Chocolate hazelnut nut spread (otherwise known as Nutella®) is one of the most popular spreads there is. There is something about that combination of creamy chocolate and nuts that makes you just want to eat it straight out of the jar. I’m a big Nutella fan, and I wanted to try and make my own home-made version to see if it tasted any better. The good news is that it is surprisingly easy to make. All it takes is some good quality chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, cocoa, and a little powdered sugar. It’s also fun to make, and the smell of hazelnuts and chocolate in your kitchen will make you feel like you walked into a chocolate factory. Plus, the best part is there are leftover hazelnut nibs that are surplus to requirements and must be eaten 🙂 They taste a little like the outside of Ferrero rochers – best bowl licking experience ever!
So here is the verdict – The home-made stuff is so much richer and nuttier compared to the store bought version. It tastes strongly of hazelnuts and real chocolate. There is one drawback though – as the home-made version is full of natural ingredients, and doesn’t have any emulsifiers, it’s not quite as ‘melty’ as the store bought version. My home-made Nutella hardened in the fridge, so when I wanted to use it, I would have to place the jar in a bowl of boiling water before eating. Fooey, of course I wanted to eat it straight away with a spoon. So in order to enjoy this homemade chocolate nut spread, I had to wait a whole extra three minutes for it to soften and melt. It’s definitely worth the wait though.
For this recipe I used a darker chocolate than traditional milk chocolate, which gave it a more adult flavor. The OH suggested I add bourbon, and I might just try this boozy version next time.
So, if you are a Nutella fan, and are willing to go the extra step, and let it soften it before eating, this home-made Nutella is insanely good.
Ingredients
- 100g of Hazelnuts, roasted and skinned
- 340g of chocolate- milk or dark, or a combination of both
- tiny pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons of hazelnut oil
- 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
Method:
- Grind the roasted and skinned hazelnuts into a paste, using a food processor.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double broiler. Once melted, I like to add a tiny pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.
- Add the melted chocolate to the nut paste and blend again in the food processor.
- Finally add the hazelnut oil, powdered sugar and cocoa, and blend until smooth.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve into a sterilized jar. *You are free to eat the leftover hazelnut pieces in the sieve*
- Leave to cool slightly.
- Serve with everything from pancakes, toast, ice-cream and rice-cakes …
