Salty and Sweet Almond Cashew Butter

Just a few days ago, there was still a Christmas present in a corner of my kitchen that I hadn't yet opened. I mean, I unwrapped it day-of and subsequently jumped for joy...so what I guess I really mean is that I hadn't yet played with it. So I slid it out of the corner and up to the counter where I do most of my cooking, fully prepared for that first-use experience.

9-cup KitchenAid food processor, what! Oh, how I've wanted one of these in my life. My little Mini-Prep struggles with nut butters, so I haven't been able to make all the lovely and delicious nut butters I keep finding online. With this thing...watch out, bread. Get ready, apple. It's nut butter time in the Daily Dose household!

Seriously, you know you're a grownup when you geek out over kitchen stuff. But I digress. Unboxing this thing was amazing. I felt like I was eight years old again and unboxing a brand-new Barbie.


Hello, gorgeous...


...goodbye, Mini-Prep! This thing comes with a 4-cup insert that will be perfect for smaller processing jobs, so I doubt I'll be getting much use out of my old Cuisinart anymore. (Dear Cuisinart: It was real. It was fun. But I can't say it was real fun. Love, Tara.)

Let's get on with the nut buttering, shall we? As indicated, I've had quite the stockpile of recipes for some time now, so picking just one to try was fairly out of the question. I decided the only way to go about this whole experiment with the new processor was to experiment with a new recipe, too. So I picked two potentially great ones from said stockpile and devised a plan to combine them into one.

The resulting concoction is what I like to call Salty and Sweet Almond Cashew Butter, as I'm sure you've already guessed. I took the best out of Angela's Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter and Ashley's Salted Honey Cashew Butter, and my new favorite kitchen tool whipped it out quite nicely if I do say so myself:

In case you'd like the recipe:

SALTY AND SWEET ALMOND CASHEW BUTTER
Inspired by: Angela's Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter and Ashley's Salted Honey Cashew Butter

Ingredients
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tbsp Chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 325F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2) Mix nuts, honey and seeds. Spread across the parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes (no need for the mix to be completely cold).
3) Pour the mix into your food processor and blend away for 10-15 minutes or until smooth. You'll have to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl every few. Have patience, it will come together!
4) When the mix is smooth, add the salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Process again until smooth.
5) It makes about a cup and a half, which you should store in an airtight container in the 'fridge.

I couldn't resist enjoying this nut butter on an apple (with a side of salad to round out my healthy lunch):

Yum.

Question: Do you purchase nuts in bulk quantities? If so, from where? I am particularly interested in finding an online vendor with a great deal. Lemme know!