This wonderful Toasted Pecan Butter is something everyone needs in their kitchen!! I thought I would just make my own, BUT this pecan butter has been perfected to perfection. I met the maker of this wonderful pecan butter, Kelly Ziegelmeier, at a trade show. Fresh baked bread and pecan butter go hand in hand. He gave out samples of his pecan butter and I gave samples of fresh baked bread. People would go from my booth to his and devour both samples. I joined the crowd devouring the toasted pecan butter too! As the show went on, I realized how good this was with fresh bread and I shouldn't keep it to myself! I am now carrying his wonderful pecan butter. This is one nut butter you don't want to miss! So what can you do with toasted pecan butter? We put it on our sweet potatoes...delicious! We have put it as an ice cream topping; a fondue for pretzels, apples and celery; drizzled it on our pancakes and waffles. Of course, it makes a great alternative to a peanut butter sandwich. Toasted pecan butter sandwich is to die for!

The Exquisite Sweet Potato

• Pre-heat oven to 350° to 375°.
• Choose one sweet potato per person for your gourmet brunch or dinner. Lightly clean sweet potato without breaking the skin; dry with a towel.
• Pierce the potato couple of times with a knife to allow steam to escape.The skin may be coated lightly with butter or a olive oil.(Do not wrap in foil.)
• Place potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 45-55 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes). Test potato for doneness by squeezing gently with an oven mitt...if done the potato will be slightly soft.
• Carefully create a deep slice down the middle of each potato. Top each sweet potato with 1-2 tablespoons of Ziegelmeier's Toasted Pecan Butter.
• Next, lightly sprinkle 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and 2 pinches of cinnamon.
• Let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
• Garnish with long pretzels or bread stick on the side.

Pecans Offer Good Nutrition

• 90% of the fats in pecans are unsaturated.
• A serving of pecans (30g) provides about 25% more oleic acid than a serving of olive oil (1 Tbsp).
• As a fat, oleic acid is one of the better ones to consume.
• As a replacement for other saturated fats, it can lower total cholesterol level and raise levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) while lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), also known as the "bad” cholesterol (Wise Geek, 2010).
• Pecans are cholesterol free.
• Pecans are sodium free.
• Pecans are fiber-rich.
• Pecans are a valuable plant protein source.
• Pecans have more than 19 vitamins & minerals.
• They are an excellent source of gamma tocopherol, an important type of vitamin E.
• They contain concentrated amounts of natural plant sterols, touted for their cholesterol-lowering ability.
• Pecans contain a variety of phytochemicals.
• Nuts are recommended by the American Heart Association and U.S. Dietary Guidelines as a desirable source of heart-healthy unsaturated fat.
• A one-ounce serving of pecans contains 196 calories, 2.7 grams dietary fiber and over 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin E calcium, potassium, and zinc (Georgia Pecan Commission, 2010).

This Toasted Pecan Butter has a 'rest of the story'.....

Kelly Ziegelmeier writes: "In January 2010, we approached God, through a 3-week time period of prayer and fasting, to ask Him for guidance on new and positive changes in our lives for 2010 and beyond. On March 25th, the adventure unknowingly began... Our family loves peanut butter, but we were kind of getting tired of it. We like to create new recipes and experiment with new ideas. We are fond of almond and cashew butter; so we tried to make our own.....but they just didn't seem flavorful enough for us and our two small children. During the accidental experimentation phase, Kelly suggested that we try pecans. We made several batches that were surprisingly tasty, but just not quite perfect enough. We kept adding and subtracting ingredients to get the right balance of salty and sweet. At $6.50 per pound, we probably spent well over $400 on pecans---just practicing!! Eventually, our friends taste-tested the Toasted Pecan Butter and loved it! One of them suggested that we bottle it and sell it.........thus, Ziegelmeier & Co., LLC was created with Ziegelmeier's Toasted Pecan Butter TM being our primary product. With the help of our wonderful attorney, we applied for a federal trademark. In April, we passed our Oklahoma Health Department Food Manufacturing inspection."

Pecan Butter & Apple Waffles

Here's an unbelievably easy recipe and an unbelievably delicious way to use Ziegelmeier's pecan butter, as submitted by a customer. Peel and rougly chop an apple. Sautee in about 1 Tbsp of butter until tender and slightly browned. Top waffles with a few spoonfuls of pecan butter and sauteed apples. Enjoy!
$18.99
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