Homemade Nutella – indulgent, dark chocolate homemade Nutella, made with less sugar, and more hazelnuts, real cacao butter, and cacao nibs for extra chocolaty boost, it’s a healthier version with pronounced dark chocolate, hazelnut flavors.
I’ve been meaning to make my own Nutella spread for awhile, but every time I buy the roasted hazelnuts from Trader Joe’s, they disappear before I manage to secure a cup. Our whole family is obsessed with these hazelnuts and we cannot stop eating them plain, straight from the packet. They are so fragrant and flavorful on their own, it feels like you are eating a piece of chocolate.
There is something about the aroma of roasted hazelnuts that complements the chocolate flavor perfectly, and only makes it better. This classic combination was originally invented in the early 1800s in the Piedmont region of Italy, where they say the best hazelnuts grow in abundance. Interestingly, it wasn’t a genius discovery so much – it was rather born out of necessity. During this time the cacao was hard to find and very expensive, so the chocolatiers of Piedmont were forced to stretch this scarce resource by adding hazelnuts to the chocolate. Years later, the first chocolate-hazelnut candy bars were packaged but they remained a privilege of the rich. During the Second World War, when chocolate was rationed again, an entrepreneur, Pietro Rocher, decided to further stretch this coveted chocolate treat by making it into a creamy paste that could easily be spread on a slice of bread. Thus, the famous Nutella spread was born in Italy, and spread it did, like fire across the globe.
While the original versions of the chocolate-hazelnut spread contained anywhere from 40% to 60% hazelnuts, today’s store-bought Nutella contains a whopping 58% refined sugar, and 10% engineered fat, with hazelnut and chocolate content taking only about 20% combined!
Finally, I managed to save one bag of roasted hazelnuts and made my own healthier Nutella version. I experimented with a combination of cacao butter and coconut oil. I wanted the cacao butter in order to preserve the purity of the chocolate flavor but since cacao butter has a high melting point, I had to dilute it with coconut oil so that it stays spreadable and doesn’t harden to a chocolate bar. If you don’t have cacao butter, you can simply use coconut oil. I did not use milk, or milk powder and added just enough sugar to counter balance the bitterness of the cacao. The result was a rich, dark chocolate taste, with very pronounced hazelnut flavor. Just as it should be. Lastly, I mixed in a handful of roughly chopped hazelnuts. It’s totally optional – I just like my Nutella crunchy.
Homemade Nutella – indulgent, dark chocolate homemade Nutella, made with less sugar, and more hazelnuts, real cacao butter, and cacao nibs for extra chocolaty boost, it’s a healthier version with pronounced dark chocolate, hazelnut flavors.
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts plus 1/4 cup more for adding at the end
- 6 tbs coconut sugar
- 2 tbs coconut oil
- 2 tbs cacao butter, melted
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 2 tbs raw cacao nibs optional; if not using add 2 more tbs cacao powder
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
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Place 1 cup of hazelnuts in a food processor and blend until you get the consistency of a nut butter (about 4 minutes).
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At this point, add the rest of the ingredients (except the 1/4 cup of hazelnuts). Blend for another 2-3 minutes, taste, and adjust the sugar if needed.
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Roughly chop the remaining 1/4 cup of hazelnuts and add to the spread
[…] more chocolate hazelnut love, check out my homemade nutella recipe, or this super flavorful chocolate hazelnut mole chicken. Dark chocolate zucchini bread […]