Jason was out of town for business this week. That never happens and I learned some things about myself while he was gone.
#1 – I primarily cook for my husband – last night for dinner the kids and I had frozen pizza, and not even a respectable kind. I had no motivation to make dinner with my husband out of town.
#2 – I do not enjoy sleeping alone. I let all the kids pile into bed with me and figured out:
#3 – I think I’d rather sleep alone than get kicked in the ribs all night long!
I had no desire to cook while my husband was gone, but in order to prepare for his arrival home I felt the need to make treats. I thought he would feel the love if I had something a little extra special ready when he came home. And to quote my 5 year old daughter “These are awesome!”
Usually I go for a healthier graham cracker version with whole wheat flour and honey, but I tried a not-so-healthy version today and they were the best I’ve ever made. I found the recipe here.
This was the first time I’ve made a chocolate hazelnut spread. The recipe I found was fairly simple and straightforward. The part that was the hardest for me was removing the skins from the hazelnuts. I roasted the nuts in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 and then rolled them in a dishtowel to remove the skins. A lot of the skins came off right away, but it took me about 20 minutes to get it all off. I was getting frustrated with it by the end. Am I missing something – is there an easier way? Or is it just a tedious task?
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- 2 cups whole raw hazelnuts
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Toast 15 minutes – 20 minutes. Stirring at about the 10 minute mark.
- To get rid of the skins, wrap the cooled hazelnuts in a kitchen towel. Rub until most of the skins come off. (Please let me know if you have a better method!
) - Process nuts in a food processor (I used my vita-mix) until they have liquefied, about 5 minutes.
- Then add the sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Slowly drizzle in just enough oil to make a spreadable consistency.
- Transfer the spread to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for a month.
Jessica "Su Good Sweets"
/ March 24, 2011Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Some people dip hazelnuts in boiling-hot water with baking soda., You squeeze the hazelnuts one by one, and the whole skin slips off. Then you toast the nuts. I’d rather rub all of them in a paper towel because it seems more efficient, and I don’t worry if I can’t get it completely clean.
Rhonda Steed
/ March 24, 2011mmm that looks tasty!! I also cook for my husband. Although I can only take so much crappy food myself. So we he is gone just one night we’ll probably have like pancakes or something like that but after a few days I just need some REAL food too!
Ricki
/ March 24, 2011I was skeptical about the title, BETTER than Nutella. We take our Nutella pretty seriously around here. But the recipe looks good and I love that you can drizzle it.
abby
/ March 24, 2011I agree with Ricki about the title, but I am all for making my own version. Looking forward to trying it.
Christina
/ March 24, 2011Ricki – We take our Nutella seriously here as well! We buy the big jars from Costco and it doesn’t last long at our house. I am sure we will still be buying Nutella, I didn’t feel like this was easy enough for everyday – but in my own opinion I thought it was way better than Nutella. You could taste the hazelnuts more than the sweetener – it was so good!
Christina
/ March 24, 2011Jessica – The one by one idea doesn’t seem any easier – I think I’ll try the towel again next time and not be so picky about getting all the skins off. Thanks for the tip!
Christina
/ March 24, 2011Rhonda – I think you’re right, if he was gone more than a couple of days I probably would have needed some real food too!
Shannon
/ March 25, 2011Thank you for this–it looks great! I came over to visit via Momoir on FB. I’m a recipe junkie, so it’ll be fun looking through your blog.