar.

I've never seen mixed nut butter anywhere, especially with pecans in it.

Edited to add that my family member with diabetes could certainly find no-sugar added peanut butter at the store or grind her own at the specialty market, but I wanted to make something special for her.

 

[Timenspace]

I love the idea and the execution. I am sure it tasted amazing. Well done!
I bought liquid Stevia a few weeks ago, and I use it as a sugar sub in cakes, cookies etc...I do not sweeten my coffee or tea with it. It tastes very sweet, so a very small amount goes a long way...I actually went over to the fridge to llok if the stevia bottle cap had measures on it, it does. Half the cap is 2,5 ml, and for me it subs 150-200 g sugar. I was happy to have tolerated it well.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I love the idea and the execution. I am sure it tasted amazing. Well done!
I bought liquid Stevia a few weeks ago, and I use it as a sugar sub in cakes, cookies etc...I do not sweeten my coffee or tea with it. It tastes very sweet, so a very small amount goes a long way...I actually went over to the fridge to llok if the stevia bottle cap had measures on it, it does. Half the cap is 2,5 ml, and for me it subs 150-200 g sugar. I was happy to have tolerated it well.

Thank you!

Most people do quite well with Stevia as it is plant based. I have never heard someone say that had tummy troubles from it. It's those alcohol sugars (like xylitol) that generally have an effect. I also don't like those artificial man-made sweeteners. Chemicals, ugh.

Going to try my hand at those sugar-free nut butter cookies soon, which by the way, will be gluten-free as well.