Homemade Nut-free Nutella

makes one generous cup

Before you get started, make sure your sunflower seeds are specifically labeled nut-free if you have a nut-allergy, or are making this as a treat for someone who's allergic. This means the bulk bins are off-limits, since there's too much risk of cross contamination. A quick search on Amazon, came up with these raw sprouted sunflower seeds that are nut-free, gluten-free, wheat-free and vegan.

If dairy is an issue for you, then by all means try this recipe with a dairy-free chocolate, but do keep in mind I tested it with 55% Guittard chocolate discs. I can't vouch for using a dairy-free chocolate, but would love to hear the testing results if you do, so please share in the comments.

1 cup ( 138 grams) shelled raw unsalted sunflower seeds

4 ounces (112 grams) bittersweet chocolate discs, melted

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Add the sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it becomes a fine, almost powdery, consistency. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable, and process until it forms a smooth paste. You may need to add the additional teaspoon, depending on the sharpness of your food processor blades.

Pour in the the melted chocolate, and pulse until smooth and well-mixed. Add the confectioners' sugar and process until it forms a smooth, spreadable consistency, scraping down the sides as needed to make sure it is well mixed. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar and use as desired.

Storage note: My batch is only three days old, and since it doesn't contain any dairy, I'm opting to stow it away on my counter top.