Raw Coconut Cashew Butter

I almost feel silly posting about this because it's so simple, but I didn't think to make my own coconut butter until I read about it online (the internet is magical).  Instead, I'd walk through Whole Foods and stare longingly at $15 jars of Artisana Coconut Butter wishing I could rationalize spending that much money on what was sure to be (healthy) fatty bliss. 

If you're anything like me, you'll be happy to know that you can cheaply and easily make your own coconut butter at home! All you need is a bag of raw unsweetened shredded coconut and a food processor, and you're good to go.  I think the bag of coconut I bought was $2.99, which makes this recipe 100% worth it.  I decided to up the interesting factor and make Coconut Cashew Butter just for the heck of it.  Delicious.

Being a nut butter fiend and all, this success had to be followed up.  So last night I made Roasted Unsalted Cashew Butter, inspired by Maranatha's version, which I had just tried (and loved) at my friend's house.  Another (cheap) success, especially because I bought a whole bag of roasted unsalted cashews at Trader Joe's for only $3.99.  Buying the "Halves & Pieces" is much cheaper, and it doesn't matter when you're just grinding them up anyway.  In sum, I'm going to make my own nut butter a lot more often (oh the possibilities!); however, I'll still make an exception to purchase my first love-- Trader Joe's Creamy Sea Salt Almond Butter made with roasted almonds <3.

Raw Coconut Cashew Butter
The better your food processor (or blender) the smoother this will be.  Since I don't have the coveted Vita-Mix, mine wasn't as smooth as I'm sure the store bought version is, but I'm perfectly happy with it, especially since it was about a fifth of the price. If you want to make plain coconut butter, use the whole bag of coconut and omit the cashews.
Ingredients

2 cups raw unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup raw cashews

Preparation
Pour the coconut and cashews into the bowl of your food processor. Process until smooth and velvety, scraping down the sides as necessary (about 5-8 minutes).  Pour mixture into a jar and store at room temperature.