Not-Nutella (Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)

N is for Not-Nutella.

Nutella used to be a morning, noon and night and snack time staple in our household.  It was eaten with bread, apples, strawberries and even by the spoonful.  That was until our eating habits were revised so that they were healthier, less sugar and were not processed.

Until recently, while scouring the many, many, recipes on Pinterest did I come across one that was for homemade Nutella.  So I thought I would give it a try.  The one downside, was that it was made with refined white sugar and milk - something that my daughter has to steer clear of due to her eczema.

So after much begging from her for her beloved Nutella, I set out to create one that wasn't made with refined white sugar or milk.  After a few tries and some frustration, I finally got it and one that she actually liked (which was a huge bonus).



Ingredients

2 cups raw hazelnuts
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3 tablespoons of coconut oil
6 tablespoons of water
4-6 tablespoons of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 to 1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate chips
1 tablespoon maple syrup


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Place hazelnuts on a baking pan and toast them for 20 minutes, or until their skins begin to crack. (See Note 1)
2. Allow the hazelnuts to cool.  Rub the hazelnuts in a dishtowel to help remove the skins.  You will want to have as much, if not all, of the skins off of the hazelnuts as possible.
3. Place the peeled hazelnuts in a food processor and process for 3-5 minutes (depending on your food processor) until you have a creamy nut butter.
4. In a small pot, place the coconut oil, water, cocoa powder, 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and maple syrup, under low heat to slowly melt the ingredients. (See Note 2) 
5. Once melted, place the mixture in the food processor to blend with the nut butter.  
6. Slowly add the almond milk one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency you prefer.  (I used roughly 6 tablespoons of almond milk to reach the smooth consistency in the photo.)
7. Put the finished Not-Nutella in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week (not that it will last that long).

Notes

1.  One word of caution - DO NOT over roast the hazelnuts.  Trust me, no matter how much coconut sugar or maple syrup you put in, it will still have a burnt taste to it and you will have wasted precious time and money on ingredients that no one will eat. You will need to watch and even smell the hazelnuts while roasting.  You can tell when they are done when your kitchen smells fragrant from the roasting of the hazelnuts.  It is at that point that you can remove the hazelnuts from the oven.

2.  At this point, you will want to taste the mixture to see if it is sweet enough.  If not, you will want to add more coconut sugar and chocolate chips - just not more than what totals 1 cup coconut sugar and 1 cup of chocolate chips.


Now that you have made Not-Nutella, what is your favorite way to enjoy this chocolaty goodness?