Pecan Butter Recipe

Super super super simple yet super super super addictive yummy pecan butter filling you’ve got right here. Say hello to your new “nut butter” addiction. Andddd .. you’re welcome. Let’s call it an ‘unhealthy’ nut butter haha. It has the texture and flavour or being a nut butter, but we’ve added some extra bits so it is super yummy.

Inspired by some delicious maple pecan cookies that went down a right hoot; made to bid adieu to Farha on her travels as an Au Pair in Canada, we wanted a version that can be used for celebrations; a cupcake alternative. You know, so you can stick some candles in and blow them out. Anyway, just being a bit extra as you do, we wondered how we could add in something that would give the cupcake a bit more pizazz.

Then the pecan butter was born! It turned out to be so delicious and versatile that it deserved its own page. We needed to provide this filling with some respect. Here are some ways you can incorporate this filling into your baking;

Pecan pie,
Pecan danishes,
or, on its own spread on some toast.

So this recipe is super adaptable. You can use any sugar you want, it doesn’t have to be brown. We just feel that brown sugar compliments pecans wonderfully. The “pecan butter” also doesn’t need to have butter in it, simply replace equal parts of solid coconut oil with the butter and follow the method as usual. There you have it! A vegan alternative.

Beware that if you do decide to use coconut oil, it is more temperamental with temperature and may solidify if you store it for later if it is cool. If you’re using it to place into a dish then scoop out and use as per normal. Otherwise, if used to spread on some toast, you may want to warm it a tiny bit so that it’s more spreadable.

The versatility of this pecan filling recipe is what led us to create a maple version of the yummy goodness.

Maple Pecan Butter Recipe

If you’re including this as a filling for a danish, why not add a little maple syrup. Let’s face it, those two are a match made in heaven. Anyway, this also means you can basically replicate those maple and pecan plaits you get from the supermarket but more nutty – more of the good good. Simply follow the recipe below but substitute 20-30ml of water with maple syrup, depending on how maple-y you want it to be. Yes, it is that easy! Look at our Maple Pecan Plait recipe for a full step by step method.

Can I use a different nut for my nut butter filling?

As previously discussed, sugar is an easy replacement to make, but so is the nut chosen. We discovered this recipe using pecans for the cupcakes, but it would work just as well with a multitude of other options;

Hazelnuts
Peanuts
Cashew Nuts
Brazil Nuts
Almonds

The list is endless. The texture of the filling will vary for each nut you choose. Some are more grainy and some are more creamy, so you’ll need to use instinct to see if you need more sugar or butter to help get a good filling texture.

I don’t have a food processor to blend my pecans

So to blend up the pecans and everything else together, a food processor would definitely be super helpful here. However, if you don’t have this, a mini hand food processor works just as well.

Alternatively, why not try:

Ground pecans – you can try to find a ground version of the nut chosen, so you can hand mix everything together.
Mortar and pestle – if you have a mortar and pestle, you may be inclined to grind them this way.

Note that for certain nuts, the texture of them will prevent you from getting them too ground such as pecans – as they are softer. You can also chop them up a bit finer if you feel like it. In the end though, this way will lead to a chunkier filling. This isn’t a bad thing, it just adds more crunch and texture to whatever dish you decide to use it in!

Pecan Butter

To be used in whatever way you heart desires .. in a pastry, how about mixed into some delicious bread or even smeared on top? This is sacred to us and we are sharing this with you, in what we use as a surprise in our cakes!