I love chocolate. And by saying so, I don’t mean “yeah, I like a small amount of 33% cocoa chocolate once in a while..” No no. I love dark chocolate, 70% or even more. It can be filled with the most amazing flavours like orange, mint, pecan nut, sea salt, ginger, lemon, rasberries, licorice or marzipan. The way it compliments coffee is just…incredible (I am also a huge coffee lover by the way).
Anyway, since I’m such a big chocolate lover I wanted to make my own hazelnut spread (aka nutella). Sure, it’s easier to just by it, but I looooove to do it myself! It’s something special by doing it yourself, you know what I mean? So, I decided to make hazelnut spread and I must say that it turned out delicious. This recipe made quite a lot though, so if you’re not planning to give away some you might want to halve the recipe.
I used the recipe from David Lebovitz
– 1/3 cup (40g) whole almonds
– 1 1/3 cup (160g) hazelnuts
– 1 3/4 cup (400g) whole milk (see Notes)
– 7/8 cup (60g) powdered whole milk
– 3 tablespoons (40g) mild-flavored honey
– Pinch of salt
– 6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
– 5 ounces (140g) milk chocolate, chopped (use one that’s at least 30% cacao solids)
1. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet, keeping the almond separate, and toast the nuts in a 350ºF (180ºC) oven, stirring a few times, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the hazelnuts are browned.
2. While they are roasting, warm the whole milk and powdered milk in a small saucepan with the honey and salt just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat.
3. In a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, or in a microwave oven, melt the chocolates together until smooth.
4. Once the nuts are well-toasted, remove them from oven and use a spatula to place the warm hazelnuts in a clean tea towel, then fold them inside the towel and rub them vigorously to remove any loose skins. They don’t need to be pristine; just try to get as much off as possible.
5. In a food processor, grind the warm hazelnuts and almonds until they’re as fine as possible. You may not be able to get them completely smooth, depending on your food processor.
6. Add the melted chocolate and continue to process the mixture.
7. Once the mixture is smooth, add the warm milk mixture and process until everything is well-combined.
(You can strain the mixture if you want it all smooth)
9. Transfer the mixture into two jars and refrigerate until ready to use.
Storage: The Chocolate-Hazelnut Paste will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.