Pumpkin-Almond Butter Spice Bread

I had so much pumpkin butter that I had to find ways to use it all up.  The black cake recipe turned out well so I adapted it to make a Pumpkin-Almond Butter Spice Bread.  I added some honey because it needed a bit of sweetness.  This was my first recipe using the Baker's Edge Brownie Pan.  I usually have trouble with burnt edges and gooey centers using my 9x13" pyrex but not this time!

Pumpkin-Almond Butter Spice Bread

Yield: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS
1 16oz jar (2 cups) roasted almond butter
1 1/2 cups pumpkin butter
2 eggs
1 cup raw honey
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Mix almond butter and fruit in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, almond extract, and baking soda, mixing well until all incorporated.

Pour into greased 9x13" dish (I used the Baker's Edge Brownie Pan) and bake for 30-40 minutes, based on your oven. Check periodically by inserting a knife through the middle. Cake is done when knife comes out clean.

The bread was wonderful on it's own, but of course I had to experiment!  Here are some pics of a pumpkin bread trifile I made with layers of bread, pumpkin butter, and yogurt with honey and cinnamon.

Read more...

Cashew Butter Brownies

These brownies were an adaptation of Elana's Brownies (http://www.elanaspantry.com/brownies/) and they are oh so good.  The cashew butter makes them rich and sinful while the almond extract adds a delicate touch to them.  Be careful how many you consume because one batch does contain a whole jar of cashew butter!

                                

Cashew Butter Brownies

Yield: About 12 large browines

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cashew butter (unsalted raw chasews soaked, dehydrated, processed until smooth) or 16 oz jar
2 eggs

1 cup raw honey

1 Tbls almond extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Grease or line a 9x13 glass baking dish with parchment paper.

Add ground cashew butter to large bowl and mix in eggs, honey, and almond extract gradually.

Once thoroughly mixed, blend in cocoa, salt, and baking soda and mix well. 

Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes.

The variations to this recipe are endless.  I've tried them with almonds, sunflower seeds, and will soon try a pecan/ macadamia nut mixture.  All my nuts and seeds were soaked and dehydrated before making the butter.  You can definately use store-bought nut butters as well.  Add ins include chocolate/ peanut butter/ toffee chips, coconut, candy, etc.  Also, if you would like a plain nut butter blondie without the cocoa, just omit cocoa and reduce honey to 1/2 - 3/4 cup and extract to 1 tsp.

Read more...