Foodie Friday: Homemade Coconut Butter

 

I have several recipes that call for coconut butter that I've been itching to try. However, I couldn't justify spending $15 on a jar when I'd never tried it before. Thanks to the internet I was able to find out that it's preposterously easy to make at home for a whole lot less. Here's my take on the procedure and I'm going to loosely call it a recipe even though it's kind of cheating to call it that. Anyway, here you go...

Ingredients:

12 oz of unsweetened, finely shredded coconut

Yield:

About 1 1/2 cups

These measurements are just for reference. You can increase/decrease based on what your needs are. Anyway, take your shredded coconut and throw it into your blender. I started low and gradually increased the speed as I scraped the coconut flakes back into the flow of the blade. You need to keep an eye on it and keep shoveling the flakes down or it can get stuck. Eventually you'll start to see the flakes get oily and then smooth out into the butter. It's like magic...scrumptious, coconutty magic. Anyway, keep blending until it reaches the consistency you want. FYI - I didn't make mine perfectly smooth because I like the texture. Then, hide all the spoons because it's ridiculously delicious. I literally kept eating it out of the jar, then mixed with vanilla, then on Paleo pumpkin pancakes...In fact, I can't stop eating it at all!!

So some notes for the road...

• I have a Vitamix so the whole process start to finish took less than 5 minutes. From things I've read around the web, other blenders work but it takes a lot longer to smooth out the flakes.
• I got my coconut flakes from Amazon. They came in a pack of 4 -12oz bags for under $15. I realize that 12 oz only churns out 1 1/2 cups BUT I like having the option to do other things with my other 36oz of shredded coconut. Maybe that's just me? 

• One more thing...when you initially blend, it will be a smooth and creamy liquid. However, leave it on a counter for the night and it turns into a hard mass. Don't despair! The oils solidify and all you need to do is scrape out what you need and pop it into the microwave for a couple of seconds.