Simple Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (AKA Healthier Nutella)

I love nut butters, and when I was younger I loved eating Nutella on toast and crepes for breakfast! Now I think Nutella is definitely more of a special occasion type of food, but hazelnuts and chocolate are a great combo, so I wanted to make a healthier homemade version to enjoy! This is very easy to make and you can keep it in the fridge to keep it fresh for a few days.

I FINALLY got a food processor (something I have been wanting for a while, and I finally decided to use my Amazon gift card to get one for myself), so I was able to make my own nut butter!!! I love nut butter, and have been wanting to make my own flavors for so long, so I am so excited about this! The first thing I made was this Nutella recipe! I spread it on top of these vegan chocolate banana waffles, and it was a great combination!

I used this bag of raw hazelnuts from Trader Joe's and it was the perfect amount!

Ingredients

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup raw hazelnuts

3-4 ounces dark chocolate (this is about the size of a typical chocolate bar)

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp maple syrup (can add more if you want it sweeter)

Splash of vanilla extract

Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes until dry and roasted - the skins will darken and start to peel off a bit.

2. Add the hazelnuts to a dry kitchen towel, and rub them to remove as much skin as possible - it won’t all come off and that’s ok!

Before and after removing skins

3. Separate the hazelnuts from the removed skin, and pour the hazelnuts into a food processor with the olive oil and blend until mostly smooth, but it will still be a bit lumpy.

4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for a few minutes until smooth, stopping and stirring about every 20-30 seconds.

5. Add the chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice, and cocoa powder to the food processor.

6. Blend until it is all evenly mixed and creamy! It will be a bit runny at this point.

7. Add in the maple syrup - this will make it thicker, so add it slowly to avoid it getting too sticky. It will probably be a bit crunchy and not completely smooth, but I personally think it's great that way!

P.S. You can use this chocolate hazelnut butter to make this vegan Nutella-inspired lava cake!