*A coconut butter recipe that is so simple and so delicious, you won’t believe it.
If you saw my earlier post, you know that refined sugar and I are “on the outs”.
I have so many plans for amazing desserts that don’t contain a drop of white sugar and one of the ingredients that I plan on using frequently is Coconut Butter. Coconut butter is not the same as coconut oil. Think of it as a “nut butter”. It reminds me of peanut butter, but obviously with a strong coconut flavor. I can eat it by the spoonful, it is SO very good.
As it turns out, coconut butter is pretty expensive if you buy it in the store. I’m talking 12 to 14 dollars for a 15 ounce jar of this creamy goodness. Yeah….I’m not paying that. My intention is to spend more on good ingredients for healthier desserts, but make them less frequently. And coconut butter does not have to be one of those “more expensive” ingredients.
All it takes is one ingredient, a high speed blender, and about 5 minutes of your time.
So how does one go about making coconut butter?
Start with purchasing dried shredded coconut. Make sure that it is unsweetened. The only thing that should be listed under the ingredients is ‘coconut’. I used Bob’s Red Mill shredded coconut that comes in 12 ounce bags. My grocery store had them on sale for $2.39 a bag. I made three, 16 ounce jars of coconut butter and used four, 12 ounce bags of shredded coconut to do so. At $3.18 a jar (yes, I totally pulled out my phone calculator), you are basically saving 75% by making your own coconut butter at home.
And it is CRAZY easy.
All you need to do is place that shredded coconut in a high speed blender, like a Vitamix. I used a Vitamix to make this butter and it worked like a dream. It only took 5 minutes of blending to take the coarse little shreds of coconut to a smooth liquid. You’ll want to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides as you blend, so all of those coconut pieces get pulled into the mix.
Depending on the blender (or food processor) that you use, it may take up to 20 minutes for the coconut to become smooth and fluid. If that is the case, give your machine several breaks to cool down while turning that coconut to butter. It will start by chopping those coconut shreds into finer crumbles and after a little while you will see it start to become creamy and smooth, like a peanut butter. If you are using a heavy duty, high speed blender, like the Vitamix, the mixture will eventually heat up and become completely liquid.
Once you’ve made the butter, pour it into jars and seal tightly with a lid. You can store the coconut butter at room temperature or in the fridge for several months. Do note that once the butter cools down from blending it will turn to a solid, it’s hardness depending on how cool or warm your home is. If it is too firm to scoop you can place the jar in hot water to help it return to it’s liquid state, or microwave it for a short amount of time to soften it.
I wouldn’t try to make small batches of coconut butter, mainly because the more weight and volume there is in the blender, the easier it will be for the blender to ‘pull down’ the coconut and make it smooth. You can add a little bit of coconut oil to the shredded coconut to help it bind quicker, if you like.
Homemade (and insanely delicious) Coconut Butter
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Serves: 20-24 ounces coconut butter
Ingredients
24 ounces Shredded Coconut (unsweetened) (I used 2, 12 ounce bags)
High Speed Blender
glass jars with lids, for storage
Instructions
Place the coconut in a high speed blender or food processor and put on the lid.
Start at a lower speed and blend the coconut until it starts to break down into smaller pieces. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender. Continue blending until the coconut starts to become paste-like. Up the speed of the blender and continue to blend until the coconut becomes creamy and smooth. This may take anywhere from 3-15 minutes, depending on the machine you use.
Pour the smooth coconut butter into glass jars, twist on the lids, and store in the refrigerator. You can also store it at room temperature, if desired.
Creamed coconut, also known as coconut butter, is a coconut product made from the unsweetened dehydrated fresh pulp of a mature coconut, ground to a semi-solid white creamy paste. It is sold in the form of a hard white block which can be stored at room temperature.
They're two distinct products, used for different purposes, so they can't really be substituted for one another. Coconut oil is best used for sautéting and roasting foods, and even baking.Coconut butter, on the other hand, is best used with foods that are already cooked.
Coconut butter can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month at room temperature, or for up to 3 months in the fridge. It will harden when chilled, but you can warm it up to make it pourable again.
What is the shelf life of coconut butter? Coconut butter is naturally stable and lasts for about 1 year to 15 months depending on the brand and if it contains preservatives or not. However, the consistency of coconut butter will vary according to the temperature while in storage.
But, coconut is not your ordinary stick of butter. Coconut butter is a rich source of medium-chain fatty acids. Unlike long-chain fatty acids, the burning of this fat supports energy generation inside the body making it a metabolism booster. It increases calorie burn and energy levels at the same time.
Coconut oil is comedogenic in nature and can block pores thus causing acne, therefore it is not suitable for sensitive and oily skin types. On the other hand, Shea butter is non-comedogenic and hence can be used easily by all skin types whether dry, normal, sensitive, or acne-prone.
Coconut oil is made entirely of fat, mostly saturated. One tablespoon has around 14 grams. Coconut butter is made from the whole coconut, so it also contains saturated fat, around 10 grams per tablespoon. It has nutrients coconut oil doesn't, most notably fiber.
It has a low smoking point, so you shouldn't use it for frying or sautéing ingredients. It can replace butter when baking, though. This ingredient is a great substitute for any type of fat when making baked goods. It's most commonly used as a substitute for nut butter.
Coconut oil can replace butter in baking at a 1:1 ratio, though it may slightly change the flavor, with some types of coconut oil affecting taste more than others. Unrefined coconut oil tends to taste more like coconut than refined varieties.
A: Coconut oil and coconut butter hardens as the temperature drops, it will be soft and smooth when it warms up again. It does not effect the products flavor or usefulness.
According to the USDA, butter is safe at room temperature. But if it's left out for several days at room temperature, it can turn rancid causing off flavors. The USDA does not recommend leaving it out more than one to two days.
Replacing coconut oil with coconut butter can add extra fiber and nutrients. They are different products though, so more delicate baking recipes will be affected by the change, and will not turn out the same way due to the differences between the two.
Those clever folks over at Cooks Illustrated figured out that if you melt and cook the coconut butter, it becomes brown and nutty and delicious. Right out of the jar, it's almost pure white. Give it some heat and about 7 minutes and this is what happens.
Coconut butter tends to be usable for six to 15 months after the “best-by” date. However, if it has a rancid smell or sour taste, it's likely gone bad, and it's best to purchase a new and fresh jar.
Coconut butter can be easily converted into coconut cream by mixing 1 part coconut butter with 1 part water (1/2 c coconut butter + 1/2 c water), or converted into coconut milk by mixing 1 part coconut butter with 5 parts water (3 tbsp coconut butter + 1 c water).
Creamed coconut is also made from ground dehydrated coconut flesh, and then compressed into a block. It is similar in form to coconut butter but is very dense and is most commonly mixed with water to make coconut milk or added to soups or stews.
If you can't find coconut butter and don't need to make the cake vegan then you can use normal unsalted butter as an alternative. To keep the cake vegan you can also use a plant-based margarine as an alternative. For both of these alternatives use the same quantity as for the coconut butter.
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