Homemade Hazelnut Spread - World Nutella Day

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Information about World Nutella Day can be found here.

The last recipe in this week's chocolate extravaganza comes on World Nutella Day. Nutella is the brand name of a sweet hazelnut-based spread made by the same folks who distribute the Ferrero Roche chocolates that are so popular during the holiday season. Their spread is based on gianduja, a sweet chocolate and hazelnut confection that was developed centuries ago in Turin, Italy. Gianduja is used in candy making and to flavor milk and other beverages. Many people use it as they would peanut butter and spread it on bread or toast for snacks. I don't think many would debate how delicious the spread is. There are many who would debate how healthy it is for you. Good or bad, it's here to stay and the lucky folks at Ferrero are probably delighted that their brand name is now generically used to identify most hazelnut spreads available to consumers. That's brand recognition at its best. Gianduja, which contains just four ingredients, is simple to make now that we have food processors and blenders at our disposal. Anyone who has easy access to hazelnuts or filberts can make this in a matter of minutes. I am fortunate to live in the state of Oregon where one of the major export crops is hazelnuts. That means I have a ready and relatively inexpensive source of nuts with which to make the spread. So, sometimes I do. I thought you'd enjoy seeing how it's made. Here's the recipe for the homemade version of Nutella.

Homemade Hazelnut Spread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped toasted hazelnuts (filberts)
3/4 cup to 1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/8 to 1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
Place hazelnuts in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until nuts start to clump together in a ball. This will take some time (about five minutes), so be patient. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and process again for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture turns dark and ingredients are well combined. Now, slowly drizzle in enough oil to make a spread. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks. Yield: 2 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Nutella Scones - I'll Have What She's Having
Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups - Barbara Bakes
Nutella Crepes - A Little Bit of Everything
Nutella Pop Tarts - Piece of Cake
Nutella Fudge - Annie Bakes
Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes - Playing House
French Yogurt Cake with Nutella - Stacey Snacks