Homemade Nutella

I rarely buy Nutella because when I do, I eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I love it by itself,  on toast with butter, drizzled on ricotta, sandwiched with peanut butter, in a croissant with raspberry jam, stuffed in crepes with warm maple syrup. I could go on forever. 

I decided to try to make it from scratch. The result: delicious, but nothing beats breaking the delicate seal of a freshly bought Nutella jar and taking a whiff.

 Homemade Nutella

                                                           

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Note: Use good-quality cocoa powder, such as Scharffen Berger.

2 cups raw hazelnuts

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons hazelnut oil, more as needed

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts evenly over a cookie sheet and roast until they darken and become aromatic, about 10 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a damp towel and rub to remove the skins.

2. In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts to a smooth butter, scraping the sides as needed so they process evenly, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, salt and oil to the food processor and continue to process until well blended, about 1 minute. The finished spread should have the consistency of creamy peanut butter; if it is too dry, process in a little extra hazelnut oil until the desired consistency is achieved. Remove to a container, cover and refrigerate until needed. Allow the spread to come to room temperature before using, as it thickens considerably when refrigerated. It will keep for at least a week.

                                                                                                                                      

Recipe from LATIMES