Almond Walnut Chocolate Spread Recipe

What do you mean you’ve never heard of that?

Any excuse for chocolate and hazelnuts blended into a creamy deliciousness is a reason to celebrate in my book. My only problem with Nutella is that it is made with hydrogenated oils and I am a bit of a freak and prefer not to feed those nasty additions to my family. There are some great “healthy” versions at the Coop and other shops, but alas those have dairy in them. So I have resigned myself to be the household ‘not nutella’ maker.

The version I made today is way off the mark. I am fresh out of hazelnuts or filberts, depending on where you are from. So I made an almond/walnut chocolate spread. I like the flavor combination. As you can see from the photos I did not blend it super smooth. Patience is not one of my stronger virtues, besides I kind of like the texture, it doesn’t let you forget what it is made from. It might not be so great blended into a recipe for a refined pastry, but smeared on toasted pound cake, a graham cracker, or your finger I cannot image you would be disappointed. I know for sure that when the kids find out what I made they will be over the moon.

I can hear it now… “Eine Nutella Crepe Bitte!“

toasting your nuts

grinding your nuts

this is after about 2 minutes... keep going

about 4 minutes into it, this is where I stopped. keep going for a smoother consistency

eat it right off the spoon

Almond & Walnut Chocolate Spread

1 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup walnut chopped pieces
2 Tbsp nut oil (I used walnut because that is what I had, I suppose even canola or other neutral oil would work fine)
2/3 cup powdered sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
2-3 Tbsp cocoa powder depending on your chocolate tolerance)
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

First toast the nuts on the stove or in the oven, being very careful. Burnt nuts are horrendous. Trust me, I know. I toasted the whole almonds until fragrant, then tossed in the more fragile walnuts for just a couple seconds. Let them cool.

Dump the nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Process for about 5 minutes until smooth, it will be necessary to scrape the sides and the bottom a few times. Then you finally get the consistency you want add the remaining ingredients and process again until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom as you go.

Taste and adjust to your taste, more sugar, more cocoa, more oil if too thick.

Voila!

Find a quiet corner to hide so you can eat it in peace

Tagged as: chocolate, vegan

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Susan @ SGCC February 6, 2010 at 9:05 am: That spread looks fantastic! I could definitely get into dipping my spoon into that jar! Well done, Kristen!
2 Charles G Thompson February 6, 2010 at 10:58 am: Love this. I just got back from a chefs’ event in Yosemite and one the chefs made Hazelnut Crepes with Nutella and Blood Orange Syrup. I also don’t like the idea of all the bad stuff in commercial Nutella – now I can make the recipe using your version!
3 Sophie February 7, 2010 at 1:45 am: I so love this healthier home made version!!

Thanks a lot!! A must try, dear friend!
4 Megan February 19, 2010 at 9:11 pm: I am a Nutella addict but definitely want to give this recipe a try-if I can make a healthier version if it at home, all the better!