Nut butters are everywhere and they really are the cyclists' friend; Delicious, good for you and not pumped full of sugar. One of the latest and coolest butters on the block are Pip & Nut's whose nut butters are not only totally delicious but they are also made without palm oil - the manufacture of which is a big factor in the destruction of the rainforest. Their new cook book is now out and is full of savoury and sweet treats that all worship the mouth watering flavour of the kernel!
We have a slight addiction to their butters at HQ and think that nut butters are the perfect cycling re-fuel. So we've spoken to the team at Pip & Nut to get their best and nuttiest recipes for post or mid cycling treats.
MILK CHOCOLATE MAPLE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS WITH SEA SALT
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Use a third of the melted chocolate to fill mini paper cups or cupcake papers up to a third full. Refrigerate until hard and set the remaining melted chocolate aside. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over a low heat then add to the peanut butter in a bowl, with the sea salt. Mix until well combined, then slowly stir in the maple syrup. Put a small amount of the nut butter mixture into each set chocolate case and carefully pour over the remaining melted chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate again to set. Keep the cups refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CASES
- 350g/12¼oz milk chocolate, broken into pieces
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 200g/scant 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
PEANUT BUTTER HOT CHOCOLATE
- 175ml/¾ cup water
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra to finish
- 600ml/2½ cups milk
- 100g/3½oz dark chocolate, (at least 70% cocoa solids) broken into pieces
- 1½ Tbsp demerara sugar
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter
- Whipped cream, to finish
Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until no lumps remain, then add the milk and bring back to a simmer. Whisk in the chocolate and sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy and the chocolate is melted. It takes about 5 minutes. Add the peanut butter and stir well to mix. Divide the hot chocolate between 2 mugs, top with whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.
PIP & NUT'S FRUIT & NUT FROZEN YOGHURT ICE LOLLIES
Purée the banana, yoghurt, lemon juice, honey and nut butter together in food processor until smooth. In a bowl, gently mash the summer berries to release some of their juices, but leaving the berries partially formed. Roughly fold the berries into the puréed mixture, making a ripple effect.
Divide the mixture between ice lolly moulds, stopping about 2.5cm from the top. If you don’t have ice lolly moulds, you can use small paper cups. Place a sheet of cling film over the top of each cup, cut a slit in the centre and add a wooden ice lolly stick. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours.
To release the ice lollies, dip the moulds briefly in hot water.
Makes 12
Takes 20 minutes (plus freezing time)
You’ll need:
- 1 medium, ripe banana
- 240ml Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp nut butter
- Fresh summer berries
COCO-NUTTY BANANA PANCAKES
In a food processor, blend the bananas with the egg, almond milk, almond butter, coconut nectar and vanilla, until smooth and well combined. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl then slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking together until you have a thick, smooth batter. Working in batches, add 1 tablespoon coconut oil to a large, non-stick frying pan and heat until melting. Once the pan is nice and hot, drop large tablespoonfuls of the batter into the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned and the pancakes are fluffy. If you’re making a big batch to serve all at once, then keep the cooked pancakes on a heatproof dish, separated with baking parchment, in a low oven, while you cook the rest. To serve, top the pancakes with almond butter, berries, yoghurt and honey.
- 2 ripe bananas, cut into chunks
- 1 egg
- 100ml/scant ½ cup almond milk
- 2 Tbsp almond butter
- 1 Tbsp coconut nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 110g/¾ cup plus 1½ Tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50g/6 Tbsp coconut flour
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Pinch of salt
- Coconut oil, for frying
FOR THE TOPPING
- Almond butter
- Fresh berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
- Coconut yoghurt
- Honey
To find out more about their cookbook, their nut butters and their new nut milks have a look at their website here or follow them on Insta for more of their recipes
