A Hazelnut Spread for You

Hershey's and Jif have finally caught on to the worldwide food craze that is Nutella, the chocolate hazelnut spread I miss so terribly.  Nutella is good on EVERYTHING, strawberries and celery - it transports plain old white toast into a heavenly dimension....  There is also as much sugar in what you would use to cover a slice of toast as there is in 5 Oreas!

What to do?  What to do?!?  When the world will not supply - do it yourself!

Toasted, peeled hazelnuts and some cocoa powder supply a nice balance of nut and chocolate flavor, while a food processor and some oil was all I needed to bring the two together. Mix in some sweetener, vanilla, and salt for depth, and you have a rustic, homemade bariatric-friendly version of Nutella.

Makes 1½ cups

2 cups hazelnuts (roasted)
1 cup Splenda Granular
⅓ cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place hazelnuts in single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until fragrant and dark brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating tray halfway through cooking. Transfer hazelnuts to medium bowl and set aside. When hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, overturn a second medium bowl and place on top of first bowl. Shake vigorously to remove skins.

Transfer peeled hazelnuts to food processor and process to consistency of smooth, loose paste, about 5 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

Add Splenda, cocoa powder, oil, vanilla, and salt, and process until fully incorporated and mixture begins to loosen slightly and become glossy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

Transfer spread to jar with tight-fitting lid. Spread can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Cook's Notes:

* Walnut or a tasteless vegetable oil can be substituted for the hazelnut oil. DO NOT use olive oil.

*The final spread will have the consistency of almond butter. The texture will stiffen and become more spreadable if kept in the refrigerator.

* If you have a Vitamix or Ninja (or equivalent) blender, you can actually get it as silky smoothe as the Nutella from the grocery, but I like a little texture in mine so i never push it that far.