Homemade Dark Chocolate Nutella

Sauce

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Servings: Yield 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup hazelnuts
  • 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as canola
  • 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, more or less depending on your preference
Notes

Submitted by Dr. Judith Becker, associate professor pediatrics-cardiology. Recipe adapted from Splendid Table.

Tip: Original recipe is stiff. Try using a little vegan cream or milk (like for a ganache). Substitute hazelnut oil for vegetable oil. This makes a great filling for rugelach.

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for about 12 minutes until they’ve browned a little and the skins are blistered a bit.
  • Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove as much loose skin as possible. Some skin will cling to the nuts when you’re done – that’s OK. Let cool completely.
  • Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over gently simmering water or in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Let cool completely.
  • In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts until they form a paste. Add the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and continue processing until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
  • Add the melted chocolate, blend well and then strain the mixture to remove any chunks of hazelnut that remain. The resulting homemade Nutella will be thin and somewhat runny, but it will thicken as it cools.
  • Scrape your homemade Nutella into a jar or other resealable container, and let it cool to room temperature. Cover the container after snitching several spoonfuls.
  • The Nutella will keep on the counter for up to 2 weeks.