makes one generous cup
Hazelnut oil is used in many other recipes out there for homemade Nutella. I found the flavor from the ground hazelnuts to be all this one needed. And while I really adore using vanilla beans, please feel free to replace it with 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract if they’re too expensive or you just don’t have it on hand.
1 cup shelled, toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate discs, melted
2 tablespoon cocoa (Valrhona)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 split vanilla bean
a few drops, vegetable oil (optional)
Add hazelnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it becomes a smooth peanut butter-like
consistency. Add the melted chocolate, cocoa, sugar and vanilla. Process until smooth and well-mixed. Add vegetable oil one drop at a time, and pulse to a smooth, spreadable consistency, if necessary. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar and use as desired.
Some helpful notes: You’ll want to use a just-right sized food processor for this recipe. I made my very first batch in a large capacity one (11 cups) and it proved too challenging to attain the desired consistency with such a small batch. Of course, if you’re tripling this baby, then you’ll be fine (trust me you’ll want to after making it once).
Also, give it the extra few seconds to minute you need to really make sure the hazelnuts are a peanut butter-like consistency. And when it comes to roasting and de-skinning hazelnuts, place them single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in a 400ยบ oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, until they become very fragrant. Immediately transfer them to a cloth towel and rub like mad to remove the skins. Not all of them will come off, and that’s absolutely fine.