There’s nothing like a little bit of chocolate to brighten your day, especially when it’s blended with rich, roasted hazelnuts. Although this delicious spread definitely qualifies as a once-in-a-while treat, I feel a little better about this homemade version compared to store-bought Nutella. Instead of palm oil, this version here relies on simply hazelnuts and dark chocolate for fat. To minimize the sugar load a bit, I’ve used 85% dark chocolate, and just a smidge of maple syrup for sweetness. Honestly, I love the taste of super-dark chocolate (the less sweet the better!), so I often leave out the maple syrup when I make this for my own household.
This spread (dip? anything goes!) is the perfect simple, homemade food gift. Just be sure to double the recipe to have enough for yourself, too!
This quick, easy recipe requires just a few simple ingredients:
- hazelnuts
- dark chocolate
- salt
- vanilla extract
- maple syrup
After the initial step of roasting the hazelnuts, you’ll dump them in your food processer and blend to a butter consistency.
Just getting started . . . 
It’s butter! 
Time to add the melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and salt
It’s really up to you how to enjoy this decadent spread. It’s great on fruit, on these gluten-free waffles, swirled into plain Greek yogurt, or enjoyed just straight-up on a spoon! To be honest, I’m a big fan of the straight-up spoonful.
| Servings |
cups
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- 3 cups raw or dry roasted hazelnuts (a 1 lb bag contains 3 cups of hazelnuts)
- 1 3 1/2 oz. bar (or 100g) high-quality dark chocolate (70% or higher)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the hazelnuts to the baking sheet, and spread into a single layer. If using roasted hazelnuts, roast for about 8 minutes. If using raw, roast for about 12-14 minutes.
- After hazelnuts have cooled slightly, grab a clean kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts in the dish towel to remove the skins. I usually do this in two or three batches. This step will not remove all of the skins, and that is absolutely fine.
- Add the hazelnuts to a food processor, and blend until they form a butter consistency (see photos above). This generally takes about 7 or 8 minutes.
- Break the chocolate into smaller pieces (no need to chop!), and melt in microwave or in a double-boiler. If using the microwave, heat the chocolate in 30-second or less increments and watch carefully.
- Add the melted chocolate, salt, and vanilla extract to the hazelnut butter in the food processor. Blend for a minute or so until ingredients are totally incorporated.
- Add the tablespoon of maple syrup (optional), and blend for an additional minute.
- Enjoy, share, or both!