Cocoa Hazelnut Spread

One of the most vivid food memories I have of my first visit to France when I was in the 4th grade was kinder bueno chocolate bars. They are hazelnut cream filled wafers covered in milk chocolate and of course, totally healthy for you. They are actually made by an Italian company, but for some reason, they were everywhere in France at the time.  I remember vending machines down in the metro stations full of only kinder bueno. It was hard to pass one by without stocking up. I'm afraid to know how many of those damn things my brother and I devoured on that trip alone. Yikes.

Even though I can't (and won't) eat kinder bueno or the ever-popular nutella, I can still appreciate the hazelnut and chocolate combination. I've visited this combination on the blog before with some toasted hazelnut chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, hazelnut espresso truffles, chocolate cherry hazelnut no bake cookies, and a chocolate chunk and hazelnut muffin. But, I decided to go a little more basic this time and turn it into a nut butter. Before you say anything, no, this is not nutella. It's more like a slightly gussied up hazelnut butter with a touch of sweetness and cocoa. Does that make sense? These things always seem to make more sense in my head until I see them typed out...

I actually wanted to use 2 cups of hazelnuts for this but only ended up having 1 1/2 so the food processor I was using didn't quite get it as smooth as I wanted. Oh well, it still tastes the same! If you want a smoother spread, you might want to use a high speed blender or try for 2 cups of hazelnuts and then adjust the other ingredients. Or, you can do what I did and just appreciate a more rustic spread. Since this isn't nutella, it's healthy enough for eating at breakfast. Just make sure to do so in moderation :)

Cocoa Hazelnut Spread
notes: You'll notice I added a bit of cardamom but I'll leave that up to you for your own version. Perhaps you want ginger or cinnamon?  Your call. You can also adjust the coconut sugar and cocoa to your liking. Just in case you need any ideas on how to eat this lovely stuff, I've listed some below the recipe*.

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts (filberts)
small pinch of sea salt
2 1/2 to 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or more if you want it sweeter)
2 tbsp raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 to 2 tbsp room temperature coconut oil
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

It is completely up to you whether you want to remove the skins of the hazelnuts or not (for this version I removed them).  If you want more of a raw spread, don't worry about it.  If you want to remove the skins, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the skins start to crack/burst.  Remove them from the oven, place them in a kitchen towel, and rub vigorously to remove the skins.

Place the hazelnuts and the pinch of salt in a food processor or blender and run it until the oils start to release and a nut butter forms. You will have to scrape down the sides of the bowl/jar a few times during the process. If your food processor or blender seems to be having trouble breaking it down into nut butter, add 1 to 2 tbsp coconut oil to help it along. Once you have a relatively smooth nut butter, add in the cardamom (if using), the cacao powder, and the coconut palm sugar.  Blend well then taste and adjust for sweetness. You can also add more cacao for a deeper chocolate flavor. Store in a jar at room temperature for up to a couple of weeks. Makes 1 heaping cup.

*Serving Suggestions:
-slather on toast and top with your favorite fruit (bananas and pears are particularly delicious)
-swirl into your oatmeal or yogurt
-eat directly from a spoon...