As some of you may know, I am quite the hoarder when it comes to nut butters. Especially chocolate flavored nut butters. What’s not to love? Nut butters are sweet, protein-packed and contain heart-healthy fats. I love my nut butter as a topping for oatmeal, in sandwiches, with apples or bananas, and – let’s not lie here – straight out of the jar. Peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, soy butter, I’ve tried them all. What I haven’t tried yet though is coconut butter.
I’ve been reading about coconut butter from some of my favorite blogs (like Fitnessista and Faith Fitness Fun) and I’ve been wanting to try it, but I never see it at Whole Foods. A few weeks ago, I lucked out and found Artisana on the shelves! I bought a jar of the coconut butter and the cacao bliss. Of course I tried the chocolate flavored one first.
I used a big dollop on top of my oatmeal, and also mixed in a mashed banana. This was my breakfast before running and it kept me fueled for hours! Cacao Bliss wasn’t as sweet as I expected but it was definitely very coconut-y, which I really like. Coconut is a tropical flavor – sweet but not heavy – and while it pairs wonderfully with similar tropical fruits (hello, coconut pineapple rum), it is also a delicious complement to chocolate.
I also tried spreading a teaspoon on warm banana bread, and it was incredibly melty. I already have plans of baking a batch of cookies with this! Artisana Cacao Bliss is raw, organic, vegan and gluten-free. It has a very short ingredient list, which always wins plus points from me. The only ingredients are coconut butter, coconut oil, agave syrup, cacao and cacao butter.
And yes, if you’re wondering, coconuts are nuts – but they can also be considered fruits or seeds (I checked the internets). Have you tried coconut butter? How do you usually eat it?