In case you didn’t know, walnuts are among the best food sources for Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are ESSENTIAL to the human body. But that’s not all! There’s so much more that these wonderfully strange looking nuts have to offer. And walnut butter is (in my opinion), is at the top of that list!
In fact, walnuts also contain Omega 6 Fatty Acids, folate, vitamin b6, manganese, vitamin e, zinc, and antioxidants.
Now, not only do walnuts provide all of these essential nutrients for the human body, but they have the added benefits of providing these essential nutrients that can have a massive impact on your fertility!
Mind blown? It should be!
If you’re anything like me, then you have a massive distaste for raw walnuts, which may be keeping you from enjoying them. So, if that’s the case, I encourage you to read on! I promise I will make walnuts more than just tolerable!
So, let’s talk walnut butter!
First, let me tell you how I really feel about walnuts, so you fully understand why I am so excited to share this recipe!
My entire life, I have absolutely despised most nuts, and at the top of my list of most despised nuts was a tie between walnuts and almonds. I still don’t like almonds!
Every time my dad made brownies when I was kid, I refused to eat them because he put chopped walnuts in them, and that absolutely repulsed me.
For years I wouldn’t eat anything that had walnuts in it and I could not understand why so many people loved them.
A few years ago, I had a salad at a restaurant that was unbeknownst to me, topped with toasted walnuts. Rather than gagging when I took a bite, I was surprisingly intrigued by the flavor. When I found out it was walnuts, I thought was hallucinating!
The flavor was so unique and the crunch was fantastic, I thought that maybe I had judged walnuts too soon. Surprise! I was wrong!
I definitely still don’t like raw walnuts, and I firmly believe that nuts should not be baked into things like breads and desserts, but that’s just a personal preference.
After eating that salad though, I discovered that I really love toasted walnuts. Walnuts that are toasted just right, not underdone, and not burnt, is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.
What I usually do is chop the walnuts and put them in the toaster oven for 3-5 minutes until they’re fragrant, and then toss them on a salad or a pasta dish and call it a day.
But I’ve discovered a new way to eat walnuts that is so delicious, and so easy… I just can’t believe it’s taken me over 40 years to discover how much I enjoy it.
Enter walnut butter.
In my quest to find an alternative to peanut butter, I came across walnut butter. I happened upon a recipe and tried it out. The results were… very very bad and I threw it out immediately.
But the good news in the story is that I immediately knew what I did wrong, and that it would be a tremendous difference if I attempted it a different way.
The first time I made walnut butter, I toasted the walnuts in the toaster the way I mentioned above. They had a delightful fragrant smell when they came out of the toaster. The problem was that as I ground them up, they began smelling like raw walnuts, and that is a smell and flavor I strongly dislike.
I began to wonder if it was that toasting them in the toaster was simply toasting the outside of the nut rather than the entire thing. I was right!
My second attempt I toasted them in the oven at 300°F for 15 minutes and not only did they smell fragrant, but they maintained their fragrant smell as they were ground up and blended, and the flavor was phenomenal.
Because I let them toast longer at a lower temperature, they released more of their natural oils, which is what gives walnut butter its ultra creamy and runnier than expected consistency.
The great thing about walnut butter is that it isn’t just tasty. It provides so many essential nutrients.
The table below represents 1/2 oz. of walnuts.
In case you’re a more visual person, the graphic below also represents 1/2 oz. of walnuts. *The percentages to the right measure the RDV (recommended daily value) of each nutrient.
Looking at the table and the graphic above you can see that there are a lot of nutrients in walnuts.
What’s more is that they are hugely dense in Omega 3 Fatty Acids which are some of the most important nutrients for overall health, but also can play a huge factor in fertility.
Walnuts are one of the healthiest foods you can eat, and when you use them right, you can sure have some tasty food!
Now, I know I focused on making walnut butter, but there are other delicious ways to use walnuts, especially if you like the taste toasted or untoasted.
I mentioned earlier that I do not care for raw walnuts, but if you do, there are many options for you!
You can add walnuts to bread, yogurt, desserts (brownies anyone??), and so on.
You also just grab a handful of walnuts and just enjoy them, or add them to your favorite trail mix or other snack mix!
If, however, you are like me and you don’t like them raw, then may I suggest toasting them?
You can toast them in the toaster oven for just a few minutes and get a nice toast on them. Give them a rough chop and toss them in a salad, a pasta dish, or use them as a garnish on just about any savory dish.
Another excellent choice is to toss them in with some granola and either have a bowl of granola and milk, or you can use my preferred breakfast approach and throw them in with granola and mix that in with some yogurt.
Walnuts are more versatile than you think, and because of their massive nutrient punch, are healthier than you ever realized!
So there you have it! Walnut butter that is easy to make, delicious to eat, and will last longer than you may think!
Check out the recipe below!
