I’ve been cravvving Nutella like no other.
As in daydreaming about warm Parisian street crepes slathered then folded around luxuriously melty, pleasantly nutty, deliciously sweet chocolate hazelnut spread along with perfectly ripened banana slices…
The drool has commenced.
And the torture is real.
Now Nutella isn’t exactly a health food (quite the the opposite really) so I set about blending up my own more “nutritious” version.
Because of course I’d be the one to justify blobbing the stuff on piping hot cinnamon oatmeal.
Smearing it on whole grain toaster waffles plus toast itself… juicy sliced strawberries are certainly invited to that party!
Plopping a scoop into the makings of a frozen banana oat milk shake.
Spreading it over a hot whole wheat tortilla with banana to mimic my Paris crepe fantasies.
And spooning it straight into my mouth.
Because nuts are protein and we need protein to grow big and strong, right?
Right.
But really, this version doesn’t contain a boat load of sugar, there are no artificial ingredients, and no animal products!
It’s vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar free, paleo, and flippity dippity tasty.
All you have to do is blend blanched (as in skinless) toasted hazelnuts with pure vanilla extract, cacao powder, real deal maple syrup, water, and sea salt!
That’s it!
So simple. so good.
P.S. The key here is to blend and blend some more. My spread could have been smoother but the fam was not digging the “anxiety inducing” rev of my food processor motor. Sigh.
P.P.S. Taste and adjust the ingredients to suit your fancy. I’m fine with a less sweet spread but feel free to add more maple syrup if you like.
P.P.P.S. Toasted nuts are 1028x more flavorful than pale nuts. Need I say more?
P.P.P.P.S. And yes the salt brings out all the nice nutty, chocolatey flavor so salt up my friends! Pink sea salt worked really well here.
Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Ingredients
- 3 cups blanched (skins removed) toasted hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor (or Vitamix if available) blend the hazelnuts until mostly smooth, scraping down the food processor bowl when necessary.
- Add the vanilla, cacao, and maple syrup, then blend until well combined.
- Add the water, then blend until smooth.
- Season with salt, then blend once more.
- Taste, then add more salt if you wish.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.