Homemade Nutella

By ERIN TURNER

Nutella–originally created by Italian chocolatier Pietro Ferrero in 1944–is sweeping the nation with its creamy and chocolaty goodness.  In case you haven’t had the pleasure of indulging in this delightful substitute for peanut butter, you are missing out!  Nutella is essentially made from hazelnuts, cocoa and milk.  It can be used in place of peanut butter for your morning toast or used in recipes for a chocolaty, nutty addition.

My kids love Nutella so I do splurge and buy it.  But it is expensive so I try to make our jar last as long as possible.  Also, I have struggled with Nutella’s ingredients–the first being sugar and also vanillin, an artificial flavoring.  With cost and “iffy” ingredients, it definitely isn’t a staple in our household.

Nutella is made with Hazelnuts (also called filberts).

About a year ago, I found a homemade recipe for Nutella which didn’t contain any sugar or artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  I saved this recipe on one of my Pinterest “bulletin boards” and pretty soon that one recipe caused a fervor.  People were commenting on the recipe and posting it to their own boards.  I’m not just talking about a few people, I’m talking about thousands of people!

This clearly says to me it must be a great recipe and makes a good substitute for the commercial product. Plus when you make it yourself, you don’t have to figure out where to buy Nutella locally.

This past weekend I finally got around to testing out the recipe.  After finding hazelnuts (also known as filberts) at the Good Food Store, I came home to start my experiment.  I had some very interested onlookers and test tasters as I melted chocolate and roasted hazelnuts!The process of making the Nutella recipe took around 30 minutes and that includes roasting the nuts in the oven.  So, it isn’t time consuming nor does it require lots of odd ingredients.  The only item I didn’t have at home were the hazelnuts.

It is possible to have it smooth as silk…just keep blending!

After a final whir of the food processor, I had a line of boys ready to give their expert opinion on my creation.   With spoons ready, one by one they dipped in, licked then smacked and finally raised their eyebrows in approval.  They all agreed, overwhelmingly, that it tasted just like the store bought.

I was so pleased with the result.  I was not expecting to get the smoothness in texture like the commercial product but it came out as smooth as silk.  And the taste is so rich and fresh!  Interestingly, the taste improved as it cooled down.  Since there is whole milk in this recipe, I plan on storing mine in the refrigerator.The commercial Nutella costs $6.56 for 26.5 oz at Walmart.  My cost for about 40 oz was less than $7.00.  A definite savings!  Plus, no added sugar or artificial flavorings earns this recipe the status of becoming a constant staple for our household now!

Try it out for yourself!  I think this would be a great gift idea at Christmas time or for a special occasion!

Homemade Nutella Recipe:

• 1 ½ cups whole hazelnuts (filberts)
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ¾ cup powdered milk
• 1 Tablespoon honey (a mild flavor is recommended)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 heaping cup chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (can use chips)
• 1 scant cup chopped milk chocolate (can use chips)

Since there is whole milk in this recipe, I plan on storing mine in the refrigerator.

On a baking sheet, toast the nuts in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and their skins begin to pop. Transfer to a dish towel, gather into a bundle and rub together vigorously to remove as much of their skins as possible.  While warm, transfer to your food processor and blend until they go from finely ground to pasty and thick to a spread-like consistency.  (Like natural peanut butter).

Meanwhile, warm the milk, powdered milk, honey and salt in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil.  Remove from heat.  In a double boiler, melt the chocolates, stirring until smooth.

Add the melted chocolate to the ground nuts and continue to process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the warm milk mixture and process until everything is well blended and as smooth as possible.  (It is possible to have it smooth as silk…just keep blending!).  Makes a little more than 4 cups.

If you’re like me, you’ll start looking for things to spread this on or you’ll just grab the spoon and dig in! But if you have your own ideas about how to use Nutella, recipes for how to use Nutella, or you’d like to share your own experiences making Nutella, please leave a comment below.

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