Pea—nut. Peanut butter. Change that. Hazel—nut. Hazelnut Butter. I’m singing in my mind right now and with good reason. This Hazelnut Espresso Butter is sweet, salty, and spectacularly spreadable. Oh, and just plain delicious.
One of the best things about having a high powered blender is the ability to make your own nut butter. Now don’t get me wrong- we LOVE peanut butter. But sometimes, we just love to mix it up and that is precisely when we whip up a batch of Hazelnut Espresso Butter.
It never ceases to amaze me that if you read most nut butter labels at a grocery store, you will often see sugar, oil, or unpronounceable other ingredients. But why?! When you make your own at home- ALL you really need is NUTS. That’s it!
However, we wanted a nut butter that we could use in the morning and would fill us and help wake us up—ESPRESSO! The ground beans add flavor and texture but they also jolt one out of a morning slumber. OR a 12:00… OR a 4:00pm lull. You get the idea! It’s fantastic any time of day!
One caveat though is that you MUST have a high powered blender. It just won’t work in a traditional blender. If you still have been thinking about getting one for a while, you can do further research HERE. We really can’t imagine life without our Vitamix anymore and I would guess if you finally take the plunge, you will feel the same.
If you are feeling a little sluggish, hold off on that cup of coffee. Simply spread some of this Hazelnut Espresso Butter on a piece of toast or just enjoy a spoonful plain! Mmmmm- I’m singing again in my mind just thinking about it! Enjoy!
- 2 Cups Raw Hazelnuts
- ⅓ Cup Espresso (Ground or Whole Bean)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Salt
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread the raw nuts onto a baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes.
- Allow the nuts to cool. With a clean dish towel gently rub the nuts until the majority of the skins are removed.
- Place the roasted nuts into a high speed blender and blend on high until it resembles peanut butter. Approx. 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile grind the espresso beans if you are using whole beans.
- Add the espresso, vanilla and salt to the blender and blend on high to combine with the nut butter. Approx. 30 seconds.
- Enjoy anytime!
Finally, if you are looking for some other recipes to make in your blender, check out these other terrific recipes…
Jalapeño Cream Cheese
Honeynut Squash & Wild Mushroom Soup
Biquino Pepper Pesto
Brazil Nut Espresso Cheese (Yes, we REALLY like Espresso!)