Homemade Nutella / Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Spread
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes
Servings: 1.5 cups
Ingredients:
60 hazelnuts roasted (preferably without skin)
¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 pinch salt (if you use unsalted butter, then add ¼ teaspoon of salt)
3½ ounces dark chocolate (good quality or half milk and half dark if you prefer)
⅓ cup butter
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons milk (I used 2%) (90 grams total, if you double the recipe, then double this amount)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Place the hazelnuts (with or without skin) on a cookie sheet and toast in a pre-heated oven at 350°F (180 °C) for about 10 minutes, then move them immediately to a clean bowl. Do not leave them on the cookie sheet, or they will continue to bake, and you could end up with burnt hazelnuts.
In a small pot, add the chocolate (broken into pieces), butter, and milk, heat on low until the chocolate has almost melted, remove from heat, and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly, stir in the vanilla.
In a blender or food processor add the hazelnuts, brown sugar and salt, blend for about 15 minutes (stoping and starting so the machine doesn’t over heat) then add 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture and continue to blend until mixture becomes almost creamy but with still some crunchy crumbs, this should take approximately 20-30 minutes (maybe more) turning the blender/food processor off and on and scraping the sides with a spatula as you blend.
Once the hazelnut mixture has become creamy, add a little of the melted chocolate mixture and blend again until creamy. Add half of the remaining chocolate mixture and blend, add the remaining chocolate, and again blend until the mixture is very creamy. Pour into sterilized jars and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the Homemade Nutella to thicken. Enjoy!
Notes:
I heated the jar (out of the fridge) in a small pot of boiling water to soften it up for dipping.
Keep in mind that this is homemade, so if you do have a few crunchy bits, you may want to strain it to remove them, but for me, it wasn’t at all necessary. It was very creamy.
Properly stored, the hazelnut cream can be kept in a cool pantry for up to two weeks, or if you prefer, in the fridge for up to a month. If kept in the fridge, be sure to bring it to room temperature before consuming.
If you find the homemade Nutella has developed some lumps, then add a bit of hot milk and stir until they have dissolved.
If you find the hazelnut cream has hardened too much when you take it out of the fridge, just dip the jar in some boiling water and stir to soften it up (be sure to use a heatproof jar).
What is the best chocolate to use?
I like to use a good quality dark chocolate, about 52% cocoa. If you prefer, you can use half dark and half milk chocolate, or you can even use a higher percentage of cocoa. If you do, you may want to add a bit more sugar. European milk chocolate has 30% cocoa, and American has 10%, although they now also make 30% milk chocolate. So if you can find that, then I would definitely buy it, believe me, it makes quite a difference, it is much creamier.
Substitutions and Variations:
Instead of using hazelnuts, I am sure you could use almonds. Instead of regular milk, you could use dairy-free or lactose-free milk. If you use milk chocolate, be sure to add less sugar. Instead of brown sugar, you could substitute it with powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 1270kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 104g | Saturated Fat: 45g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 45g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 392mg | Potassium: 971mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 1338IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 11mg | Phosphorus: 416mg
Recipe courtesy of An Italian In My Kitchen.com
