We have two hazelnut trees in our yard that produced quite a load of nuts this year. When thinking about how we could use them only one thing came to mind: NUTELLA.

Vegan Nutella

3 cups of roasted, unsalted hazelnuts
1 bar of vegan dark chocolate (we used Alter Eco Blackout)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF and spread a single even layer of raw hazelnuts (remove the shell first) onto a baking tray. Roast for 12-15 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally to turn the nuts.

Remove nuts from the oven and let cool before transferring to a clean towel and rubbing until the skins have come off.

Add the hazelnuts (with skins removed to the best of your ability) to a food processor or magic bullet. Blend until a butter is formed, which could take as long as 10 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed. J made this batch and said the magic bullet was a lot easier to use than a large food processor.

While the processor is going, gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside.

Once the hazelnut butter is smooth and creamy, add in the melted chocolate, vanilla and salt and blend until well incorporated and smooth. If you want it sweeter you can add agave syrup, but we didn’t need to.

Transfer to a clean jar and store in the fridge indefinitely, or at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.