Gingerbread Pecan Butter Recipe

Friends – I have a new favorite nut butter: gingerbread pecan butter. Who needs sugary cookies when you’ve got this? This is my latest McCormick partnership creation (last month’s: Vegan Kale Artichoke Dip recipe <- great for holiday parties), and I promise you’ll love it, too.

Even better is that this makes an excellent holiday gift! Whip up a batch, pop the nut butter into little mason jars, add a ribbon, et voila! Happiness, delivered.

To make this recipe, the first step is to toast the pecans in the oven. Toasting the nuts and then processing while they’re still hot makes for a much creamier nut butter that comes together easily since the oils are drawn out, so don’t skip it! Once the pecans are toasted, the rest is easy – just toss all the ingredients into a blender together! The combination of the toasted nuts, festive spices, pure vanilla extract, and molasses come together perfectly to bring out the gingerbread flavor without needing sugar. Vanilla and cinnamon in particular just scream the holidays to me!

The biggest thing to note about the food processor step of this recipe is that it takes quite awhile, so be patient! It will likely take about 10 to 15 minutes of processing for the nut butter to become smooth. Also, adding the vanilla and molasses at the beginning of the processing is important – adding water-based liquids at the end of processing will cause the nut butter to seize up and become clumpy and thick. No bueno!

The final step is to enjoy, of course! If you’re making this to give as a gift, be sure to save a little extra for yourself. It’s delicious on bread, atop oatmeal, with fruit… or simply eaten with a spoon.

Happy eating and gifting, my friends!

Gingerbread Pecan Butter

by fANNEtastic food

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Keywords: gluten-free dairy free vegan vegetarian

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Ingredients (1.5 cups)

3 cups raw pecan halves

1/2 teaspoon McCormick pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon McCormick ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon McCormick ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon McCormick ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon McCormick ground cloves

1 tablespoon dark molasses

pinch of salt

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the pecan halves evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant and very slightly darkened but not burnt.

Immediately place the pecans in a food processor and add the remaining ingredients.

Process until a smooth butter forms, scraping down the bowl every few minutes. The mixture will start out as coarsely chopped, then finely chopped and crumbly, then a thick puree, and finally a smooth, drippy nut butter – it should take 10-15 minutes total.

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