Ezra Cohen, McGill University graduate and founder of Ezra Cohen Montreal, is back on the recipe blog with all of the tips and tricks you need for making smooth, creamy, and oh-so-tasty nut butters. So if you’re interested in making your own nut butter at home, read on for the expert advice you’ll want to know first.

The perfect nut butter recipe, just like the perfect crepe batter recipe or the perfect cake recipe, is all about the quality of your ingredients. Nut butters, even ones with added flavors, are actually extremely easy to make you just need to be sure you’re using the best nuts and add-ins you can find. Before we get into a recipe though, let’s go over two of the most common questions we tend to hear regarding homemade nut butters.

What kind of nuts can you use for nut butter?

If you can dream it, you can make it! Pretty much all nuts can be turned into delicious nut butters, from peanuts and hazelnuts to cashews and pistachios. Experiment and see which ones you like best.

Can you use milk or water to make nut butter more creamy?

Skip the milk and water, which can make your nut butter gritty. In fact, skip the oil too, since nuts release their natural oils when they’re ground up. If you want extra creaminess, add a touch of oil at the end, after your butter is completely smooth.

Basic Nut Butter Recipe

(Makes 1/3 cup nut butter)

This recipe uses almonds, but you can sub them out with any nut of your choice. When selecting your nut, just make sure it’s raw—not roasted and/or salted.

What you need:

1 cup of raw almonds
Sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. Toast almonds for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Make sure not to burn them—you just want them to get them a bit aromatic. Let them cool completely.
2. Blend toasted almonds in a food processor or high-speed blender until creamy. Times will vary. Once you reach a good consistency, sprinkle in your sea salt.

And that’s it! Once you’re done with step two you can go ahead and add in any extras, such as a touch of vanilla and cinnamon, a squeeze of honey, or even some cumin. Transfer completed nut butter to a mason jar and stick it in the fridge it will last for up to four weeks (if you don’t eat it all before then).

At Ezra Cohen Montreal, we consider ourselves to be experts when it comes to nut butter. And that includes being able to answer your questions about the nutritional differences between traditional peanut butter and other nut butters.

It’s not always easy to make nutritious choices for yourself and your family. Nutrition fact information on packaging can be quite confusing, especially when you are trying to compare information between various items.

Nut butters—peanut butter included—make an excellent addition to a wholesome diet. They’re full of the protein and healthy unsaturated fats that keep your body strong and provide a strong nutritional boost to snacks and meals. That being said, peanut butter and other nut butters are not all exactly the same. So where do the differences lie? Let’s dig in.

Nut Butter vs. Peanut Butter

Traditional peanut butter has been a go-to product in American pantries for decades (in fact, Ezra Cohen, McGill University graduate and founder of Ezra Cohen Montreal bases his recipes off of a longtime love of this pantry staple). Recently, however, new nut butters have been stealing peanut butter’s place in the spotlight. Today, you’re just as likely to find a jar of creamy cashew or almond butter on someone’s shelf as you are to find a jar of standard peanut butter.
The first difference you generally find between peanut butters and other nut butters is the price. Peanuts cost less than many other nuts, so you’ll often spend less on peanut butter than you would on something like Brazil nut butter. In addition to the cost of key ingredients, price discrepancies are also tied to quality and creative flavor combinations.

Cost aside, the big differences between peanut butter and nut butters is nutritional. Here’s how they compare tablespoon to tablespoon.

*All nutritional information is for one tablespoon (16 grams) of plain varieties.

What’s the healthiest choice?

If you’re going off just the numbers, it would appear as though there is no clear winner when it comes to peanut butter and other nut butters. All will offer you a good dose of fiber and protein with limited amounts of sugar, and all are relatively low in terms of carbohydrates. When it comes to fat, keep in mind that the amounts include both saturated fats and their healthy counterparts—unsaturated fats. Generally, you will find higher amounts of unsaturated fat in nut butters and peanut butter than saturated fat.

However, there are a number of long-term beneficial health advantages by choosing nut butters over peanut butter. Many nut butters offer an extremely high dose of healthy fats and fiber, two components responsible for lowering heart disease risk and for the production of “good” cholesterol. These can even reduce the risk for onset, Type-II diabetes.
The verdict: There are certainly differences, but overall, any type of nut butter is good for you! Indulge in moderation and both peanut butter and other nut butters can be a part of a well-rounded meal plan. Need some recipe inspiration? Check out our blog or Instagram!

Start the new year right, with this delicious recipe for a nut butter infused chocolate cake from Ezra Cohen Montreal. We’ve brought together the best of both worlds in our easy chocolate cake recipe, including rich dark chocolate and our fan-favorite Natural Almond Butter. Substitute with any of our nut butter flavors for a taste that’s all your own (we bet our Salted Caramel Cashew Butter would pack a real punch!).

This chocolate cake is a spin on a classic recipe from Hershey’s Cocoa, with a dark chocolate twist and a mouthwatering almond butter infusion from the nut-obsessed mind of Ezra Cohen, McGill University graduate and founder of Ezra Cohen Montreal. We’ve also swapped in whole wheat flour instead of traditional all-purpose for a healthy spin. Try it out for a special event, or make it whenever you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Easy Dark Chocolate and Almond Butter Cake

Tasty chocolate cake with different berries on wooden table

What you’ll need:

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup Natural Almond Butter from Ezra Cohen Montreal
1-2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark chocolate baking cocoa
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-1/3 cup whole milk (feel free to sub in almond milk, soy milk, or another non-dairy favorite)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 177 degrees C/350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, almond butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add dry mixture to wet mixture in batches, alternating with milk. Beat the batter until it’s smooth after each addition.
4. Pour batter into a greased 33 x 23 cm pan (13 x 9 in pan) and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack, then dust the top with powdered sugar.

Want to elevate your cake with some almond butter frosting? Blend together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup Natural Almond Butter, 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk, and ¼ tsp vanilla. Apply once cake is completely cool.

Bonus tip: Cut cake into small portions and freeze for on-the-go treats whenever you need a chocolate pick-me-up!

Looking for more great nut butter dessert recipes? Try our Pull-Apart Nut Butter Muffins or our Peanut Brittle and Caramel Crunch Ice Cream Pie.

The latest from Ezra Cohen Montreal, pull-apart nut butter muffins perfect for a quick, on-the-go bite that the entire family can enjoy.

Muffins are a breakfast staple and have rightfully earned their place in the annals of morning munchies alongside cereal, oatmeal, bagels, and donuts. A classic favorite, the experts at Ezra Cohen have taken the humble muffin and elevated it through a unique spin on the peanut butter muffin recipe. Although our version doesn’t technically produce muffins (we use yeasted dough), the end result is still tasty and convenient, if a bit indulgent.

If you’re simply interested in contacting us about getting your hands on one of our nut butters, then follow this link. If not, then below we’ll show you how to make these amazing treats.

Your Ingredients

Dough:
2½ cups bread flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
2¼ teaspoon instant yeast (not active dry yeast)
⅓ cup milk
⅓ cup Ezra Cohen nut butter
¼ cup of warm water
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt

Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
1 tablespoon Ezra Cohen nut butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar

Glaze:
2½ tablespoons cream cheese
1½ tablespoons Ezra Cohen nut butter
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3½ tablespoons cream

Here’s What You’ll Do

1. Using a stand mixer bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and the instant yeast, stirring constantly throughout. Beat in the milk, your choice of Ezra Cohen nut butter, and warmed water. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula before beating in each egg until the mixture is completely uniform.
2. Next, stir in another 1¼ cups of the flour along with the ½ teaspoon salt. Knead the dough manually or using a machine. If the dough is sticking to the bottom, sprinkle some of the remaining ¼ cups of flour onto it. You want the dough to be soft and slightly sticky. Allow the dough to knead until smooth and stretchy, approximated 8-10 minutes.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for one hour or until the ball has doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, release the trapped air by kneading it.
4. Roll out dough onto a 15 x 20-inch rectangle. You may need to roll it out halfway first, letting it sit for a few minutes so the gluten relaxes, before unraveling the rest of the dough.
5. Now, you’ll make the filling. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of your selected Ezra Cohen nut butter in the microwave until melted. Use a pastry brush to generously coat the dough with the mixture.
6. Sprinkle on 1/4 cup of brown sugar, then use a sharp knife to halve the dough so that you’re left with two 20 x 7.5-inch rectangles. Then cut each rectangle into five 20-inch long strips, before stacking them into two piles. Flip the last piece over so that the nut butter and sugar filling is sandwiched inside. Cut each pile of strips into six equal pieces (12 pieces total).
7. Using a greased muffin tin, place the strips into the muffin tins with their edges up. Press down on them so that they are level or below the top of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise in a warm place for 25-35 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the muffins for 10-13 minutes until the tops are brown, and the base is golden when you pull it out of the tin.
8. While the muffins cool on a wire rack, heat the cream cheese and your nut butter together in a microwavable bowl until softened. Stir in powdered sugar and cream. Drizzle over the muffins and serve fresh.

A Perfect Little Treat

When it’s all done, you’ll be left with an amazing, family-friendly treat that’s perfect for on-the-go munching. By replacing typical peanut butter with our all-natural nut butters, we’re making this recipe even healthier for you. Our very own Ezra Cohen–McGill University graduate and food expert–believes in fueling families with only the hardiest food. Check out our line of nut butters today, and start crafting healthy dishes!