Have you ever bought new appliances before? Big appliances, like washer/dryer/dishwasher/oven/etc. It’s really quite difficult + time consuming. I think I spent 4hrs reading consumer reports + cross referencing items on Sears.com and then googling reviews for each item. Holy cow. Consumer reports has definitely helped! Then it was on to getting prices for refinishing wood floors. Unfortunately, consumer reports is of no help there.

On to more important things.

Like FOOD.

Today’s breakfast is a work in progress, that will soon be recipe worthy!

Blueberry Coconut Cream stuffed buckwheat bake anyone?

I put too much coconut cream in the middle, so this guy was a bit on the sloppy side.

While it didn’t hold it’s shape, it tasted quite delicious and was oozing with creamy coconut filling. Hope to have a recipe for this variation soon!

A recipe that does not need a round 2, is this next one. I haven’t made almond butter in for-ever. Way too long, to be exact. I’ve been on a bit of a peanut butter kick and have been too lazy to make almond butter.

That changed today!

Even though I admitted a few months ago, vanilla holds my heart, I’ve been obsessed with cocoa powder lately. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve also been obsessed with coconut.

I made a new batch of coconut butter today and I urge you to do the same. It’s the easiest “butter” to make. There are a few important things to know about making coconut butter:

unsweetened, shredded [not flaked] coconut – I like this brand the best. It works perfectly and costs about $2.50-$3 at Whole Foods.
If your coconut has been opened and sitting around for awhile, it may have become dried out. It’s best to use a fresh bag so the oils can work their magic.
I don’t find any need to refrigerate coconut butter.
It hardens at room temp. I get a lot of emails asking about this and it’s perfectly normal. To melt, you can scrape out however much you want and heat in the microwave or in a pan over low heat. When I top it on oats or a breakfast bake, I scrape it directly onto the bake and it melts in less than a minute.
If you’re using an 7c food processor, process 1.5-2c shredded coconut. If using an 11-14c, process 2-3c. If you don’t put enough in, sometimes it has a hard time getting buttery.

Melty coconutty goodness.

Now add some almonds + cocoa and you’ll have one of the most lovely nut butters you’ve ever tasted.

This took some patience, as the cocoa powder really gunked things up in the food processor. But nonetheless, it finally got there.

Drippy, chocolaty, coconut, almond butter.

Oh.my.peas.

Yeah…who’s coming over for breakfast at my house?

Cocoa-nut Almond Butter [yields ~1 1/4c]

1.5c raw almonds
2T coconut butter, melted
1.5-2T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2-1T pure cane sugar
1t vanilla extract
pinch of salt [optional]

In a pan over medium heat, toast raw almonds, until golden brown. Stir frequently + watch closely so they do not burn. ~10min [you can also do this in the oven at 325* for 20min, stirring once half way through]
Let cool for a few minutes and then dump into your food processor.
Process + scrape bowl until it turns to creamy almond butter. ~7-10min depending
Add in cocoa powder, coconut butter, cane sugar, vanilla + salt.
Process + scrape until it returns to a creamy consistency. This take some patience + quite a bit of bowl scraping. It turns from liquid into a thick crumbly dough, but eventually turns into creamy, dreamy, nut butter. ~7-10min

*Start with 1.5T cocoa. If desired add another 1/2T. Same goes for the sugar. I used maple syrup but it made it much more difficult to process. The cane sugar should melt + incorporate much more easily.

*I have an 11c Cuisinart food processor. If you have an 11-14c you may be able to double this but never triple it. If you have a 7c, high power food processor, you should be fine making this quantity but do not double.