Chocolate. Delightful. Creamy. Sweet.

December—time to spread some Christmas cheer, decorate your tree, sip on peppermint mochas, and wrap pretty packages with plaid ribbon.  Christmas is my favorite time of year, not only to remember the joyful reason we celebrate, but also because it is a festive time of family, twinkly lights, Christmas mugs, and giving!

This flavored almond butter is rich with roasted and sweet flavors for a creamy chocolate dessert by the spoonful.  A simple treat full of quality fats and proteins, but most importantly delicious! I prefer the taste of roasted almond butter compared to raw (even though raw almond butter is better for you), but roasted almond butter just has such a deep flavor!  Either way, swirl in some chocolate and enjoy!

You can spread this chocolate delight on top of sandwich bread, drizzle on top of your favorite ice cream or simply enjoy by the spoonful as I do!  Make this creamy chocolate almond butter and wrap it with twine for a delicious Christmas present.

Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours!

Chocolate Almond Butter by the Spoonful {Paleo, Gluten Free}

Ingredients

• 2 cups creamy almond butter
• 6 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Directions

• If your almond butter is hard or chilled, place jar in a heat proof bowl with hot water for 5 minutes.
• Place all ingredients, room temperature, in a mixing bowl. Blend with a hand blender until thoroughly mixed.

This & that

• I used this creamy, unsalted almond butter—if you are using almond butter with added salt, you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the recipe.
• This almond butter recipe is meant to be thick.  Different brands of almond butters have varied  consistency.  Make sure to mix the natural oils that rise to the top of the jar before measuring.  If your chosen brand of almond butter is very thick, you can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to thin.
• I prefer something less sweet and substitute 1 of the tablespoons of maple syrup with coconut oil (1 tbsp maple syrup & 3 tbsp coconut oil).