Homemade Nutella!

For those of you interested in the homemade Nutella recipe from our last meeting, here you are:

Thanks very much to Chefs Gone Wild for the recipe inspiring the concoction I came up with, thanks to David Lebovitz via Sarah Nett for the Macaroon recipe, and thank you to variations One, Two, Three, & Four for additional inspiration.

~ 2 cups hazelnuts, skinned and toasted
~ 1/3 c. dark cocoa powder
~ 3/4 c. powdered sugar
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 1/8 tsp. salt
~ 2 T. hazelnut, peanut, or vegetable oil

1. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 450F until the skins are dark but not burned. Remove them and let cool for five minutes, then rub them with a dishtowel to remove the skins. (Skins will cause a bitter taste, so try to remove as much as possible...)

2. Blend hazelnuts in a food processor for 4-5 minutes. Nuts will go through several stages - dry, to wet and clumped, to a final smooth consistency once the nuts have released all of their oils.

3. Add and continue to blend until incorporated: cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Check flavor. Sugar and cocoa powder amounts may be somewhat modified to suit your taste and sweetness preferences.

4. Add oil and mix until smooth. Keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Viola! No high fructose corn syrup, no soy lecithin, no modified palm oil. Just yum!