Butter Fudge - Almond

What does a gal watching her weight eat? Butter, of course... and lots of it! Only from grass-fed cows, mind you, or butter is no longer a health food. I didn't make a mistake putting almond at the end after those two other delicious words. Because I want to be clear that this recipe is about the butter. It's not fudge with almond butter, it's butter fudge with almond butter. A couple people told me it was as if they were eating chocolate butter. So, if you don't like butter - First, what's wrong with you? Second, you might want to skip this one. Now that I've made it clear that we are talking about lots of butter (so much so that you have to store this in the freezer), let's move on...


Anyway, I've done it again. I've taken an awesome recipe from somewhere else and tweaked it to my own tastes. It's getting pretty obvious that I have no original ideas. No, that's not true. Seriously, just wait until soup season... I can create soups. Maybe my creativity ends with soups? Maybe not, who knows? Now where were we? Oh, yes, butter...

This recipe, like my creme brulee recipe, started with one from the Healthy Home Economist. You can see the original here. There's even a video of her making it, all the while talking about how healthy butter is. I adjusted it a bit because I wanted to use almond butter and less honey so it wouldn't be so sweet. And none of that carob nonsense for me - real cocoa all the way! So here's my version.

First, a note about the quantity made. If you're like me, you might read the ingredients and start adding up the $$$ it will cost for quality ingredients (please get quality ingredients if you actually want to claim any health benefits here). It cost me about $15 to make a 9x13 pan. But this is such a rich snack that you will actually get a lot of servings.

And, if you don't have access to a farm where you can get grass-fed butter, Kerrygold is a brand in the store. It comes from grass-fed cows in Ireland, and the proof is in the color - grass-fed butter will have a deep yellow color to it without added colorants. Let me give another shout-out to all the wonderful people at The Family Cow for offering awesome butter (gently pasteurized by PA law).

Ingredients

2 cups (1lb.) grass-fed butter
1 cup creamy almond butter
1 cup raw honey
1 cup high-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Soften the butter to room temperature. Mix all ingredients together until well blended. (I used my stand mixer for this step). Line a 9x13 pan that has a lip around it with parchment paper. Spread the butter mixture into the pan and freeze for about an hour. Cut into squares and store in the freezer with parchment paper between the layers.


Make it healthier

The absolute healthiest butter is raw from organic, grass-fed cows. If you can get your hands on that, or make your own with raw whole milk, do it!

Homemade almond butter is also a healthier option than buying commercial almond butter.

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.