Italian Coffee Break - Sweet Cashew & Almond Nut Butter with Coffee & Olive Oil

Sunday February 15th. Snowy Hardwick, VT. Nearing the end of a long production day.

I had a half-pound of coffee left after making a few batches of Mud Season. I wanted to have a little more fun than going through the motions of making our everyday nut butters. 

I've always wanted to do a coffee-only nut butter, with some extra virgin olive oil to round out the edges and make it more drizzle-able. 

I stuck with mostly cashews. They're naturally creamy, not earthy. I didn't want to lose the punch of the coffee like Mud Season, but wanted to make it more gentle on the palate. We used extra virgin olive oil from California to add subtle notes of fruit and butter.

Softer than Mud Season, sweeter than Maple Creemee. Coffee takes center stage. You still get that hit of vanilla, but without the cacao nibs competing for a front-row seat. It smells of roasted coffee, vanilla, and a hint of fruity olive oil. Subtle, but there.

I visited Naples in 2019. Coffee, need. Cafe, visited. Espresso without sugar? No. Steel bowl. Sugar in the bottom. Espresso poured in. Stirred into foam. Served. Sweet, bitter, hits my veins, ready to walk the coast. 

It's...an Italian Coffee Break. Sweetened bold espresso. Fruity olive oil. So Italian. Wakes you up. Holds you over between meals. 

29 jars. One Sunday, one idea, one leftover half-pound of freshly ground coffee.