Make them more exciting with your homemade hazelnut spread.
I have to confess I enjoy Nutella, but despite their advertising, I really don’t consider it a health food. It may taste like hazelnuts. However, I’m not sure it actually has a lot of nuts in it. I have a feeling a bulk of the product is palm kernel oil and sugar.
I’ve made my own hazelnut spread in the past from some recipes found on the internet. They were OK. Since I was in the mood to experiment with it over the holiday break, I was taking a hard look at a recipe in the Dec. 2012 issue of Bon Appetit. It sounded delicious. There were just two, not-so-small problems. The recipe calls for butter and cream. While I like the dairy, I’ve come to the conclusion that such products have to be practically non-existent in my diet. Once you reach middle age, saturated fat and calories just aren’t your friends.
Turns out the Bon Appetit recipe can be adjusted quite easily. A very delicious spread can be made with five ingredients. I opted for a mostly vegan option by using almond milk. You will notice it makes a decent size batch, and it works best in a larger food processer. (No mini processors.) The object of the magazine recipe was to divide into small jars as gifts. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you could certainly do that, but I wouldn’t think any less of you if sharing isn’t an option. It keeps in the refrigerator quite nicely.
2 c. Hazelnuts (raw and unsalted)
1-2 tbsp. Nut Oil (or unflavored oil such as Canola)
1 lb. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 c. Low-fat Milk
¾ tsp. Salt
Peel the skins from the hazelnuts before placing in the food processor. In case you haven’t tried it before, check out this site: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/how-to-peel-skin-hazelnuts/. If you use the boiling method, put the nuts in the oven for 10 – 15 min. to toast. While your nuts are toasting, place your chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat just enough to melt the chocolate. After putting the nuts in the food processor, drizzle the oil over them and run the machine until they are a coarse meal. Place the remaining ingredients in the processor. Run the processor until the mixture is blended. If you want a really smooth product, watch the outside of the processor bowl. The nuts will gradually disappear into the chocolate. Once processing is finished, pour the spread in a storage container or gift jars and place in the refrigerator. The chocolate chips will help thicken it to spreadable consistency.
A tip for those who have never purchased shelled, raw hazelnuts: Look for them at grocery stores that sell nuts and other products in bulk bins, usually in a natural foods section. Don’t like hazelnuts? Blanched almonds work great too.
The Project Queen
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