Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Spread (aka Nutella)

If you can’t win them, join them. If brat junior is going to eat sweet chocolate spread, then the least I can do is make sure it’s dark and not overly sweet. I have tried a few different recipes, including some using condensed milk (too sweet) and others using some other form of dairy (short shelf life). My favourite is the one from America’s Test Kitchen. Re-engineering favourites is their area of expertise, and this is a winner.

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Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Spread (aka Nutella)
Here’s the recipe with just a few minor changes. The quality of the cocoa powder is key to the chocolate flavour of the spread. I have tried both Valrhona and Green & Black’s (more easily available in the UK), and both give good results. If you happen to buy hazelnuts with the skin on, see notes below on how to deal with the skin. This spread is not as smooth as the original Nutella, because there is very little added fat. In France, we recently bought a bottle of a delicious version of this spread make with a combination of hazelnuts and pistachios. Substitute half the hazelnuts for pistachios and follow the same recipe.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Prep Time 10 min
Cook Time 15 min
Servings
ml
Ingredients
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Prep Time 10 min
Cook Time 15 min
Servings
ml
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C or 170C fan. Place hazelnuts in single layer on a baking tray and roast until fragrant and golden brown, 10-12 minutes.
  2. Process hazelnuts in a food processor until the oil starts getting released and a smooth, loose paste forms, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl often. (I sometimes use my trusty Indian grinder as it makes for a finer paste, but a food processor is fine too; but will produce a coarser result).
  3. Add sugar, cocoa powder, oil, vanilla, and salt and process until fully incorporated and mixture begins to loosen slightly and becomes glossy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
  4. Transfer spread to jar with tight-fitting lid. The spread can be stored at cool room temperature for a month. If the oil settles at the top, just stir it back in before using.
  5. Apart from toast, the kids love to eat it with homemade vanilla bean ice-cream. Decadent!
Recipe Notes

If you buy hazelnuts with the skin on, the best way to skin them is to blanch them in water with some added baking soda. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the hazelnuts and 6 tablespoons baking soda and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and pop the nuts into an ice bath to cool quickly. Once cool, drain and rub the skins off with a dish towel.

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