These cashew butter cookies are gloriously chewy with crispy edges, and flavored with a sprinkle of sea salt. The best cookie for nut butter lovers!
Cashew butter cookies are a fun take on classic peanut butter cookies. Dip them into a glass of milk, serve with coffee and tea and or enjoy them as a late-night snakc.
Growing up, New Year's Eve was filled with the usual suspects: Auld Lang Syne, confetti, and party blowers. For our family, however, we had an additional reason to celebrate - my grandfather's birthday. Grandad, as my cousins and I called him, was a slim, energetic man who had a mischievous glint in his eye to match his boyish freckles. I lost count of the amount of times he diverted my attention to some nonexistent attraction while stealing the dessert from my plate. Along with his playfulness, he had a soft heart. On one occasion, he returned from the grocery store with a treat for me he had picked up in the toy aisle - a child's makeup set. I was thrilled, but he was so disappointed to discover that the plastic bottles contained nothing more than air.
Each year for Grandad's birthday, my parents would give him something for my grandparents' cottage or a new golf shirt. My gift to him was always a box of his favorite roasted, salted nuts from Purdy's Chocolates (a Vancouver institution). He would slide the lid off the box and offer me the first taste. Without fail, I would pick a perfectly-curved cashew and pop it in my mouth, slowing savoring the salty coating and mellow, nutty flavor. These cookies, made with homemade cashew butter, are baked until the edges are golden brown and the insides are soft and chewy. I am certain Grandad would have loved them. He might have even tried to steal one off my plate.
How to make cashew butter:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups unsalted, roasted cashews, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Process for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and then, with the machine running, slowly add 3 additional teaspoons canola oil. If you are using the cashew butter to spread on bread or toast, you might want to add a little more oil. For the cookies, however, this consistency works well.
How to make cashew butter cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the racks set in the lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon baking powder.
In the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand-mixer), combine 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted, softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup (packed) brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup cashew butter and mix for approximately 30 seconds. Pour in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing each until combined.
Turn the mixer to low and slowly spoon in the flour mixture. Process until incorporated into the butter mixture. Add 1 cup roughly chopped unsalted, roasted cashews and mix for additional 10 to 15 seconds.
Using rounded 2 tablespoons for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms to form a ball. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, 2 to 3 inches apart. To avoid the cookies baking into each other, I placed only 6 on each baking sheet. With the back of a fork, gently press down each cookie in two directions to make a checkerboard pattern. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt.
Bake the cookies until the edges are light golden brown and the centers are puffed, rotating the sheets between racks and back to front halfway through baking, 10 to 12 minutes in total.
Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. Serve warm or room temperature.
Printable Recipe
The BEST Cashew Butter Cookies
Ingredients
The cashew butter:
- 2 cups unsalted, roasted cashews
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon canola oil divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
The cookies:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (packed) brown sugar
- 1 cup cashew butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup unsalted, roasted cashews roughly chopped
- ¼ cup (approximately) sea salt
Instructions
The cashew butter:
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine cashews, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, and salt. Process for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and then, with the machine running, slowly add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil.
- If you are using the cashew butter to spread on bread or toast, you might want to add a little more oil. For the cookies, however, this consistency works well.
The cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the racks set in the lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand-mixer), combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cashew butter and mix for approximately 30 seconds. Pour in vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing each until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly spoon in the flour mixture. Process until incorporated into the butter mixture. Add 1 cup roughly chopped unsalted, roasted cashews and mix for additional 10 to 15 seconds.
- Using rounded 2 tablespoons for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms to form a ball. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, 2 to 3 inches apart. To avoid the cookies baking into each other, I placed only 6 on each baking sheet. With the back of a fork, gently press down each cookie in two directions to make a checkerboard pattern. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are light golden brown and the centers are puffed, rotating the sheets between racks and back to front halfway through baking, 10 to 12 minutes in total.
- Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Evan @swEEts
It was meant to be.. I have a bag of cashews I've been trying to figure out how to use.. and these cookies, well, they're it!
Cookin' Canuck
Thanks so much for all of your kind comments about both the story and the cookies. We had to give a bagful of these cookies away so we didn't eat them all in one go.
allythebell
Oh, I miss Purdy's -- and my own Granddad. Thanks for the memory and the recipe!
penny aka jeroxie
Fabulous story. Simple is good 🙂
Kim at Rustic Garden Bistro
What a lovely story! Delicious lookin' treat. Might have to test your "easy" theory. 🙂
Happy week!
[K]
Andrea the Kitchen Witch
Your memories of your granddad are great, thanks for sharing them with us! He sounds like a wonderful man. The cookies look pretty darn wonderful, too! I will be making these soon, we have a peanut allergy in the family and we miss our nut based cookies. thanks for the recipes
Adelina
ooooh looks so good!
C&C Cakery
Love this recipe - I'm going to have to wait until cashews are on sale around here, though. I can't wait to try it out!
C&C Cakery
Love this recipe - I'm going to have to wait until cashews are on sale around here, though. I can't wait to try it out!
Torviewtoronto
looks delicious