Coconut Oil Butter

Before I put this recipe up (which is super easy btw), I wanted to share some of the health benefits of coconut oil that I found. Many people think because there is a high amount of saturated fat (about 92%) that coconut oil is something to avoid. But there are many health benefits to coconut oil, including "hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits can be attributed to the lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.." (www.organicfacts.net) That's a lot of benefits!!
Coconut oil is a nice choice for those looking to lose weight, because it has less calories than other oils, it's fat content is easily converted to energy, and it does not lead to an accumulation of fat in the heart and arteries. It also tastes good! :)
Enough of that now, here it is:




Coconut Oil Butter
(for 10oz of butter, by weight)

Ingredients:
8oz** Coconut Oil, soft but not liquid *note, it is easier to use when it is not in it's liquid state, though if you store the coconut oil in the fridge it turns hard as a rock, which is less than desirable :)
2oz** Coconut cream
salt

We used coconut oil that was liquid

Directions:
1) Use a scale and measure 8oz of coconut oil in a bowl,
2) Add 2oz coconut cream (Kara brand is good and inexpensive)
3) Mix thoroughly,
4) Salt to taste

**If you do not have a scale, you can just use the ratio 80% oil to 20% cream, and salt is always to taste







<--while mixing, don't be alarmed if you are also using coconut oil that is liquid at the time and it looks kind of chunky..








<-- because after about 10 minutes (of resting, not mixing) it starts to emulsify





Now that you've made it yourself, where do you store it?
Like I mentioned above keeping it in the fridge makes it rock hard, which would be inconvenient for quick use. The reverse is true, if it is kept near heat (by the stove/oven) then it will keep liquid. I suggest keeping it in a cool cupboard, keeping it soft.


You might be thinking, why should I take the time to make this myself?
First of all, the benefits of using coconut oil are numerous! But also, it is less expensive than buying dairy butter.
We bought our 31.5oz jar of pure coconut oil for $6 (19cents/oz), not on sale, the Kara brand coconut cream are less than $1 for the 6.8oz pack (about 1cent/oz). At this price, it makes 1lb of coconut butter about $3.2
I price checked some dairy butters, and they are a little less than $5/lb or 31cents/oz.

As a side note, tried it on toast, and I couldn't tell the difference between dairy butter and the coconut butter.
Also, don't get frantic if you can't find coconut cream, you can use coconut milk or even go without it completely. The cream is just to reduce the amount of saturated fat per serving, to a level similar to dairy butter.

I rule in flavor of coconut butter ;)