Book yourself into Nutel-anon now... This stuff is addictive!
With the news last week that Ferrero has changed the recipe of Nutella without telling us (NoOoOoOo...), I decided it was time to try making my own version of this famous Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread. The reported 'fine tuning' of this favourite has resulted in Nutella apparently having a higher sugar and fat content and fewer hazelnuts. Outrageous!
Definitely time for a radical response..... Home-Made, More Nut, Less Sugar (healthier than Nutella then!) Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread.
Living in Kent, known also as the 'Garden of England', we are really lucky to have cobnuts (or 'filberts') which are a traditional, but local variety of hazelnut..... and they are perfectly in season right now. A couple of years ago, we bought a cobnut tree for the garden and although it has a way to go before we start to get a good harvest, it is so cool to see a few nuts beginning to appear each year. It is always a bit of a race to get to them before the squirrels, but when we do, the excitement of eating them is way off the scale.
Sadly, I didn't have enough home-grown cobnuts to make this spread, but there have been plenty in the farm shops and local greengrocers, so it seems a shame not to use them.
Whatever your hazelnut source (and supermarket ready-blanched packs are just fine), the Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread is amazingly easy to make, providing you have a high quality, robust blender. Make sure you roast your hazelnuts first for a more intensely nutty flavour.
Then blend to a smooth paste with a little oil, before adding and blending in the other ingredients (the addition of the cocoa adds an extra depth to the flavour notes).... finishing with the melted chocolate. Done!
The Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread will be liquid from the heat of the blending process and the melted chocolate, but once it has cooled to room temperature, it will firm to a spreadable consistency. Pour into jars whilst still warm and store at room temperature.
But be warned..... it is difficult to leave alone..... This stuff is seriously delicious. You may just find yourself spoon in hand, hiding in a dark corner, as you uncontrollably scoop mouthful after mouthful until the jar is clean.....
Hold that thought...... it is far more civilised spread on toast or served with gluten free bread sticks!
I am sharing my Easy Home-Made More Nut, Less Sugar (healthier than Nutella then!) Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread with :

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Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread (Makes 2 small jars)
Ingredients
160g raw blanched (or ready roasted and de-skinned) hazelnuts
2½ tablespoons walnut oil (or hazelnut/other nut or another mild-flavoured oil)
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
180g plain chocolate - chopped
100 g milk chocolate - chopped
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
180g plain chocolate - chopped
100 g milk chocolate - chopped
Method
- First you need to roast your raw blanched hazelnuts : preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6. Spread the raw hazelnuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for about 10 minutes until golden, giving the nuts a shake on the tray a couple of times during roasting to prevent burning.
- Place the nuts in a heavy duty blender with the oil and blend until you have a very smooth liquid (this will take a few minutes). Make sure you blend in bursts and scrape down the sides to catch all the nut pieces.
- Add the icing sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt and blend again.
- Place the chopped chocolate into a glass heat-proof bowl and use either a microwave (on 30 second bursts at medium setting stirring between each) or set over a pan of barely simmering water (stirring frequently), to melt the chocolate.
- Pour the liquid chocolate into the blender with the other ingredients and blend again until you have a smooth, even mixture.
- Pour into jars. The spread will be hot and runny from the blending process, but will firm up as it cools.
- Store at room temperature.
Gluten Free Alchemist © 2013-17 unless otherwise indicated