Homemade "Nutella" Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

This was a big hit at my Holiday parties, spread on apple slices and/or crispy buckwheat pancakes*!
(*Make small buckwheat pancakes, then spread them on a cookie sheet & dry them in a 200F oven until crisp. Makes a great gluten-free cracker for savory or sweet toppings!)

I adapted this recipe from here, as I didn't have hazelnut oil, and I won't touch agave nectar.

1 cup hazelnuts

¼ cup cacao powder

5 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, palm sugar, or rapadura

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon hazelnut or coconut oil

pinch celtic sea salt

Roast the hazelnuts at 350° for 8-10 minutes until they darken a bit and smell fragrant

Transfer the hazelnuts to a towel and rub off the skins if you can

In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts to a smooth butter, about 5 minutes, scraping the sides as needed

Add the cacao, sugar, vanilla, oil and salt and process until well blended, about a minute

Store in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator

Bring to room temperature prior to serving

Makes 1 ½ cups

I used Grade B maple syrup for the sugar.
I used coconut oil, and had to add a bit more to get a spreadable consistency. 

Instead of roasting the hazelnuts, I had previously soaked and roasted them. 

Enjoy!!