Before going dairy-free, I really only ever ate Nutella when we would make crêpes. Which was maybe only twice a year. But now that I can't actually have Nutella, there is something that makes it that much more exciting to have found a Nutella that I can eat. Belgian hazelnut chocolates have always been my favourite, and this is as close as you can get without flying to Belgium.
This recipe was sent to me by a dear friend of mine in France. I basically sat back and let her do all of the work, testing multiple variations of homemade Nutella until she found one that she felt was up to par. That's where I stepped in and decided to make some myself. The original recipe can be found here.
Jérôme took the kids outside this weekend to splash in the water on the street as he emptied the pool.
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| Superman rocking a bathing suit and rain boots |
And to dig for endless worms:
And play some street hockey:
And ball:
Just like two years ago, it was warm enough to be out in short sleeves and much too nice to be cleaning up the leaves.
The kids had a blast and stayed outside for hours. Leaving me all alone inside for a short while to whip up some delicious Nutella. Poor Chloé loves this so much that she pretty much has a temper tantrum every time that I put it away. But if I just let her go at it, I think she'd eat the entire jar in one sitting. Right off of the spoon! It truly is that good.
150g whole hazelnuts
100g dark chocolate
1/2 C icing sugar (or a bit less if you find Nutella too sweet)
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. hazelnut oil (or other flavourless oil - I used canola)
1. Roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 400 degrees Farenheit for 8 minutes or until they are fragrant. Alternatively, you can roast them for a couple of minutes in a pan.
2. Peel the skin off of the hazelnuts. (The original blogger, Lucie, said she got blisters on her fingers doing this, but the skins slipped right off of mine). Don't fret if some of the skins stay on ;)
3. In a food processor, mix the hazelnuts until you obtain a purée with a texture similar to peanut butter.
Lucie mentioned that this took a lot of patience. She processed her hazelnuts in the food processor for approximately 20 minutes and then used a mortar and pestle to finish the job off. I used my brand new VITAMIX!!!! and mine was like peanut butter within a few short minutes.
4. Melt the chocolate mixed with a bit of soy milk on the stove, stirring constantly. We used some of that delicious dark chocolate we brought home from France for this :)))
5. Add the remaining ingredients and process in the food processor. Add more soy milk, if desired, until you have reached the consistency you want.
Enjoy!! Keep in the fridge, due to the added milk and just take out a few minutes before you want to eat it so that it is easier to spread. That is, if you don't just eat it right off the spoon ;)
