3 Ingredient Toasted Coconut Butter (It's Real & It's Amazing)

Game changer, folks. This stuff is so, so good. And so damn easy to make.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve become kind of obsessed with all things coconut, including coconut butter. Melted and drizzled over fruit, spread on apple slices, added to smoothies… it’s incredible. But I got to thinking that I could probably make it at home, and make it even better. And you know what? I was right. With the addition of vanilla and sea salt, and the added step of toasting the coconut flakes, this recipe takes simple coconut butter and elevates it. Knocks it out of the park. Make a batch, and just try not to put it on everything (I'm eating some now with apples).

Toasted Coconut Butter with Vanilla

makes about 1.5 cups

3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

Tools: Baking sheet, food processor

First, toast the coconut. To do this, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and evenly spread 2 cups of the coconut on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the coconut is lightly toasted and golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Place untoasted coconut, toasted coconut, vanilla, and sea salt in the food processor and process for about ten minutes, stopping to scrape down the canister as needed.

Continue to process the coconut until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a seal-able glass container and allow to cool. Cover and store at room temperature (similar to coconut oil, coconut butter solidifies below 76 degrees).

Serving suggestions:

Spread on toast or baked goods

Spread on sliced apples and top with honey

Make a parfait with yogurt and fruit

Use in place of nut butter in recipes

This recipe and a portion of this post was originally published on the BLDG 25 blog as a part of my full time work with Free People