This Spring we launched our first-ever Customer Flavor Contest, and after careful review, we have finally chosen the winners!

Customers are always sending us unique and delicious nut butter ideas, so we decided it was finally time to bring some to life by launching this contest. We were blown away by the response…we have over 650 submissions!

Customers submitted their flavor ideas online, including the flavor name and inspiration behind it. Once we had all the submissions, we narrowed it down to our top 15 (no easy feat!). We were not only looking for flavors that sounded yummy and unique, but also had a fun story behind them.

From there, we had our team and our Butterbassador community vote on the top 15 list and we narrowed it down to our top 5. We made up samples of each of those 5 flavors so we could ensure its feasibility. The sample-making process is a creative, fun, yet slightly chaotic experience. Imagine 4 nut butter-filled food processors whirling at the same time, a variety of ingredients strewn about (everything from dried orange peel to beet powder!), and boxes of tasting spoons so we can sample everything. Some of our creations turned out mind-blowingly delicious, while others were more difficult to perfect.

After experimenting, we sampled each flavor and decided on our winner. Except, we couldn’t just choose one winner like we originally planned; we decided we had to bring 3 flavors to life—they were just too good! We are so excited to launch a Customer Flavor Series featuring the 3 winners. Each will launch in a different month over the next year, so stay tuned! Here are the winners and their stories below!

Strawberry Cheesecake will be the first one to launch, so stay tuned this summer! Thank you all for contributing and patiently waiting for the results. We hope you are as excited about these creative flavors as we are!

This flavor was dreamed up by customer (and Butterbassador!) Eva Long as an ode to her family's birthday tradition for her: "I always asked for strawberry cheesecake as my birthday 'cake' and it turned into tradition. Now, I always get a cheesecake on my birthday. It’s very special!"

This flavor was dreamed up by customer Keegan McAuliffe and inspired by her favorite cookie. She says, “From snacking on Oreos at my grandparents’ cabin each summer to happily devouring a cookies ‘n cream milkshake on the long car rides home after soccer games, my childhood is filled with fond memories of Oreo cookies. I love that Dark Cocoa Cookie perfectly captures this nostalgic flavor in the form of a healthy, chocolatey nut butter spread.”

"For my family and many Latin American families, it is common to have a 'café con pan dulce' (coffee with sweet bread) at breakfast or as an afternoon treat with family or friends.

A churro nut butter would be such an amazing way for many to enjoy that nostalgic flavor, in a healthier form with your morning coffee or tea. It might just make you feel like calling your mom, sister, or abuela."

This flavor was dreamed up by customer Rachel Battista and inspired by a favorite childhood treat: “My parents made blueberry muffins every weekend growing up and I have continued that tradition with my son. We also both love nut butter and we eat that with our muffins. It is amazing!”

This flavor was dreamed up by customer Jess Roach as an ode to her travels: “I absolutely love halva! I first tried it when visiting Israel 15 years ago, and while it's a rare treat, it's one I adore. It brings back the memories of that trip every time I eat it.”

Some of the submissions didn’t end up being the winner, but were way too good not to share. Enjoy these honorable mentions!

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut by Teresa Bowen

“My favorite candy bar is Almond Joy. As a kid I would search for them in my Halloween bag. I always wished they made them with dark chocolate, like the mounds. A mix of your chunky almond butter, maple sweetened dark chocolate and coconut…. YUM! Trick a treat!”

Breakup Butter by Sarah Berry

“When you go through a bad break up a good cookie fixes everything. It would be even better if you could eat your sorrows out of a jar.”

Razzleberry Chip by Lori Tolen

“Growing up we used to pick wild raspberries, so I have always loved the flavor of this fruit. As an adult, I discovered the wonderful combination of chocolate with raspberries for a slightly sweet treat and think it would be spectacular in a subtle nut-butter background.”

Birthday Brookie Dough by Holly Pelton

“Inspired by my love for both birthday cake / cookies and brownies. A layered butter of a vanilla cashew and chocolate brownie base with chocolate chips and sprinkles mixed through to get the brookie and birthday vibe.”

It’s Amore by Amy Stair

“Inspired by my family! ​​Staples of an Italian bakery’s dessert case. The crisp and crunch of biscotti - hence the almonds and chunky consistency - with the creamy tang of cannoli’s sweet cheese and candied citrus filling, reflected by the sweetness from dates, earthy smoothness of hazelnuts and zingy fruit bits. Why not sprinkle some sparkling sugar on top?”

The Teacher Lorrie Special by Kiara Kahan

“Growing up my mom had an assistant teacher named teacher Lorrie, she is truly one of the most lovely and kind human beings to ever exist and she showed us her favorite snack which was a piece of toast with nut butter and chocolate chips! So simple but so delicious, this holds so much sentimental value for me, when I was little I wanted it all the time and now as an adult I find myself craving it constantly!”

Ube Black Sesame by Danielle Henson

“I love ube and black sesame and I do not believe I have ever had either in a nut butter. I think it would also be a flavor you could use to make unique nut butter cookies or swirl into a brownie batter, the ube would add a fun hue to the nut butter.”

Dulce de Leche Dreams by Eileen Rivera

“Toasted and caramelized sugar swirled in a delectable base of almond and coconut inspired by my Latin American heritage - Dulce de leche is used widely and I was particularly inspired by a cookie alfajores (specifically alfajores de maicena) which is a soft crumbly biscuit that sandwiches creamy dulche de leche and is dusted with coconut flakes. The dreams aspect of the name encompasses the nostalgia of the flavor and cookie that transports me to Latin America, and also the persistence of our people.”

Happy Camper by Gabby Thuillier

“My flavor was inspired by summer camping trips with my family. We always make s'mores and for years my mom and I have been adding a layer of nut butter to make them extra delicious.”

Salted Caramel Pretzel by Sam Johnson

“I grew up baking with my mom and our favorite thing to make was salted caramel pretzel cookies. The sweet caramel with the salty pretzel is so delightful, and it’s a flavor combo that can’t be passed up. I can’t imagine anything better than it as a nut butter, that I can lather my toast with and top my oatmeal with!”

Sunny Days by Kiara Kahan

“Orange cardamom pistachio butter! Growing up I would always bake with my mom and have had a love for it since a young age because it is such a beautiful way to show love. Since growing up and having my own space I have continued to fall more and more in love with baking and have been focusing on perfecting my cookies, I absolutely love cardamom, their is something so warming and comforting about the flavor and my mom and sister are both huge fans. I found an orange pistachio shortbread recipe and added cardamom and voila! I found a cookie that my mom and sister (who is not a big sweets person) absolutely loved :)”

Biscochitos by Doug Keyes

“Biscochitos are similar to shortbread, or butter cookies, but with their own unique flavor twist. The biscochito dough is made with a generous amount of crushed anise seeds, as well as a hint of orange and cinnamon. There's also some vanilla in there and they're topped with cinnamon and sugar. I grew up in New Mexico and these cookies were a part of every Christmas and New Years holiday traditions. I've recently discovered they are the official cookie of New Mexico (who knew states had official cookies?)”

Northeast Mornin' by Jessica Callinan

“A creamy, dreamy flavor meant to wake you up and get your geared for the day. Maple syrup mixes with hints of coffee, bits of cacao nibs, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a breakfast of champions style nut butter. Cashews, walnuts and hazelnut continue to bring the feeling of a slow and warm of a winter morning, opening up to the day ahead. I'm an East Coaster (northeast in particular) transplanted to the PNW 5 years ago. I love everything there is about the west, and the one thing I find myself missing is really great local maple syrup to go with morning waffles and coffee. This flavor is intended to pull those memories into a nut butter to spread onto anything before an adventure outside.”

Pistachio Cannoli by Jessica Willoughby

“Salty and sweet Pistachio nut butter with swirls of a cannoli like filling, waffle cone/cannoli type pieces and chocolate chips.”

Elementary School Lunch by Alexandrea Guerra

“Crunchy peanut butter with a swirl of tart raspberry… then throw in some salty pretzel!!! Perfect lunch box combo throw back. Inspiration comes from being a kid with a soft, white bread pb&j. They never get old and I feel just get better as we get older. The best, most under-appreciated sandwich around.”

Wedding Cake by Olivia Skidmore

“This is the Italian wedding cake nut butter of your dreams inspired by my Italian roots! Think creamy like cinnamon snickerdoodle but with slivered toasted almonds and toasted coconut flakes with a hint of almond extract. My mother grew up going to a tiny Italian candy shop where we would get desserts growing up!”

Caramelized Banana Maple Nut Butter by Corinne Youngholm

“Pancakes with my kids used to be simple and then my oldest started using peanut butter on his pancakes (to get more protein) and dipped them in maple syrup. My youngest now 17 still uses this culinary technique. However just this weekend I saw that you can "caramelize" your bananas really easily and the sweetness of the banana that comes out of it - WOW - takes it to a new level. I think the mix of almonds and walnuts (inspiration from the Baklava) add that nuttiness to balance the bananas and maple syrup sweetness.”

Pistachio Gelato in a Waffle Cone by Courtney Thompson

“Traveling Italy meets childhood summer stops at the ice cream shop when you got to splurge on the waffle cone. Pistachio Gelato was my favorite of all the flavors I tried in Italy. It tasted smooth and creamy while not being rich. It was sweet but not overly and just nutty enough without being overbearing on the pistachio. It left your mouth feeling like it has been coated with some sweet perfect balm. Apparently, waffle cones are not so much paired with the authentic gelato experience but I’ve always thought this sweet treat would be so delicious in a salty sweet waffle cone.”

Ono-licious! (So Delicious!) by Treasure Arens

“Inspired by Living in Hawaii for over a decade and enjoying tropical drinks. This flavor would be macadamia nut, coconut, strawberry, pineapple, hint of lime and sweet whipped cream.”

Potica (pronounced poh-teet-sah) by Amanda Petros

“Potica is a Croatian/Slovenian sweet bread made with a yeast-raised dough that is rolled out thinly and then spread with a walnut-cinnamon-brown sugar filling. Growing up, my grandmother always made potica at Christmas and Easter and it is something I still look forward to as an adult.”

Pickle and Waffles by Melissa Van Bergen

“Nutty, garlicy, dill. The sharpness of pickles mixed with the warm saltiness of a nut butter, sounds strange...but it just works! Every summer growing up my family would travel and stay with family in Southern California. During the weeks we stayed with my great aunt, she and I would wake up every morning and eat Eggo toaster waffles with peanut butter and pickles on top.”

Pandan Oatmilk Latte by Pearl Martin

“ I love this flavor combination! Pandan is amazing added to hot or cold coffee drinks. A rich and creamy base of macadamia cashew coconut and oats balance the nutty and sweet flavors of espresso and pandan syrup. A touch of cinnamon and salt make it sparkle in your mouth.”