Homemade chocolate hazelnut spread

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD

Yield: ¾ cup (2 tablespoons per serving)

Prep Time: 10 minutes (not including time to toast and husk hazelnuts)

Cook Time: —

¾ cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked (see Tips)

2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons powdered erythritol-based sweetener

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

SWEETENER OPTIONS:

A powdered bulk sweetener helps thicken this spread, but really any sweetener will do.

1. In a food processor or high-powered blender, process the hazelnuts until they are finely ground and beginning to clump together.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil and continue to process until you have a smooth butter. Add the cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla extract, and salt and blend until well combined. The mixture should be a little liquid-y. If it is very thick, add the remaining tablespoon of oil.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: This spread will last and last in the refrigerator, because there’s nothing about it that will go bad. But you won’t be able to keep it around that long! It will firm up in the fridge but will return to more liquid-y state at room temperature.

TIPS: If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell pre-roasted and husked unsalted hazelnuts. Total lifesaver—I buy four bags at a time! And there are other brands online as well. If you have to roast and husk your own hazelnuts, I find that the best way is to rub the toasted nuts between my fingers until most of the skin falls off. You will never get them completely free of husks, so don’t worry too much about that.

You can use another oil in place of the coconut oil, but I find that coconut oil makes it a little less liquid-y at room temperature than a liquid oil. How smooth you can get your chocolate hazelnut spread really depends on the quality of your food processor or blender.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

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Homemade chocolate hazelnut spread