Vegan 'Nutella' Recipe

One thing I really miss is Nutella. There is a super soft squishy place in my heart for overly sugary not nearly as nutritious as it claims hazelnut spread, and it is extremely hard for me to fight off the cravings - especially when my husband sneaks it into the house. Even though it is on a shelf above my head, it is as if I can sense its presence there. Then I indulge and end up regretting it. "Enough is enough!" I said to myself. There has to be an attainable substitute that I can eat! Has to be, has to be! And there is! Actually there are several, but many require that you roast and hand-peel and kill your blender blending your own hazelnuts. I don't have the energy for such an undertaking (however, if someone else wanted to make me a chocolate hazelnut spread with freshly blended hazelnuts I wouldn't object!) so I found one that uses pre-fab hazelnut butter as it's base. For the original recipe, please see Seitan is my Motor.

I worked around what I had in the house at the time to make a chocolate hazelnut spread that I think tastes like a combination of a Bueno bar and the Mayan Chocolate Häagen-Dazs flavor ice cream. With my changes, the recipe looks something like this:

Per 1/2 cup hazelnut butter (the all-natural, no preservatives kind):

• 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder, to taste (I used Fry's Premium Cocoa)
• 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (you can also make a simple syrup with unrefined cane sugar or use agave nectar or honey)
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (for richness and depth)
• 2-3 tablespoons rice milk

You can also add a pinch of salt for a more salty/sweet combination. If your hazelnut butter is not very oily, you can add a little bit of oil to help it stay spreadable. The recipe I followed suggested Canola oil. You can really play around with the ingredients to make it individual to your taste. It is good hot or cold, and is actually nutritious enough to be a believable breakfast item, and delicious enough to amaze you every time you eat it.

I make it in very small batches so I don't just sit there with a bucket and a spoon and go to town. Good luck experimenting! Next time I may try spicing it with chili to give it a bit of a kick!

Apologies, this blog post is unedited because life is kicking my butt.

Special thanks to author of blog Seitan is my Motor. Your recipes warm my heart.