Salted Caramel Walnut Butter

Salted Caramel Walnut Butter

Just found this old draft in my folder and thought I would share it, seeing as I have been too busy recently to get a new post up.  Definitely not one of the most healthy things I have created, but way too yummy not to share.  The caramel sauce itself is just a pure indulgence, but the nut butter as a whole is actually a great high protein sandwich or toast spread. Unless you are a total health nut and never let yourself indulge in sweets, ever (which sounds rather unpleasant to me), I am sure you have found yourself topping a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a large melting spoonful of caramel sauce straight from a jar.  Some specialty brands may have simple ingredient lists like this recipe, but most of them are full of corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors.  So at least with this, you know what you are getting and can even use local, organic sources of butter and cream.  I apologize in advance for not having a proper photo of the finished nut butter, and will add one as soon as I make this again, but from what I remember, my family and I ate it up so fast, I actually forgot to get a good photo. Sometimes when something is that tasty it's hard to pause for a picture. And if you want to make the caramel sauce healthier, why not use it as a dip for sliced apples? :)

ready to make the sauce

Caramel Sauce:
1 C. organic dark brown sugar
1/2 C. organic heavy cream
6 T. organic butter
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

To make the nut butter:
1/4 C. caramel sauce
2 C. walnuts, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter and salt  in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook while whisking gently for about 6 to 7 minutes, until it becomes thicker.  Add the vanilla extract and cook for another minute or two to thicken it further.  Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. In a food processor, add in the walnuts and 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce and pulse until well combined.  Transfer mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate until cool.  The nut butter will keep for about two weeks in the fridge, as will the left over caramel sauce.  The sauce can also be stored in small batches in the freezer for a couple of months.

caramel sauce hot from the stove

cooled off and ready to use in the recipe
(and store the rest in the fridge/freezer)