Recipe Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Nut Butter
May 03, 2022
Adapted from an article originally published on https://desireerd.com/healthy-homemade-cinnamon-sugar-nut-butter/
Love the crunch of cinnamon toast cereal? This healthy DIY cashew and pecan butter is sure to have you head over heels. It’s low in sugar, and paired with high fibre sprouted grain bread, this healthy cinnamon sugar butter makes for a nostalgic (and nutrient-dense!) breakfast or snack that really satisfies.
Full confession: I was actually more of a toast kid growing up (still am!). But, I know how much folks love cinnamon toast cereal, and I get it, because I was a HUGE fan of cinnamon sugar toast for breakfast. So I’m delighted to once again be partnering with Silver Hills Bakery this year—maker of my favourite sliced bread ever—to create this healthy homemade cinnamon sugar nut butter, inspired by your love of CTC cereal and my love of cinnamon sugar toast!
This rich and creamy cashew and pecan butter, inspired by crunchy cinnamon toast cereal takes just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes to make! Low in sugar, with a satisfying crunch, this healthy homemade nut butter will make you fall in love with mornings again.
How to make your own nut butter: an overview
Making homemade nut butter is actually really easy, you just need a good food processor! Making it yourself means the freshest, most flavourful topping for your toast. Explore any combination of nuts and seeds you wish, and play with the flavours, incorporating your favourite spices like cinnamon, cardamom, or even turmeric!
There are just three simple steps for a delicious homemade nut butter:
- Toast the nuts and seeds in a 350 degree oven for 8 – 10 minutes, until you see the oil glistening on the surface. This step dramatically cuts down on food processing time. You can absolutely make raw nut butters but it will take much longer as you’re relying on the heat generated by the motor to mobilize the oils.
- Place toasted nuts and seeds in your food processor and let it run, scraping down sides whenever it starts to climb up the walls of the food processor. It will go through a stage of flour, then paste, before it becomes a creamy butter-like consistency.
- Only when the butter-like consistency has been achieved, add desired flavouring or sweeteners and mix by hand. And think twice before adding a lot of liquids, such as maple syrup or vanilla as liquids cause nut butters to thicken and seize, which means extra processing time for you.
Are nut butters a healthy choice for kids?
This cinnamon sugar butter is a surefire hit. The first jar I made lasted about 3 days and my kids couldn’t get enough of it! This cashew and pecan nut butter is creamy, packed with healthy fats and minerals and makes a great toddler-friendly snack spread on sprouted grain toast, apple slices, or whole grain crackers.
A tablespoon of sugar to the butter gives a toddler-friendly crunch. If that seems like a lot, it actually works out to less than 1g of sugar per 1 tablespoon serving. In comparison, a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch has 12 grams of added sugars per serving.
Read my article Toddler Nutrition Questions, Answered to learn more about healthy, plant-based nutrition for toddlers.
Desiree Nielsen is a plant-based registered dietitian, host of The Allsorts Podcast and author of 2 bestselling plant-based cookbooks, Eat More Plants and Good for Your Gut. She lives in East Vancouver with her husband, two kids and an often-neglected vegetable garden.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp cane sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or seeds of quarter vanilla pod
- ⅛ tsp salt (see note)
Featured Product Little Big Bread®
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place cashews and pecans on baking sheet and toast for 8 – 10 minutes until the oil starts to glisten on the surface of the cashews and they turn a light golden brown. Let cool for a minute before carefully placing them in your food processor.
- Process nuts until a butter forms. Be patient. It goes from a flour to a paste to a butter in about 5 – 7 minutes depending on how strong your motor is. Scrape sides of the processor occasionally if the nuts start climbing up the sides.
- Once fully smooth creamy, transfer to a resealable glass jar and stir in cinnamon, sugar, vanilla and salt. Enjoy right away, or store, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Try these handy tips!
Not feeding a toddler? I really like this butter with ¼ teaspoon salt instead of 1/8 teaspoon.
