Castillo de Jijona Spanish Marcona Almond Butter
Castillo de Jijona’s Spanish Marcona Almond Butter is the only one we’ve found of its kind—it’s made from 100 percent Spanish Marcona almonds, a prized, slightly sweeter, smoother alternative to a conventional almond. The flavor is buttery, rich and neutral, with its only sweetness coming naturally from the almonds. It has a velvety, pourable consistency, much different than the grainier, drier versions made from standard almonds; we found that very little stirring was required upon opening to reincorporate any natural separation of the oils. Try it as an ingredient or a topping for desserts, smoothies, oatmeal, vinaigrettes or vegetables. The butter’s creamy consistency incorporates easily into other ingredients.
Il Colle Del Gusto Sicilian Pistachio Spread
Made from Sicilian pistachios and extra-virgin olive oil, Pistacchiosa is a creamy, aromatic spread you will want to put on all your desserts and, yes, eat straight out of the jar.
Soom Premium Tahini
Many supermarket tahinis are over-roasted, which gives them an unpleasant, bitter flavor. They are also too thick and hard to stir into a creamy blend. Soom's tahini has a full, nutty flavor as well as a pourable and well-balanced texture, made from roasted and pressed premium white sesame seeds that have an ideal oil-to-protein ratio.
Tastëlanghe IGP Piedmont Hazelnuts
Incredibly hard to find in the U.S., Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are considered some of the best in the world. Sweet, nutty and satisfyingly crunchy, these shelled, whole toasted ones are perfectly browned with a clean taste on the finish. Grown exclusively in the Langhe area of Piedmont, Italy, Tastëlanghe has been producing them since 1891. These hazelnuts will shine in dishes from sweet cakes, creams and cookies to savory salads. Or just snack on them whole.
Proserpina Chocolate Almond Cream
This artisanal, velvety cream from Italy tastes like a melted candy bar—and beats grocery store nut spreads any day. It’s the ideal spread for anyone who likes a little texture—the creamy base gets a light crunch from bits of puffed rice and candied Sicilian almonds and hazelnut. The spread has a rich flavor balanced between just-sweet-enough chocolate and aromatic almond. Try this treat on toast or breakfast pastries, ice cream, in desserts or straight out of the jar.
Pic's Crunchy Peanut Butter
Fans of chunky peanut butter will love this version from New Zealand. Whereas many chunky peanut butters are just smooth peanut butter with occasional nut pieces, the New Zealand brand has a full mouthfeel, with the right ratio of plentiful crunchy bits to smooth butter for a satisfying consistency with every bite. It also boasts a shelf stability up to 10 times greater than regular peanut butter. And the peanut butter itself is always made without any added sugar, oil or emulsifiers, so the peanut flavor comes through clearly in both sweet and savory recipes.
Pic's Smooth Peanut Butter
Pic’s Peanut Butter works equally well for classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as it does for baking and cooking. Choose between salted or unsalted—even the salted version has only half the salt of comparable brands. And while not impervious to separating, we find the peanut butter comes together quickly with just a stir or two, as opposed to the vigorous blending required with other versions. It also boasts a shelf stability up to 10 times greater than regular peanut butter. And the peanut butter itself is always made without any added sugar, oil or emulsifiers, so the peanut flavor comes through clearly in both sweet and savory recipes.
Georgia Grinders Cashew Butter
This small-batch nut butter is incredibly fresh, with a clean, bold flavor that tastes distinctly like cashews. With a high fat content and richness reminiscent of browned butter, cashew butter is often used as a vegan alternative to dairy, and many brands make their product from raw cashews for a more “neutral” taste. We like that Georgia Grinders roasts its cashews for deeper flavor. It's still a great ingredient for adding richness to vegan recipes but tastes just as delicious simply spread on bread. We especially love this one in place of peanut butter for making cookies. Atlanta-based Georgia Grinders uses only the highest-quality nuts and sea salt to make its nut butters, which are freshly ground to order for Milk Street.
Il Colle del Gusto Granellona Crunchy Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Il Colle del Gusto's Granellona Brut crunchy hazelnut spread is a lighter, glossier and more aromatic version of Nutella. With a high hazelnut content of up to 42%, it is made using local, high-quality roasted nuts from Italy, which have a toasty, buttery flavor, light sweetness and earthy depth. The fruity notes of extra-virgin olive oil enhance the chocolate and round out the floral-scented vanilla, while the chopped hazelnut pieces add a bit of crunch to the silky spread. Add to ice cream, pancakes, pastries and more.
Georgia Grinders Hazelnut Butter
This small-batch nut butter is incredibly fresh, with a clear, bold roasted hazelnut flavor. Georgia Grinders' Hazelnut Butter lets you fully savor the earthy depth and richness of pure hazelnuts. The spread has just the right ratio of creamy butter to plentiful hazelnut bits, adding textural contrast and bursts of flavor without making the spread taste “chunky” or gritty. Chocolate and hazelnuts are a classic pairing—try swirling Hazelnut Butter into brownie batter or spreading thinly between layers of a chocolate cake. Atlanta-based Georgia Grinders uses only the highest-quality nuts and sea salt to make its nut butters, which are freshly ground to order for Milk Street.
Georgia Grinders Pecan Butter
This small-batch Pecan Butter is incredibly fresh and has a bold, distinctly pecan flavor and a thick, smooth consistency like natural peanut butter. The salt is slightly more noticeable here than in other Georgia Grinder products but is ideal for enhancing the pecans' natural sweetness. The producer uses Elliot pecans, a popular varietal in the South known for its buttery quality and notes of hickory and oak; these woody flavors pair well with maple syrup. Or use the salted nut butter in recipes with caramel for a sweet-salty flavor combination. Atlanta-based Georgia Grinders uses only the highest-quality nuts and sea salt to make its nut butters, which are freshly ground to order for Milk Street.
Il Colle Del Gusto Noccioliva Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Il Colle del Gusto's Noccioliva smooth hazelnut spread is a lighter, glossier and more aromatic version of Nutella. With a high hazelnut content of up to 42%, it is made using local, high-quality roasted nuts from Italy, which are ground down into a silky-smooth texture. This spread makes a wonderful addition to almost any dessert—the olive oil makes it easy to incorporate into pastry cream or any custard base. We also love it for breakfast: Spread it on a crêpe as the French do, slather on toast, or top with fresh sliced fruit.