Pecan Butter Recipes

TOASTED PECAN BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F/165 degrees C.
• Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet; toast in the preheated oven until they start to turn golden brown and become fragrant, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully as they bake, they burn quickly. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Pulse the brown sugar, butter, and vanilla together in a food processor several times to thoroughly combine. Butter will be slightly fluffy. Sprinkle in the cooled nuts and pulse several times to combine. For more finely ground pecans, pulse several more times. Serve immediately, or pack into a jar with a lid and refrigerate.

HOMEMADE PECAN BUTTER

Steps:

• If roasting pecans, place on a greased cookie sheet in preheated 350 degree oven. Spread them out in a thin layer to roast evenly.
• Roast for 5 minutes, stir, then roast for another 5 minutes until you can smell them. Take care not to scorch them!
• As soon as they come out of the oven, place them on a flat plate or piece of parchment paper to cool.
• Add cooled pecans to food processor and blend on HIGH until finely ground, 2-3 minutes.
• Add vegetable oil 1/2 tbs at a time and continue to blend until butter reaches desired consistency.
• Add salt to taste.
• Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Usually, this will keep 1 to 2 months if you used fresh nuts. Storing at room temperature will accelerate rancidification.

HOMEMADE PECAN BUTTER

Steps:

• Pour the pecans into a large skillet and toast, stirring often, over medium heat until fragrant (don't let them burn!). This will take about 4 to 8 minutes.
• Pour the toasted pecans into a food processor or high-speed blender and let them cool for several minutes. Then blend the pecans, pausing to scrape down the sides with a spatula often. The mixture will be crumbly at first, but will eventually blend into super-creamy goodness. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot, which seems to cause oil separation. You might have to stop and let the mixture/machine cool down for a bit just to be safe. The amount of blending time required really depends on your machine-my old food processor took ten to fifteen minutes to turn the pecans into pecan butter, but my fancy Blendtec and Vitamix blenders can turn it into butter in a minute or two.
• Add a pinch of sea salt and a dash of cinnamon (if using). Blend again, taste, and add more salt or cinnamon if needed.
• Pour into a small jar, seal it with a lid, and store it in the refrigerator for good measure. This pecan butter will keep well, refrigerated, for up to 1 month or so-obviously, don't eat it if you see or smell any signs that it has gone bad.

PECAN BUTTER

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine all ingredients; stir until creamy. Store in the refrigerator.

PECAN BUTTER CRUNCH

Steps:

• Cook sugar, syrup and water until mixture thickens and bubbles (about 230 degrees). Add butter and pecans. Stir continuously and continue cooking until nuts begin to brown or start popping (290 degrees). Remove from heat. Add vanilla and soda and stir thoroughly. Pour quickly in several pieces on large buttered surface. Do not spread with knife or spoon. Allow to cool slightly. Stretch and pull with hands until very thin. (The thinner it is stretched, the more brittle it will be.) When cooled and hardened, break into small pieces. Store in airtight container.

PECAN BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter 2 cookie sheets and set aside. Roast 3/4 cup of pecans in oven for 10 minutes or until they emit a good aroma. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. When cooled, chop pecans with sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, butter, egg yolk and salt. If dough is too soft, add up to 1/4 cup more flour; otherwise work dough with your hands.
• Gather dough into a 1 1/2 inch round sausage, wrap in waxed paper and rest in fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Cut into 1/4inch rounds and set on baking sheet. Press a pecan half in center. Don't place cookies too closely together or they will run into each other as they spread during baking. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the cookies' edges are golden brown. When they are baked they will give off a wonderful aroma. Remove baking sheets from oven and let cookies cool on sheets for 3 minutes. Then, remove them to a cookie rack to cool them further. Be careful when you handle these as they are very fragile.

PECAN BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• For Tart Shells:.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Slowly pour 1/8 cup water in through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water to a maximum of 1/4 cup. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
• Turn dough onto work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour.
• After the dough has chilled sufficiently, roll out the dough and cut into 12 - 4 inch rounds. It may be easier to roll the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, instead of on a floured surface. Gently place the rounds into a 12-cup muffin tin. You may need to coax the rounds into the tin, leaving a fluted edge. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up.
• While dough is chilling, toast and chop the pecans. Reserve 12 pecan halves, which will be used to top the tarts.
• For Filling:.
• In a medium sized saucepan lightly whisk the eggs. Add the butter, sugar, and cream. Place on medium heat, bring this mixture just to a boil - stir constantly to prevent scorching. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. (For a runnier filling, remove when filling starts to thicken but has not reached a boil.).
• Place a teaspoon of chopped pecans into the bottom of each tart shell and then fill the unbaked shells with the filling. Top each tart with a whole pecan. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the pastry is nicely browned and filling is set.
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

PECAN BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Line 12 muffin cups with foil liners. (Do not use paper-lined foil liners.), On a work surface, unroll crust. Cut 12 circles with a floured 4-in. round cookie cutter (save remaining crust for another use). Gently press crust circles onto bottoms and up sides of foil liners. Refrigerate while preparing filling., In a microwave-safe bowl, combine raisins and water; microwave on high 2 minutes. Drain; cool slightly., In a small bowl, mix egg, brown sugars, melted butter, vanilla and salt until blended; stir in pecans and raisins. Spoon into crust cups, dividing evenly., Bake on a lower oven rack until filling just begins to bubble up and crusts are light golden brown, 7-9 minutes (do not overbake). Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. If desired, serve with ice cream.

PECAN BUTTER BALLS

Steps:

• Sift together into a medium sized bowl the flour, sugar and vanilla. Work in the margarine with a spoon or hands until well blended. Add chopped pecans and mix well.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls and put on ungreased pans. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F (165 degrees C) oven for about 25 minutes or until pale brown. When slightly cool roll or shake in confectioners' sugar. Store in an air tight container.