Chocolate Cashew Butter

This recipe couldn't be any more easier or more delicious! And chocolate makes everything better. This homemade chocolate cashew butter is a great alternative to the store bought chocolate spreads full of corn syrup. The key to the smoothest and tastiest butter is to use good quality fresh cashew and cocoa. So start blending!

Chocolate Cashew Butter

Yeilds: 1 1/2 cups of butter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups - Raw cashew nuts
• 3 tablespoons - Cocoa Powder (add according to taste)
• 3 tablespoons - Extra virgin coconut oil
• 3-4 tablespoons - sugar (add according to taste)

Method:

• In a food processor, grind the cashew nuts to a powder.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients and grind to a smooth paste.
• The food processor over heats, so stop periodically and scrape the sides.
• Transfer to a dry container and keep refrigerated

Note:

• The butter can be stored up to a month in the fridge.
• It can be used as bread spread, to top your favourite ice cream, blend it in with a bowl of oatmeal, or enjoy as a dip for fruit slices.   

Butter Cookies

In my last post about Vanilla-Bean Cupcakes, I mentioned butter cookies that I made for my friend in KL,Malaysia. Sorry it took me so long to blog this post. Finally got down to uploading the pics. These cookies were full of rich buttery deliciousness! I have made these cookies twice since, and they are super easy to whip up on short notice.

These cookies were simple and easy to make. I used my cookie press to make the shapes. A cookie press is a hollow tube fitted with a decorative nozzle at one end and a plunger at the other, to press the cookies directly onto the baking sheet.  Below is a picture of my cookie press, it came with 20 different nozzles.

I have had this cookie press for a long time now, don’t remember the last time I used it. So I was thinking of purging it. But decided to give it one more go. Thank god I made these cookies, now I LOVE my cookie press.  But if you don’t have a cookie press, just make small balls of dough and flatten it on the baking tray with a fork.

Butter Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Yield: Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups unsalted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Colored pearls for decoration

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift the flour, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg yolk,vanilla and salt. Beat well.
• Add the flour in 3 additions, and mix until well incorporated.
• Fill the cookie press with the dough, and press out the cookie shapes directly onto an ungreased baking sheet. Place the colored pearls on the cookies.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned.
• To ensure even baking, rotate the sheet halfway through the baking process.
• Transfer to a wire rack, and let it cool. Store in an airtight container.

Bananas Foster French Toast

This is one of those recipes that's so ridiculously indulgent and mouth-watering. Here is a recipe for possibly the best French Toast I've ever eaten. Hope you like bananas! Not that you need to love them, anything doused in brown sugar and butter is bound to be fabulous.

The banana topping is deeply sweet with caramel flavors while the french toast itself is caramelized, rich, with a lovely hint of cinnamon. When it all comes together it's DIVINE. 
 

Bananas Foster French Toast
Serves 2-3
French Toast:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 6 thick slices bread
• butter for frying

Bananas Foster Topping:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 bananas, sliced
• pinch cinnamon 

 Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a large shallow bowl or dish whisk together eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Soak bread slices in egg mixture, allowing to absorb as much liquid as possible.
• While bread is soaking, heat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat.
• Melt butter in pan and brown the bread slices, working in batches if necessary. Brown for about 3 minutes per side, or until lightly golden.
• Place slices on a baking sheet and finish cooking in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until slices have a desired brown color.

• While the french toast is in the oven, prepare the bananas foster topping. I
• In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved into butter.
• Add banana slices to pan, stirring so they are covered in caramel sauce.
• Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon. Bananas are done when they are warmed through. Pour bananas foster mixture over French Toast.

Enjoy your breakfast!

We don’t usually use butter for our morning toast at our house. Hubby prefers Kissan jam or Nutella. I came across this recipe at http://half-bakedbaker.blogspot.com/ while I was browsing. I was so intrigued by this recipe that I had to try it out at 1.30 AM on a Wednesday!

I had some strawberries in my fridge, and a little butter left over from a previous recipe. It was a bit of work for a simple morning toast, but it was so worth it. The next morning I used the strawberry butter with Gardenia whole meal bread, and it was so refreshing, and so yum! This butter lasts up to a week or so when refrigerated. But for us it didn’t last long enough, cos me and hubby loved it!

Strawberry Honey Butter 

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

Method: 

·  In a food processor purée the strawberries and force the purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan.

·  Add the honey and the lemon juice and boil the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until it is thickened.

·  Let the strawberry mixture cool to room temperature.

·  In a bowl cream together the butter and the strawberry mixture.

·  Let the butter stand, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop.

·  This butter is delicious, especially on whole grain bagels!