orange cream coconut butter

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Why the delay on the 2 ingredient recipe?

Because my first trial was a complete fail.  Yupp.  Two ingredients, and I messed it up.

Note: never add juice to coconut butter, unless you want a pile of coconut playdough

The butter needed more orange oomph, and I was out of oranges which meant no more zest.  I thought adding 1-2T fresh squeezed orange juice would work.

Wrong!

[Do you have a zester? It’s one of my most used kitchen tools ever!]

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So here we are on this lovely Friday morning [I guess it’s the afternoon now] with more coconut butter than I know what to do with.  Actually, there is no such thing as too much coconut butter.

Trial 2 was a huge success, and as you’ll see in a minute there was also a trial 3.

It’s been months since I’ve made a batch of this luscious, buttery, coconutty goodness.  Why that is I’ll never know, because it’s the easiest “nut” to butterize.

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While plain coconut butter is fantastic all on it’s own, it’s nice to jazz things up from time to time.

I’ve made orange-coconut smoothies before but never thought to add orange to coconut butter.  At first I was thinking I would get all clever and make this with blood oranges, using some of the juice and turning it pink!  However, then I found out adding juice is a major no-no. 

But I ended up loving the subtle orange glow and the specks scattered throughout this creamy spread.

I see an innocent sweet potato getting slathered with this in the very near future. 

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Orange Cream Coconut Butter

yields ~1 1/3 cup

  • 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut flakes*
  • 1.5-2 Tablespoon orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract [optional]
  1. In a food processor [11 cups works great with 4 cups of coconut], add the coconut and turn on until the coconut is creamy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary [I’ve found a butter knife works the best because plastic spatulas will tear from the blade].  Takes about 6-10min. 
  2. Once it’s smooth, I make sure to scrape the bottom + sides really well and continue to process for another 1-2min until completely drippy.
  3. Add in the orange zest + vanilla [if using] and let process for another minute until well combined + smooth.
  4. Taste and add more zest if desired.
  5. Store in a sealed jar, in a cool cabinet. 

tips/suggestions:  *Coconut flakes, reduced fat shredded coconut, and sweetened coconut will not work.  Also, make sure to use a fresh bag, as coconut can easily dry out.  If desired, add 2-3t of pure cane sugar after it is fully drippy and let process for another minute.  This will become solid at room temperature.  Scrape some into a small bowl and heat for a short amount of time in a pan or in the microwave.  If you scrape it onto something hot, like oats, it will quickly melt.

For more tips on making coconut butter and other nut butters check out my post, “nut butters: your questions answered.”

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And since we all know orange + chocolate are a dream team, why not add a little cocoa powder to the mix?

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I put 1/2 of the orange cream coconut butter back into the food processor and turned it into this.

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Cocoa Orange Coconut Butter

yields ~1 1/3 cup

  • 4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
  • 1.5-2 Tablespoons orange zest
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons pure cane sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. In a food processor [11 cups works great with 4 cups of coconut], add the coconut and turn on until the coconut is creamy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary [I’ve found a butter knife works the best because plastic spatulas will tear from the blade].  Takes about 6-10min. 
  2. Once it’s smooth, I make sure to scrape the bottom + sides really well and continue to process for another 1-2min until completely drippy.
  3. Add in the orange zest + vanilla [if using] and let process for another minute until well combined + smooth.
  4. While spinning, add the cocoa powder + sugar and let process another minute.
  5. Taste and add more zest if desired.
  6. Store in a sealed jar, in a cool cabinet.

OR…if you want a 1/2 batch of the cocoa + a 1/2 batch of the original

  • measure 1/2 of the orange cream coconut butter
  • 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure cane sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Turn your food processor on with 1/2 of the original coconut butter in the bowl.
  2. Add in the cocoa powder, sugar, and extract while spinning and let process another minute until drippy.
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Time to cook that sweet potato…

Ashley