Coconut butter, is not the same as coconut oil. Coconut oil is just that, the oil removed from the meat of the coconut. Coconut butter on the other hand, is a thick, smooth paste, made purely from the meat or flesh of the coconut. You'll see it sold in jars in the health food stores, possibly with a few different flavour variations as well. I haven't purchased the product in store before, but I decided to skip right into just making it at home. Since you can buy shredded coconut at a pretty low price, this seemed like a much more economically friendly option.
Before I even get into it, I will say that this seems to be a bit of a temperamental process. Coconuts may just be a little bit high maintenance. I'm not judging, but still it's something to keep in mind. A little light reading on the wonderful internet warned me of this. I read that without a good strong blender or food processor, this isn't going to work. I learned that coconut lovers in Texas have a much easier time making this stuff than those in a colder, drier climate. I learned that this could be a slow process, and patience was key. I also learned, that people are crazy about the stuff.
Since I'm absolutely crazed over anything coconut related, I had to give it a try. I didn't get the perfect and easy results that some people have had, but I did okay. If you have a Vitamix, I've read that is the best tool for this and will result in perfectly smooth butter. I don't have a Vitamix, so I used my Cuisinart food processor which I read will work if you are patient. Don't even try doing this with a Bullet.
All you need is a lot of unsweetened shredded, desiccated, or flaked coconut. Again, I read that flaked was the easiest to work with, but I ended up using desiccated. Ah, well. The instructions are simple - just blend the coconut until it forms a smooth paste. For me, it took about 10 or 15 minutes of blending to get to the general vicinity of "paste". This was broken up by stopping every minute or two to scrape down the sides of the blender. I also needed to cheat a little bit. Or maybe I didn't need to cheat, but after about 5 minutes I was sure that I needed to cheat and so I did, although perhaps a little patience would have worked just the same. If you as well are an impatient cheater, just stream a tablespoon or two of coconut oil into the mixture while it is blending. That will help it move along. Then blend some more. And some more. And, you guessed it, blend some more.
Finally, when you can't take it anymore, pour your coco butter into a jar for storage. Do not, I repeat, do not, store this in the fridge. It will get hard and dry. I know because while I set my jar aside on the counter with full intentions to leave it there, my incessant tidying up soon found me absentmindedly popping it into the fridge where it staying for the next day and a half. I'm the worst. So just leave it on the counter, or in the cupboard at your house.
Wondering what to do with it? Me too. I found a great use for it right away - and that sweet recipe will be coming soon. But really this stuff can be incorporated into any baking or dessert that you have. It will lend a rich creamy coconut flavour to cookies, cakes, bars, and bakes. Rhyming was totally intentional there. Or mix it in with a little plain yogurt to sweeten it up, spread it on some cinnamon raisin toast, melt it and pour it over fruit for dessert, or serve alongside pancakes. It's pretty versatile. Just make sure you give it a little love and sing..."I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...." while you work. Or not. Whatevs.
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