Breakfast · By Jocelyn
Nutella Spread
This homemade version of Nutella was inspired by the Piedmont district of Italy! They produce the best hazelnuts in the world (by their admission), and we certainly had the best Nutella (homemade) when we stayed there in 2018. Coming back to Canada with vacuum-packed hazelnuts from Piedmont, we quickly found a number of great online recipes for Nutella, and proceeded to experiment. This recipe is the result, and it's been shared several times over the years, the latest being with John and Melissa in Osoyoos in 2024, whose young hazelnut tree began producing sufficient quantities to allow for Nutella production. This is the perfect festive gift in small decorative jars. Elise Wouters and her family have been gifted with this more than once, and we became aware that it was saved for only very special occasions, like Elise's dessert crepes.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups whole hazelnuts (if weighing — 8 oz)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ cup finely chopped dark chocolate: 50–70% cocoa (or use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
Method
- 1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
- 2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place hazelnuts on the sheet and roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch after 10 minutes to ensure they are not browning too fast.
- 3
Remove from oven and transfer to a clean kitchen towel — let cool a bit until safe to touch.
- 4
Gently rub nuts with the towel until the skin comes off (not all comes off, and this is no problem).
- 5
Place nuts in food processor and process. This will take some time, because you want them to be liquified eventually.
- 6
Start by getting them to the point of being finely ground — this doesn't take long. Scrape the sides of the processor bowl during this process.
- 7
Now you will take about 5 minutes to continue processing the finely ground nuts until they start to liquify — be patient. Scrape sides of bowl periodically during processing.
- 8
While the liquified nuts are still warm from the processing, add the icing sugar and cocoa to the processor and mix them in on low speed. Then, right away, drizzle in the coconut oil and vanilla, and process until the mixture is smooth. Have these ingredients measured and ready so you can add them as soon as the nuts are liquified (before the nut liquid begins to solidify).
- 9
Melt the chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) and add them into the mixture. Add the salt as well. Now blend until fully processed.
A note from Jocelyn
I usually double this recipe. Can be stored unrefrigerated for months (I had it in the cupboard for 4 months once, forgetting it was there). Avoid refrigeration.
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