Most swear Nutella should have its own food group, but this recipe definitely earns its own day of the month…which will be up to you! I have not been much of a drink-from-the-carton or eat-the-whole-pint kind of girl until I whipped up a jar-full of hazelnutty and chocolatey taste of heaven. It was intended to be a gift, but I went through most the batch with some apple slices, and then later with a spoon. The roasted hazelnut taste peeks through a blanket of dark chocolate, and the dainty sweetness from the honey sort of makes me want to dance in my underwear. This sweet treat has only pure ingredients, which means no soy lethicin, milk powder, refined sugar, or processed vegetable oils like the original–so indulging is not so bad after-all! Truthfully, you should make some to give this holiday season, but to keep those jars safe from your spoon, make another for yourself.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw hazelnuts

1/4 cup good-quality cocoa powder

2 tablespoons unrefined hazelnut oil (or melted coconut oil)

5 tablespoons raw honey

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

*Makes one 12-ounce jar-full.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place raw hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast until skins turn dark brown and start falling off–about 10 minutes. Remove skins as best you can by rolling them between two paper towels. Transfer nuts to a food processor, and blend for 5 minutes until creamy–you may have to scrape sides once or twice. Add cocoa powder, hazelnut oil, honey, vanilla extract, and sea salt, and process for an additional minute. For a thinner consistency, add more hazelnut oil. Pour into a 12 ounce jar. Your chocolate-hazelnut butter will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Butter is perfect topped on ice-cream, stirred in coffee, blended with a frozen banana and milk, and smeared on coconut-flour pancakes!