This 6-ingredient Chocolate Almond Butter is as delicious as it is nutritious! Spread it on toast or pancakes, dip fruit into it, drizzle it over ice cream, or enjoy it straight off of the spoon!
Hello, friends! Did you think I had disappeared from this little corner of the internet? It has certainly been awhile, so here’s a quick update about what’s been going on in my life:
-On May 26th, I made it 38 km into the Ottawa Marathon before dropping out due to severe leg cramping (as in, I would’ve had to have walked the final 4 km). It simply wasn’t my race. I was already contemplating quitting at 16 km. My first 10 km split was 47 minutes, which was right on my goal pace, but things quickly went downhill from there. May 26th was the first hot/humid day in Ottawa, and my body was not acclimated to the conditions at ALL.
I now regret not finishing, but in the moment, I knew that stopping was the best decision for me. It’s taken me about a week of reflection to recognize that spring marathons aren’t very realistic for me at this stage of my life, as I live in a city that has a lot of winter weather that is not conducive to long training runs (namely freezing rain- I can deal with snow and cold, but freezing rain is another beast entirely). Sure, I could run on a treadmill, but I don’t love running enough to subject myself to 2+ hour sessions indoors. I also didn’t really train for this marathon in the way that I had trained for the Toronto Marathon last year. In fact, I only registered for it on April 1st! Key takeaway: You can’t really “wing” marathon training. To run a successful marathon, you must get in those quality long distance training runs. They are my least favourite (I just get so bored after a certain point), so if and when I train for another marathon, I am going to join a training group to help get through those sessions.
The good news is that recovery has gone surprisingly well, and I’m feeling much more motivated to get back into training than I had expected. I’ve already gone on a few 12-14 km runs, done some strength training, and completed a track session this past week. I don’t think that I’m going to train for a fall marathon, but I will definitely do one or two half marathons in September and October! Stay tuned for locations. 🙂 And, of course, I will try to get into Boston with my October 2018 marathon time of 3:25:54 (I technically qualified, as my age group qualifying time is 3:30, but Boston entry is competitive). Still hoping that by some miracle, I get in, though! 🙂
In non-running related life news, I’ve just had a lovely week connecting and being present with family and friends, eating lots of yummy food (including two picnics!), and getting psyched up about what’s proving to be a season of growth and change.
I’m feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and happy to be back in this space. While the occasional blogging break is needed, it feels so good to return.
Today, I am sharing a healthy but TOTALLY DECADENT-TASTING chocolate almond butter recipe with you. If you have never made your own nut butter before, fear not! As long as you have a heavy duty food processor, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. No, seriously.
Step 1: Roast almonds.
Step 2: Process for 10-15 minutes.
Step 3: Pour into a jar.
The hardest thing about making homemade nut butter is stopping yourself from eating half of the batch straight off of a spoon.
The benefits of homemade nut butter vs. store-bought are numerous, but include:
-Full control over the ingredients
-Cost! I refuse to pay 17 dollars for a small jar of organic almond butter.
-Freshness!
-Satisfaction! Making everyday staples from scratch is so utterly gratifying! Homemade nut butter ranks right up there with homemade sauces, dips, dressings, and home-cooked beans and lentils that JUST TASTE BETTER when they are prepared with love and intention in your own kitchen.
To make this Chocolate Almond Butter, you will need:
-Organic raw European almonds (it is very important that you opt for organic nuts and seeds whenever possible. This resource tells you why. Purchasing organic nuts in bulk reduces cost considerably.
-Cocoa powder or raw cacao powder (organic and fair trade, if possible)
-Coconut sugar
-Virgin coconut oil
-Pure vanilla extract
-Sea salt
If you are wondering what to serve this divine deliciousness with, here are some suggestions:
-On sourdough or sprouted grain bread or bagels with sliced banana or strawberries
-On pancakes.
-On vegan overnight oats with berries and hemp.
(Bonus points for enjoying al fresco!)
-In place of cashew butter in my Superfood Hot Chocolate.
-As a chocolate dipping sauce for fruit or drizzled over some vegan ice cream.
-Straight off of the spoon!
Here is the recipe. Enjoy!
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Chocolate Almond Butter
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 0 1.5 cups 1x
Description
Delicious 6-ingredient vegan chocolate almond butter that is as healthy as it is tasty.
Ingredients
- 3 cups organic raw European almonds
- 1.5 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and spread the almonds onto a baking sheet. Roast the almonds for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes.
- Once almonds have cooled, transfer them to a food processor fitted with the S blade and blend, stopping the motor and scraping down sides with a spatula as needed, for 10-15 minutes, until the almonds turn into an almond butter consistency. Be patient: you might be skeptical at the beginning, but the almonds WILL turn into almond butter after 10-15 minutes.
- Stop the motor, remove the lid, and add the coconut oil, cocoa, coconut sugar, sea salt, and vanilla extract. Process for 2-5 minutes more, until the nut butter is silky smooth.
- Transfer to a glass jar with an airtight lid and store at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
- Cuisine: American, Vegan
If you make this Chocolate Almond Butter, post a photo to Instagram so we can see!
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