Enter and Win the Nut Butter Universe with Robin Robertson
19 02 2013
Cranberry-Pecan Muffins, Yum!
Raise a spoon and cheer, if you love peanut butter, or almond, pistachio or cashew butter. Robin Robertson, the incredibly prolific cook book author, has just revamped her 10 year old classic, Peanut Butter Planet. Her latest, Nut Butter Universe:Easy Vegan Recipes with Out Of This World Flavors (Vegan Heritage Press Books) is an updated and expanded treatise on the use of all kinds of nut butters in cooking, baking, and just eating plain.
And if you are a US resident, you can enter to win, simply by commenting today!
WIN A COPY!
I think everyone loves peanut butter, but I’d almost bet that vegans love it just a little bit more. In a dairy-free kitchen, nut butters are often the rich, creamy answer to that craving that might once have been met by cheese. And according to Robertson’s introduction to the book, we can all do well to eat more nut butters for health. Packed with antioxidants, good fats, and of course, healthy proteins, nut butters are a real nutritional powerhouse.
The book covers nut butters of all kinds, homemade or purchased. Then, in a creative and exciting way, Robertson explores using nut butters in every course of your day, from Breakfast to Soups, Starters and Salads, Sides, Mains, and of course, Desserts and Treats. Creamy “cheese” sauces and tangy dressings made with nuts rub elbows with cakes and puddings, all redolent of the nutty flavors you love.
I made the Cranberry-Pecan Butter Muffins, a great wintry breakfast, lunch or snack treat. To make the pecan butter that is baked into the muffins, I toasted pecans and ground them to butter, with a little bit of canola oil to make it creamy. I was glad I made a little extra, to smear on the muffins later, because it was delicious.
The recipe was simple and straightforward, with flaxseed and water blended to replace eggs, and a nice spice mixture added to give the muffins fragrant appeal.
So if you want to revel in the rich, creamy, crunchy goodness of nut butters, all day long, dip into Robin Robertson’s new Nut Butter Universe. It’s finger-licking good!
TO WIN: Comment below, and I will pick the most persuasive comment to receive a copy of this fun, flavorful book! DEADLINE TO ENTER 2/28/2013.
Pecan Butter Batter
The muffins baked up beautifully fluffy, and the chopped pecans on top were a pretty touch.
Hot out of the oven
Cranberry-Pecan Butter Muffins
The only thing better than savoring the aroma of these fresh-baked fragrant muffins is biting into one. Bejeweled with sweet-tart cranberries, and loaded with protein and calcium, they are a good choice for breakfast or a between-meal snack served with coffee or tea.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup pecan butter
- 3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water in a blender and blend until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute.
- 1/2 cup natural sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a muffin pan.
- Blend the pecan butter and oil in a large bowl. Add the milk, flaxseed mixture, and sugar and blend until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir into the pecan butter mixture until just blended.
- Fold in the cranberries, then transfer the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups about two- thirds full. Sprinkle the tops with about 2 teaspoons of chopped pecans.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 12 muffins
From Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson. ©2013 Robin Robertson. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.
Looks like recipes that some of my clients would most definitely enjoy! Thanks for this contest!
Absolutely- Robin’s books are great for tasty vegan recipes!
[...] Tuesday Feb 19: Robin Asbell [...]
I just LOVE Robin’s cookbooks. She is a master at creating delicious vegan foods. I’d love a copy of Robin’s new book to give to my daughter and her family of seven. They are trying to eat healthier and are moving toward eating vegan. Robin’s delicious recipes will make it smooth transition. Thank you for considering me.
Not from a vegan household (vegetarian), but I try to explore vegan baking and love making something and sharing it with people to prove a vegan muffin is just as good (but better!) then it’s dairy containing counterpart.
I would LOVE to add this cookbook to my collection. It would also be wonderful to tell my hubby that I won this when he asks “You bought ANOTHER cookbook??” : } I love Robin’s cookbooks — I have not made one thing that we haven’t liked from them. I look forward to trying the recipes from another great book!
This recipe sounds so delicious! I already have all the ingredients in my pantry and they will be a wonderful warm treat on this blistery winter day.
I have transitioned into eating a mostly vegan diet in the past year. I have given up all meats completely, but still have cheese once in awhile. I think this book would be so awesome to have, so when I have cravings of cheese, I could make some yummy nut butters instead! If the book has more recipes like these delicious muffins, it would definitely be a keeper, and one to give away as gifts also. Thanks for the giveaway! I’m sure I won’t win, I never do, lol! But I know I’ll be purchasing this one!
I would love to win Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson! Thanks for the chance. ~~~YUM~~~
I love Robins books. She takes simple ingredients and makes them into something special. Thanks for posting the recipe, can’t wait to try it.
Those Cranberry-Pecan Muffins look like something both my Vegan daughter & husband would enjoy. Great job on the photos!
Robin’s recipes are always fantastic, and this is one of the most unique cookbook concepts I’ve seen in awhile. I never thought of using nut butters in many of the ways she does here. My kids and I would love to win this book and try out some of these great-looking recipes!
Thanks for the giveaway, and posting the photo and recipe. Going to try this using what I have, walnuts instead of pecans, and add orange zest, substituting 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice for part of the almond milk, because cranberries really sing out when paired with oranges.
LOOOOVE nuts and nut butter. What a great idea to design a cookbook around those things?
I have never really worked with any nut butter other than peanut and would love to try this cookbook.
Since becoming vegan I’ve tried to incorporate more nut butters into my cooking but never really knew what to do with them. This cookbook looks like it would really take cooking to a new level.
This book looks fantastic! I want one of those muffins for breakfast, with my coffee and copy of this book to read and decide what to make next. I have only used peanut and almond butter so far but this book could open up a whole new world of nut butters for my family. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.
These look delicious!
squeeeeeeeeek! robin robertson is my all time favorite cookbook author! vegan planet is the first vegan cookbook of my collection! i can’t WAIT to get my hands on this. vitamix + nuts + a nut butter cookbook?!?!?!? = bliss.
I often cook with nut and seed butters, primarily peanut butter and tahini. My husband was skeptical at first and tended to avoid things I’d made with peanut butter, but now he can’t get enough. Can’t wait to try out some new recipes!
I’m nuts for nuts! This book looks fantastic…
Thanks for the recipe! LOVE Robin Robertson–she’s the vegan cookbook QUEEN!
Oh I would love to win and I definitely need a new cookbook. Those muffins look fantastic!
I have 2 other cooks books by Robin, and they are my “go to” books. I always know that the recipes are tested, tasty and EASY.
What would lunches be for me if I could not have either a peanut butter sandwich or a peanut butter and cherry jelly sandwich? As much as I love these sandwiches I need to expand my repertoire to peanut butter and other nut universe!
This book would be perfect for me. Although I love nuts I have struggled with some eating disorder issues and became afraid of them. This book would a huge asset to my recovery by providing me with delicious new ways to explore and enjoy such a wonderful class of foods.
Just made her creamy broccoli soup with almond butter- delish. Can’t wait to try the other recipes and expand my nut butter horizons…!
I’d love to win a copy. I’m pretty addicted to peanut butter, well, all nut butters, really. So the more ways I can use it (not that there’s anything wrong with licking it off the spoon), the better!
My four year old daughter is such a proud vegan that she insists she is going to be the first Vegan Iron Chef. She loves her other Robin Robertson books and obviously needs this new one for her collection.
My son who has aspergers likes to help me bake… and I think that we would have a lot of fun with this recipe book!
I am ‘nuts’ about Robin Robertson! “Vegan Planet” was one of the first vegan cookbooks I acquired. I am approaching my first veganniversary and I would love to celebrate with another one of Robin’s books!
This looks like a good cookbook to win over all the omnivores in my life! (Including some picky kiddos!)
This cookbook looks so good! Thank you for the muffin recipe – I’ll be trying that one out this weekend.
Well I have 6 of Robin’s fabulous cookbooks and I have room for 1 more {Hint..Hint…} Thank you
But seriously… anyone who gets this will really enjoy Robin’s recipes… and maybe go buy a couple more… I did!
If I win, I plan on giving my copy of this fun book to my 11-year old cousin who has just embarked on her vegan journey. I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I know she will get a lot of use out of these recipes for years to come!
I’d so love to be part of the nut butter universe. Oh wait, I already am. I’d love some new recipes to play with nut butters. Pick me, Pick me.
I posted my comment, then read the recipe. Looks like I need to go make some muffins now. Thanks for sharing Robin!
Best thing in the world to wake up to is the smell of cashew butter getting all warm and melty on top of a stack of freshly-griddled blueberry-stuffed pancakes…yum, yum and yum!
I’m an all-things-sustainable SW Minneapolis stay-at-home mama (for a toddler and an infant) and culinary vegan chef-in-training. Nut Butter Universe is on my syllabus. I would absolutely *love* to win a copy. Thank you, Robin, for this generous offer.
I would love to win a copy of The Nut Butter Universe Cookbook!! All the recipes look fantastic and I want to try them ALL!!! I have been Plant based for about 4 months now and am loving it! I just can’t wait to try new recipes as there are so many different tastes when you start using spices and natural ingredients and get rid of the things that covered up the different flavors!! I hope I win!!!
I would love to win a copy of the Nut Butter Universe!! I became a vegan about 4 months ago and am LOVING all the new and delicious flavors of the spices and foods that are in these recipes!! I can’t wait to try them ALL!! I hope I win! Thank you so much for offering this free copy!