Healthy homemade “Nutella

No store-bought spread is quite as decadent and satisfying as Nutella. Unfortunately it isn’t exactly the healthiest option.

As delicious as Nutella may be, many of its ingredients don’t make it the healthiest spread in the supermarket aisle. To make this homemade spread healthier than the store-bought variety, you’ll notice the following healthy swaps:

• Nutella’s first ingredient is sugar, which means a 2-tablespoon serving will load you up with 21 grams of sugar. Agave nectar is used in this recipe instead of sugar. Agave nectar has a lower glycemic index than sugar and is one and a half times sweeter, so you can use less to achieve the same amount of sweetness.
• In the store-bought variety, palm oil is the second ingredient, causing a single serving to give you a whopping 20 per cent of your daily value of saturated fat. Here, no extra oil is added.
• Rather than skim milk and whey, unsweetened almond milk is used, and some varieties can have just 30 calories per cup.
• Hazelnuts are the main ingredient in this recipe, as a whole cup is used. Hazelnuts are rich in vitamin E, folate and many other vitamins and minerals.

Check out the health benefits of chocolate >>

Healthy homemade “Nutella”

Serving size roughly 1 cup

Recipe adapted from Chocolate-covered Katie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw, shelled hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray, and roast them in the oven for 12 minutes.
3. Remove the hazelnuts from heat, and let them cool for 2–3 minutes or until you can handle them comfortably.
4. Using a piece of dry paper towel, rub down the hazelnuts to make the brown skin fall off. You might have to do some of the more stubborn ones one at a time with your fingers. Don’t worry if you can’t get all the brown stuff off, though; just do your best.
5. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor, and blend on high until they have the consistency of a creamy nut butter.
6. Add in the cocoa powder, agave nectar, almond milk, vanilla extract and salt. Continue to blend. Scrape down the sides as needed until all the ingredients are combined.
7. Store in the fridge in a small Mason jar or resealable container.

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Healthy DIY snacking: Spring seed crackers