World Nutella Day- Homemade Nutella

 

Did you know today is World Nutella Day?

I’m not sure who coins these days, or if it’s even legit but, I thought it fitting to post a homemade Nutella recipe for all those hazelnut spread lovers out there!

My daughter loves Nutella and used to spread at least 5-6 spoonfuls on a big fat piece of challah every other morning.  I paid little to no attention to it until I wised up and learned about the actual crazy sugar content. At the point,  I felt I needed to try to find a healthier alternative.

It’s funny, my knee-jerk reaction to the Nutella sugar content has absolutely nothing to do with the method in which my mom cooked.  In fact, she never substituted any of her ingredients to offer up a healthier alternative.  What’s changed is simply my awareness.  Now that I’m cooking more and strategically shopping for the ingredients for our meals, I’m actually paying attention to what’s getting used in the dishes.   Before, I’d mindlessly ripe open a box for a quick-and-easy meal solution, now I’m actually referencing the labels on the packaging before purchasing.

Making Nutella is easier than you think and typically there should only be 3 ingredients in the recipe.

I found a recipe on a site I now frequent often, Real Food Digest(natural eating in a processed world) for a Quick Homemade Nutella recipe with JUST THREE INGREDIENTS.

I only needed to purchase Almond Butter as I had the other two ingredients.

First homemade batch of the Nutella: I mistakenly used crunchy almond butter.  According to my kids, the first bite was good but, then it tasted too nutty and there wasn’t enough chocolate flavor.

Back to the store for creamy almond butter.

Second homemade batch of Nutella: was a lot tastier, a little less nutty but still, not creamy enough (even though I added Coconut Oil to the mixture to try to change the consistency).

Third homemade batch: I went out on a limb, closer to that of Laura Ingall’s Wilder.  I decided I’d make my own hazelnut butter.  I’d roast some hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then grind them in the food processor until they formed a paste (don’t be too impressed, I didn’t dream this up, I followed instructions I found).

I also added in a bit more maple syrup.

Jackpot. Round three was almost right on the money. Smooth and creamy, a little sweeter tasting than the first two rounds.  The mixture even looked more like Nutella.  Using the hazelnut butter instead of the almond butter made all the difference and diluted the spread’s nutty taste to enhance the chocolate flavor from the cocoa.

I’m thrilled I made the effort to go natural with Nutella.

It’s so easy, there’s really no reason we shouldn’t try and make these small changes.  And, mentally, it feels great too!

Do you make your own foods from scratch at home to avoid processed alternatives? 

When you shop, how often you reading labels to determine which items to purchase?