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| Homemade Nutella
Nutella is one of my family’s favorite things. It is a Christmas tradition in my home that a jar of nutella is wrapped and placed at the toe of everyone’s stocking. Once the gifts are unwrapped, the jars are brought to the breakfast table and enjoyed as part of the Xmas morning feast.
When I was a young girl, my parents took my brother and I to Spain to visit our family in Valencia. Traveling back in the early 70’s was a big deal in those days, and waking up in another country after cramped little sleep was mind boggling for a 10 year old. It was a gray chilly March morning and the apartment we were staying in was tiled with stucco walls. It was a rustic sort of a place in my memory and the house was kept much cooler than we did at home. Jet lagged, dazed, cold and hungry was how my first moments of that trip were starting out. Not happiness for a small girl.
Shortly after we woke my Mother went straight out that morning and brought home a sack of foods for breakfast. In her sack was a loaf of bread still warm from the corner baker and a jar of Chocolate Hazelnut spread. The warm crusty bread turned the Nutella into gooey heaven, which was a far far cry from my typical American breakfast of a hearty bowl of Frost Flakes Cereal. Suddenly I was being transported into kid heaven and having the time of my life. I fell in love with Spain and that very moment and never fell out.
Making Chocolate Hazelnut Spread in my own kitchen is a dream and a fantasy that I would have never imagined. Even better is the ability to tweak a bit here and there to make it my very own.
 My version contains more chocolate that the original. I also used cocoa nibs that added a slightly smokey bitterness and an interesting little crunch. I can see adding some other accents such as cinnamon or espresso (grind some beans in there??) but I’ll leave that to you.
Gifting jars of this heaven would make you a hero in my house. Make a healthy batch and keep some on the ready. It’s great on toasted bread, fantastic in crepes, awesome with some ice cream. Nutella makes a quick icing on a cupcake or a filling for a layer cake- or just dip in a spoon and have at it.
 Homemade Nutella If purchasing your nuts preroasted, toss onto a baking sheet and place into a 350˚ oven for 10 mins to release the oils and fragrance Place cocoa nibs in a dry frying pan and on medium heat warm until the nibs are glossy Combine nuts in a food processor and grind into a smooth paste. The nuts will go from grainy and thick to a smooth oily cream as the nuts are broken down. Add the cocoa nibs and cocoa and grind for 2 mins. Add sugar, oil and salt and continue to blitz until smooth with a slight grit to it if you like the crunch. *note* this is some heavy work on the processor. I did mine in stages giving the machine a chance to cool a little between steps. Taste your spread as you go and adjust to your liking. Place directly into clean jars. Can be stored in the cupboard or fridge. |
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