Let's be honest here, who doesn't love a good nut or coconut butter? And add cinnamon, and it just ties it all up! This week I did a bit of experimentation. I had some organic macadamias but I couldn't make much butter with these! They're also super pricey, so I thought, why not add some coconut? I absolutely love coconut butter!
This recipe is actually perfection (not meaning to beat my own drum or anything). Smooth, sweet and utterly creamy. The perfect balance of both coconut and macadamias, of which you can taste each in. The subtle note of cinnamon gives the butter a slightly sweet taste, with tones of this spice warming you up from the inside out!
Health Benefits:
Dried coconut meat
- Good source of dietary fibre, which assists with making you feel fuller for longer and prevents constipation
- Rich in saturated fat, which plays a major role in brain health (your brain is made up of mainly fat and cholesterol), proper nerve signaling, and immune health. A particular medium-chain fatty acid called lauric acid gets converted in the body to monolaurin, a mono-ester that strengthens immunity by disrupting lipid membranes of offending microorganisms
- Good source of numerous vitamins, particularly vitamin C and those of the B group, and a number of minerals, including manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and potassium
Macadamias
- Good source of dietary fibre
- Rich in monounsaturated fats, which can assist with maintaining a health blood lipid profile by reducing LDL and total cholesterol, and increasing HDL cholesterol
- Rich in a variety of B vitamins, particularly thiamin, which is essential for the release and metabolism of energy from carbohydrates
- An excellent source of minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and zinc
Cinnamon
- Fantastic source of manganese, which acts as a co-factor for many enzymes involved in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates, and the regulation of blood glucose levels. In studies, cinnamon has been shown to be as effective as the drug Metformin, which is prescribed for many diabetic patients and women with Polycystic Ovarian Sydnrome (PCOS)
- Of all food sources in nature, cinnamon has the highest antioxidant strength as per the ORAC scale
- Many of its essential oils including cinnamaldehyde, cinnamylacetate and cinnamyl alcohol, have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of organic macadamias
- 250grams of organic shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (can use the cassia or ceylon variety, ceylon is considered to be more delicate and sweeter)
Method:
Literally add all the ingredients to your food processor/Thermomix/Vitamix and blend until well combined. Tim will vary depending on your machine but you should end up with a smooth nut butter!!