Cashew Butter Cookies

Any writing about baked goods that you may read on The Messy Apron is going to have a strong pro-cookie bias, even though I’ve posted relatively few cookie recipes so far. I can’t give a good excuse for this poor representation of my true feelings, except, perhaps, as someone with a sluggish metabolism, I really shouldn’t eat a lot of cookies. The holidays are beginning to rush at us, however, and I shall take that as my license to cookie!



Recently, I made some cookies that have rocketed their way to Most Favored Cookie status. I was armed with this recipe from Cooking Light magazine (which I had somehow collected in many forms from magazine clippings to internet bookmarks) and a fresh batch of homemade Chai Spice Cashew Butter. The original recipe called for macadamia nuts, but I didn’t think it would be much of a stretch to substitute cashews instead. Besides, the cashew butter I made had a consistency that so much resembled the cookie dough we all sample before baking (or eat half of) that I just had to put it in a cookie.

I continued the chai-style spice theme from the cashew butter into the cookies by adding a smidge of each of the same warm spices. I also added some chopped cashews along with the dried cranberries in the original recipe, and they added some welcome crunch. These cookies are soft and moist, but not cake-like or crumbly. They’re chewy in the middle and gently crispy on the edges and they come out with a lovely smooth but crackled surface.

The flavor of these cookies is a bit more sophisticated with its creamy and crunchy cashew representation and subtle hint of spice. Their construction can also be a bit sophisticated if you make your own cashew butter, but I’m convinced you could substitute another nut butter, whether from your kitchen or from a jar. The rest of the cookie-making is pretty standard, much like any other drop cookie.

If you really want the full Messy Apron Chai Spice Cashew Butter Cookie experience, however, you may have to make your own cashew butter. Or, I could just share the fabulously delicious cookies that I made with you. Except, um, well, you see, um, they’re all gone.

Chai Spice Cashew Butter Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup Chai Spice Cashew Butter (or cashew butter of your choice)
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
½ cup chopped cashews (I used roasted and lightly salted cashews)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice. Whisk together until well-combined. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, place the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat together until well creamed and fluffy, about 1 or 2 minutes.

3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well-combined. Add the cashew butter and beat until well combined.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the dried cranberries and cashews. (If desired, you can cover and chill the dough for up to a day until ready to use.)

5. Prepare a cookie sheet by spraying it lightly with cooking spray or lining it with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Scoop the dough in heaping tablespoons. Roll the dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet. Gently press the ball to flatten slightly. Place the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

6. Bake at 375 F in the center of the oven for 10-11 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to brown on the edges. Cool on the pan 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies. Store in an airtight container.


Other recipes like this one: Apricot and Almond Cookies with White Chocolate, Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies with Black Walnuts, Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut Cookies

One year ago: Savory Squash Bread Pudding with Bacon and Onions

Two years ago: Potato and Bacon Frittata

Cashew Butter

I think I actually bought the bag of cashews just to make this nut butter. That doesn’t explain why the package had been opened before I was preparing to make it. I don’t know what caused that, except, possibly, for some good, old-fashioned snacking. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I’ve been thinking about a sweetened and spiced cashew butter for a long time. Yup. That’s the kind of thought that can distract me from other, more important things, like putting away the groceries or clearing the noxious weeds out of the back yard.

I sweetened my cashew butter with a little honey, but you could use another sweetener, such as agave nectar or maple syrup if you prefer a vegan option. I also wanted some warm spices, so I went with a sort of chai-inspired blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and allspice. This is somewhat similar to the Pumpkin Pie Spice blend I used here, and that would be good, too, as would, as usual, just plain cinnamon. Or nothing at all. It will still be deliciously fragrant just from the delicately sweet cashews.

Nut butters are pretty trivial to make if you have a good food processor. (If you don’t have one, make friends with someone who will let you borrow hers. They’re great fun, and just dangerous-looking enough to add some thrill to kitchen drudgery.) Just throw in the nuts and give them a whirl. Of course, when I do this, I’m always half convinced that I’m never going to be able to create a smooth nut butter, and will only have a big, pile of ground nuts on my hands. Then, after five minutes or so of work (by the food processor. I’m mostly just standing there.), the pasty stuff that’s trying to become a nut butter gets kind of hot from all the friction of the spinning blade. At this time, I’m convinced that it won’t be nut butter before my very expensive piece of kitchen equipment blows itself to pieces all over the house.

It took about 10 or 12 minutes of processing to make this cashew butter, but I’m happy to say there were no casualties. Just a nice, smooth, firm cashew butter with more of the consistency of cookie dough than peanut butter from a jar. I was able to spread it on a slice of bread, and it was pretty darned delicious. It is concentrated cashew flavor, lightly sweetened and delicately spiced, in a spoon-able form. If you love cashews, this is the secret indulgence for you.

I also put this Chai Spice Cashew Butter in some cookies. Again, pretty darned good (understatement!) I’ll have to tell you about those sometime. Soon.


Chai Spice Cashew Butter
I used cashews that were roasted and lightly salted. I think you could use raw cashews or unsalted roasted cashews, but you might want to add a pinch of salt.

10 ounces (about 2 cups) roasted and lightly salted cashews
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until very smooth, scraping the sides as necessary. This could take 10 minutes or more.

Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Another recipe like this one: Pasta with Cauliflower and Cashew Sauce

One year ago: Sweet Pumpkin Focaccia

Two years ago: Chocolate Orange Bread

Is it Safe?

Cashews are a big favorite in this household. I add them to pasta dishes and curries and we eat them all alone as a snack pretty regularly. That’s why I knew that the idea of a sauce with a cashew butter base, which I came across in several respectable sources, was going to go over pretty well, as long as I didn’t mess it up too badly.

The most promising method involved pureeing cashew butter with coconut milk to make a creamy sauce that I thought I’d toss with pasta and some of the large leftover head of cauliflower hanging around the refrigerator waiting for another chance to make Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas and Olives. The bad news is that Harry hates coconut. The good news is that he will eat what he calls “safety coconut” which is usually a flavorful dish, such as a spicy curry, that contains a small amount of coconut milk. The even better news is that he trusts me to judge when something I make will be “safe” enough for him to eat.

And so, starting with raw cashews, I roasted, pureed (it was quite a pleasure to just sniff the cashews as I was grinding them in the food processor), seasoned and blended with a small amount of light coconut milk. I tasted, decided it was safe, added some more coconut milk, tasted again, and decided it was still safe. I kept the spice blend simple to save time (it was one of those busy nights when Harry stops home for dinner before teaching a night class), and sliced the cauliflower instead of separating it into florets. Not only did the cauliflower cook faster this way, but it was easier to eat tossed with the fettuccine.

Often, when a sauce for noodles is thick like this one, tradition demands that you set aside some of the pasta cooking water and use it to thin out the sauce while tossing it with the pasta. Unfortunately, I usually forget to save some of the water when dumping the cooked pasta into a colander in the sink. When you’re forgetful like me, plain water will do, or, in this case, a little more coconut milk might work as well. I’ve found, however, that with a sauce prepared in the food processor, there’s always a bit of goodness sticking to the sides and bottom of the processor bowl. So, I take a bit of warm water and swish it around to dissolve some of that sauce that would otherwise be wasted and use the resulting slurry to thin the sauce. Fewer good ingredients get washed down the drain and I’m rescued from my forgetfulness. (This works well with Pesto, also.)

This dish was delicious if somewhat sweet for a main dish, and quite rich. The cauliflower helped tame both of those characteristics, but I was very satisfied with a pretty small portion (perhaps about 1 cup). Harry liked it too, declaring it not only safe, but also very good (and I didn’t even have to apply dental torture to get that answer). He didn’t quite rave over it the way he does with Beef and Guinness Pot Pie or Spaghetti Pie or Pumpkin Pie (methinks the man likes pie), but he liked it and I liked it and that all works for me.

Pasta with Cauliflower and Cashew Sauce
You may be able to use unsalted roasted cashews and skip the roasting step, but I have not tried this myself.

Sliced cauliflower rather than florets cooks fast and works well with the pasta.

1 cup raw cashews (about 5 ounces)
1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, plus additional if needed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon honey
½ cup light coconut milk, well stirred, divided
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
3 cups sliced cauliflower, cut into about 2-inch pieces (about ½ a large head)
¼ cup water, plus more as needed

cilantro leaves for garnish, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the cashews on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 F about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the pan to cool.

2. Combine the salt, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. When the cashews are cool enough to handle, place them in the bowl of a food processor. Process until just beginning to form a coarse paste. (This could take a few minutes.) Add the honey and process until the cashew butter can be pressed together and resembles a dry peanut butter in texture.

Add about ½ of the spice mixture and ¼ cup coconut milk. Process until a smooth paste forms. Add the remaining ¼ cup coconut milk and process until the mixture is very smooth.

4. Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine in plenty of boiling salted water until done to your liking (I prefer al dente). Drain the pasta and set aside. Rinse or wipe any excess starch out of the pasta-cooking pot and return to the stove.

5. Pour the canola oil into the pot and heat over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and sauté until beginning to become tender and browning on the edges.



Add the remaining spice mixture. Saute about 30 seconds more. Add ¼ cup water. Cover and steam the cauliflower 3 minutes or until tender.

6. Remove the cover and reduce the heat to low. Add the pasta and cashew butter mixture. Stir or toss to combine well, adding more water, preferably mixed with the remains of the sauce sticking in the food processor, if the sauce is too thick. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Makes about 4 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Penne with Chicken Sausage, Olives and Walnut Sauce