Homemade walnut butter

We love nut butters as a family, but we had never tried walnut butter, so I decided to make some myself. And I did it! Half a kilogram of walnuts filled an equivalent jar, which made for delicious walnut-y breakfasts and snacks. The little hands couldn’t stop eating it, he fell upon it with a spoon or a finger and couldn’t even make it to a piece of bread to spread it on. And this walnut butter reached other houses, too, and everyone loved it! Do you believe me? Do you think you’ll love it as well? SEE THE RECIPE, but first, read everything you need to know about it.

Regarding walnuts

Did you know that walnuts are considered one of the most nutritious nuts, as they’re rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 fats? Walnuts have the shape of a brain, and that’s not random, which is a piece of information I remember from my childhood, as I still recall how impressed it had made me. The brain is the organ that walnuts nourish and protect the most. Had you ever realized that the interior of the walnut depicts a brain, with high accuracy, even showing the two hemispheres?

Nutritional value

There’s data that suggests walnuts have a higher antioxidizing action and are a richer source of omega-3 fats than any other nut. This has many benefits to our health, protecting from inflammation, acting against cancer, and protecting from heart disease. Scientists are still discovering the multiple ways that fibre and the walnut’s nutrients, including its polyphenols, can interact with our intestines’ microbes, contributing to our health. Additionally, walnuts help manage diabetes.

As you can see, every day, more and more of the walnut’s benefits to the human organism are being discovered, while I barely mentioned the most important. There are countless reasons to include walnuts in our children’s diet, as well as ours, and I wish this walnut butter recipe helps you achieve that.

Walnuts in babies and toddlers

Just like all nuts, walnuts can be offered to children over the age of 6 months, but not easily. Due to the chocking risk they pose, it’s not suggested to give whole walnuts or other nuts to children under the age of 6 years old. (Source: National Nutrition Guide) They can be offered grated, processed in a food processor, as well as in butter form. They can easily be added to fruits, pancakes, yogurt, but I’m writing more below. There are certainly multiple ways to offer this food to our children. And if you’re worried about walnuts being considered allergens, then I should mention that studies not only suggest but have actually proven that introducing them earlier can prevent the appearance of allergies. In short, the earlier you offer them, the less the risk for allergies. (Source: Healthline)

What we are going to need

• Walnuts. We’re making walnut butter, after all. I used raw walnuts which I processed myself. Of course, you can make butter from any nut, like peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or cashew nuts, and the process is more or less the same.
• Tonka bean. Optional. It gives a sweet aroma and intensifies the flavour. You can read more about this form of vanilla here, in an older article. Alternatively, you can use a few drops of vanilla extract.
• Food processor. If you have a strong machine, you’ll need less time and effort, while with a weaker one, you’ll need more time and more breaks.

Tips

• Walnut butter is more runny than almond or peanut butter. You can adjust the final result to your tastes by stopping the process earlier.
• Walnuts are often bitter, so prefer fresh walnuts. If the variety you pick is on the bitter side, add a sweetener like honey or maple syrup. If you do add any, you’ll be adding it at the end, after it’s liquid. The honey will also make the result thicker and more viscous. Pay attention to the quantities.
• For additional flavour, you can add cinnamon and/or cocoa/carob powder if you like it, but I suggest adding vanilla.
• As you noticed, I didn’t need any fat (even though I had some ready just in case). The walnut’s natural oils were enough.
• If you let it cool down, you’ll need more time to process it, so add the mixture warm but not burning hot.
• Before I added them to the food processor, I rubbed them in my hands to remove part of the husk.
• The food processor I used was 1200W. I think that any machine with knives over 700W will be able to make nut butters. I used to use a 700W machine before, but you need frequent breaks to avoid destroying it.

Where you can use it

One of our favourite options is adding it to our breakfast, spread over a slice of bread, as a topping on pancakes, on fruits, in yogurt, or in our smoothies. You can easily add walnut butter in various preparations, like dip recipes, sauces, cookies, and everywhere else you might want. You’ll find more suggestions below.

• Muffins με χουρμάδες
• Ντιπ με βούτυρο καρπών
• Σως με βούτυρο καρπών

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