It’s quick and easy to make your own chocolatey nut spread, and it’s ideal for parents looking to make a treat for their kids while having greater control over the ingredients.
It’s easy to use organic ingredients, and the ability to customize and substitute for different kinds of nuts could help parents of children with allergies or intolerances. Many of the chocolate and hazelnut pastes from the supermarket contain seed oils, which are associated with inflammatory diseases and obesity. Using extra-virgin olive oil is a great alternative for your homemade paste.
This recipe is easy to make as a family. Children can decorate the jar, measure the ingredients, and make sure all the utensils are licked clean afterward.
Ingredients:
- 100 g (3.5 ounces) of chocolate
- 25 g (1 ounce) of cacao
- 25 g (1 ounce) of honey
- 150 g (5 ounces) of nuts (macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, or pretty much any other kind of nuts you like)
- About 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) of olive oil
4-Step Summary:
- Melt the chocolate
- Finely chop the nuts
- Add olive oil, honey, and cacao
- Enjoy
1. Melt the Chocolate
Melt the chocolate by placing it in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water or using the microwave. Here’s a video from Mahalo Baking demonstrating how to melt the chocolate with a bain marie (over a pan of water):
The smell of warm chocolate is worth melting it with the bain-marie method. Stir the chocolate until it’s fully melted. Don’t eat yet even if it’s tempting, you will burn your tongue, really!
2. The Nuts
Finely chop the nuts (think creatively—hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, the options are many since everything goes well with chocolate!) in a food processor until they’re oily.
3. Adding It All Together
Mix all ingredients (melted chocolate, cacao, oil, nuts, honey) together. Pour the mixture into a clean jar. Cool it a bit in your fridge if the mixture is too liquidy. It should keep for at least two weeks. It’s hard to imagine such a creation could survive without being eaten for longer than a couple of weeks anyway!
*Image via Shutterstock
