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Check Out the Jaw Dropping Ways to Use Coconut Butter!
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Chances are good that you are already consuming coconut oil for all its healthy benefits, or at the very least you have heard about the benefits of doing so. The healing and health compounds in simple coconuts are many and this tropical delight seems able to deal with just about anything from weight loss to hair conditioner, tooth whitener to dry skin healing. You can’t beat coconuts for fighting off bad bacteria and keeping your immune system in tip top shape.
But what exactly is coconut butter? Well, in simple terms, coconut butter is nothing more than the finely ground dried flesh of the coconut itself. You have probably seen dried coconut flakes before. Coconut butter is nothing more than taking those dried flakes and pulverizing them until they are the consistency of a silky smooth, butter like consistency. Why would anyone want to do this? By using the whole flesh of the coconut, not simply the oil, you are combining the healthy goodness of both the fiber from the flesh of the fruit and the natural oils from the coconut. This means you are getting the best of both worlds when talking about total nourishment.
Sometimes called coconut spread, coconut cream concentrate, or even coconut manna, the nutritional content is very much like coconut oil, but with coconut butter, you also get valuable fiber. This makes coconut butter extremely valuable to any diet. Although you might find coconut butter is not as versatile as the oil, but it still has plenty to offer including being:
- High in healthy fiber
- Vegan friendly
- Anti-viral
- Anti-bacterial
- Hormone balancing
- Healthy source of fat
- Able to replace butter in any recipe
- Terrific for the skin
- Anti-fungal
- Loaded with healthy calcium, magnesium, and essential amino acids
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Now if you have considered buying some in the past but found that the prices in your local health food store were nothing short of astronomical, don’t worry. It’s super easy to make at home. All you need is some unsweetened dried coconut flakes (which are fairly inexpensive and readily available) and a powerful blender or food processor.
Make you own coconut butter easily at home using the following recipe:
- 5 Cups of raw, unsweetened dried coconut flakes ( this will make about 1 cup of coconut butter)
- A pinch of sea salt
That’s it! Simply place the flakes and salt in your blender or food processor (you can do this in two batches if you need to) and start blending on medium speed until they start to make a creamy consistency. Then turn it to the highest setting until you have a smooth butter. If you want an ultra -smooth coconut butter, press it through a fine mesh sieve afterwards. One of the best things about coconut butter is that you don’t have to refrigerate it, and it lasts a long, long time.
Now if you live in an area where it gets quite warm in the summers, you might find that your coconut butter softens and resembles something like soft serve ice cream. In the cold winter months, it can get fairly hard. If you find it becomes too hard for your liking, you can soften it in the microwave for just a few seconds, or put it in a saucepan on the stove with a bit of water in the pan. If you like your butter to be a little more firm, you can put it in the fridge for a few hours.
SEE ALSO: 101 Amazing Uses for Coconut Oil
Add coconut butter to your smoothies, or add it to your Thai curry. You can use it in place of butter in any recipe, including pies or bread. Try putting it on some toast or banana bread instead of butter, or on a cupcake or carrot cake as a type of frosting. It’s great to feed your baby or try blending it with some fruit for a really tasty and unique dessert. You can melt it and pour it over winter squash or sweet potatoes, or drizzle it over some fresh berries.
There is almost no end to the possibilities and uses of coconut butter! Try some for yourself and you will be instantly hooked.
Happy Healthy Eating!
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