Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
If you’re a Nutella fan, but prefer a healthy version that’s free of dairy, refined sugar, soy, and processed inflammatory oils, this Chocolate Hazelnut Butter is for you! While the first ingredient of Nutella is sugar, with only 13% hazelnuts, the predominant ingredient in this Chocolate Hazelnut Butter is hazelnuts! I included a delicious sugar-free option (my personal favorite!) as well as an option to add a bit of non-refined sugar in case a little more sweetness is preferred.
Hazelnuts make an awesome tasting nut butter! I don’t understand why it’s not as popular as peanut butter? Just imagine the possibilities of how this Chocolate Hazelnut Butter can be used??? It can be drizzled over my cassava flour pancakes (Yuca-ta Try These Pancakes) or any dessert, used as a dip for apples, strawberries or other fruit, used as a filling for my Grain-Free Crepes, or spread on gluten-free bread (like my Flatbread) as a nutritious breakfast or snack! It’s a decadent, yet healthy treat you can feel good about serving to your family!
Let’s make some Chocolate Hazelnut Butter!!!
(*Full Printer-Friendly recipe below*)
Nutritious “real food” ingredients needed:
-1 16 oz bag raw hazelnuts (about 3 cups) or dry roasted hazelnuts (If using dry roasted hazelnuts, skip roasting and skin removing steps below.)
-2 tablespoons organic cacao powder (Cocoa powder could also be used, but it’s not as pure, or rich in fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. Both are healthy and will make delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Butter!)
-1/4 cup organic coconut oil – melted
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-Sweetener Options: – 1/4 cup organic coconut sugar or 1/8 teaspoon Pure Monk, a 100% organic, zero calorie sweetener that has no affect on blood sugar. (See more information on Pure Monk below.)
-pinch of pink Himalayan salt (Any salt can be used, but I prefer pink Himalayan because of its high mineral content.)
Instructions:
–If using raw hazelnuts, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Raw hazelnuts must first be roasted, after which skins can be easily removed.
-Roasting hazelnuts: Spread raw hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until nuts start to brown and skins loosen. Allow to cool.
-Place cooled, roasted hazelnuts on a clean dish towel, gather ends together creating a sealed “bag”, then rub and roll nuts and towel together to remove nut skins. The more that gets removed, the creamier the texture of the nut butter, but it’s unnecessary (and nearly impossible) to remove 100% of skins.
-Place roasted, skinned hazelnuts in a food processor (I use a Vitamix, but any food processor can be used.) Process nuts for about 5 minutes, until they become the consistency of creamy nut butter. It may be necessary to stop every minute or 2 to scrape the sides to keep everything blending together.
Continue processing until your hazelnut butter resembles the picture on the right below.
-Add cacao powder, sweetener, vanilla, and salt, and continue blending for another minute until fully combined and smooth.
*I store mine in a sealed glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (although it rarely lasts that long!)
There are an endless number of things that can be done with this decadent treat!
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter makes eating fruit a whole lot more fun!!!
Make Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Crepes using my Grain-Free Crepe recipe! It’s extra scrumptious with bananas!!! Roll them up or make triangles!
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Crepe Pizza with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, shredded coconut, and pecan pieces! (Or whatever toppings you like!!!)
What would you like to do with your Chocolate Hazelnut Butter??? Send me pictures of your creations!!! Or post them on Instagram and tag @CrazyForYuca
***
Healthy Eating Tip: Decrease the sugar and give monk fruit sweetener a try!
Monk fruit, also known as lo han guo, is a melon grown in Southeast Asia. It has been used in Eastern medicine to treat ailments for centuries. Monk fruit sweetener is a natural extract of monk fruit, with a single serving containing zero calories. It’s highly recommended for weight loss and diabetics since it doesn’t impact blood sugar levels. Organic Pure Monk is almost 300 times sweetener than sugar! Very little goes a long way! The taste is different than sugar, and may take some getting used to. It’s FDA approved and considered safe for children and women who are pregnant or nursing.
Note: If you buy any brand of monk fruit sweetener other than Pure Monk, be sure to read the label carefully. Many call their sweeteners monk fruit, but blend them with other sweeteners to make the taste more similar in taste and sweetness to sugar. The added ingredients may add calories, decrease the relative sweetness, or change the health profile of the sweetener. Give pure monk fruit sweetener a try and let me know what you think. But trust me, use VERY little. More is not better in this case.
Check out Pure Monk by clicking the link below.
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All yuca/cassava snacks have been taste tested and approved by myself and my family! For a discussion of recommended yuca/cassava chips, see my post The Perfect Yuca Chip!
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If you're a Nutella fan, but prefer a healthy version that's free of dairy, refined sugar, soy, and processed inflammatory oils, this Chocolate Hazelnut Butter is for you! Just imagine the possibilities??? It can be drizzled over pancakes or any dessert, used as a dip for apples, strawberries or other fruit, used as a filling for my Grain-Free Crepes, spread on gluten-free bread (like my Flatbread) as a nutritious breakfast or snack... You name it! It's a decadent, yet healthy treat you can feel good about serving to your family.
- 16 oz bag raw hazelnuts (about 3 cups) Dry roasted hazelnuts can also be used. (If using dry roasted hazelnuts, skip roasting and skin removing steps below.)
- 2 tablespoons organic cacao powder (Cocoa powder could also be used, but it's not as pure, or rich in fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. Both are healthy, delicious options.)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sweetener Options: - 1/4 cup organic coconut sugar or 1/8 teaspoon PureMonk - for sugar-free option. (100% organic monk fruit sweetener contains zero calories and has no affect on blood sugar.)
- pinch of pink Himalayan salt (Any salt can be used, but I prefer pink Himalayan because of its high mineral content.)
-
If using raw hazelnuts, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Raw hazelnuts must first be roasted, after which skins can be easily removed. If dry roasted hazelnuts are being used, skip to step 4.
-
Spread raw hazelnuts on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until nuts start to brown and skins loosen. Allow to cool.
-
Place cooled, roasted hazelnuts on a clean dish towel, and gather ends together to create a sealed "bag." Rub and roll nuts and towel together to remove nut skins. The more that get removed, the creamier the texture of the hazelnut butter, but it's unnecessary (and nearly impossible) to remove 100% of skins.
-
Place roasted, skinned hazelnuts in a food processor (I use a Vitamix, but any food processor can be used.) Process nuts for about 5 minutes, until they become the consistency of nut butter. It may be necessary to stop every minute or 2 to scrape nut butter off the sides so everything blends together.
-
Add cacao powder, sweetener, vanilla, and salt, and continue blending for another minute until fully combined and smooth.
-
Have fun drizzling, dipping, and spreading your Chocolate Hazelnut Butter on anything desired!
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I store mine in a sealed glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (although it rarely lasts that long!)
***
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Disclaimer– In Crazy for Yuca I write about my own personal health and diet journey. My experience and recipes are not to be considered expert advice or suggestive that anyone follow any particular diet protocol. Each person’s body and medical issues are individual and need to be evaluated by a medical professional. If you have any concerns due to your specific diagnoses, please consult your doctor before eating yuca.
