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Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

Source of Recipe

From "The Complete Autumn and Winter Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Nutella, the queen of nut butters, brims with toasty nuttiness and is richly chocolaty and silky-smooth—a morning-treat favorite spread on toast or rolled up in a sweet crêpe. But once you taste our homemade version, you'll realize that the stuff from the store is actually a little plasticky and wan. Our not-too-sweet chocolate-hazelnut spread is made using freshly toasted hazelnuts, intense unsweetened cocoa powder, and a food processor. Hazelnut skins can mar the smooth texture of the spread, so we blanched the nuts in a baking soda solution; after blanching, we were easily able to rub off the skins using a kitchen towel. A quick roast in the oven toasted the hazelnuts and warmed their fragrant oils, promoting a quicker breakdown in the food processor. A bit of vanilla and salt accented the main flavors. Hazelnut oil is available in high-end grocery stores and gourmet shops. Walnut oil also works well. If you cannot find either, use vegetable oil."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  2 cups hazelnuts
â—¦  6 tablespoons baking soda
â—¦  1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar
â—¦  â…“ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
â—¦  2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
â—¦  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦  â…› teaspoon table salt



Recipe

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Bring 4 cups water to boil. Add hazelnuts and baking soda and boil for 3 minutes. Transfer hazelnuts to ice bath with slotted spoon, drain, and rub skins off with kitchen towel.

Place hazelnuts in single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until fragrant until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. Process hazelnuts in food processor until oil is released and smooth, and a loose paste forms, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl often.

Add sugar, cocoa, oil, vanilla, and salt and process until fully incorporated and mixture begins to loosen slightly and becomes glossy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Spread can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 1 month.)

Makes 1 ½ cups