Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Always a front-runner to garnish crêpes or for being smeared over sliced baguettes, Hazelnut Chocolate Spread is a definite star of the French breakfast table. Perfectly creamy, but less sweet and more robust in hazelnut flavor than most store-bought brands, this homemade hazelnut chocolate spread recipe focuses on two star ingredients – roasted hazelnuts and milk chocolate – for a taste and texture that’s as addictive as can be.

For the making of Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, you first need to make hazelnut butter – to which melted chocolate and cream are then added.

Making hazelnut butter is a quick and simple process, achieved by blending roasted hazelnuts in a food processor/blender until it turns into “butter” – and that’s it. This can often be more cost-efficient than buying a jar from the store, especially if you buy the hazelnuts in bulk.

That being said, you can also use a jar of already-made hazelnut butter if you have one on hand. Simply make sure it is organic hazelnut butter, made from only one ingredient: roasted hazelnuts.

How to make hazelnut butter?

Making hazelnut butter starts with roasted hazelnuts, which are then blended to a smooth, spreadable consistency (“butter”). Here is how it’s done in two easy steps.

1. Roasting hazelnuts

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle. Line up a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the hazelnuts on it in an even layer. Bake the hazelnuts for 15 minutes, until skins are blistered. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the hazelnuts cool completely on the baking sheet.

Once cool, transfer the hazelnuts, one handful at a time, into a kitchen cloth. Close the kitchen cloth and rub/scrunch between your hands for about 1 minute. The friction will help most of the hazelnut skins to fall off. Transfer the “cleaned” hazelnuts to a bowl. Once roasted, hazelnuts can be kept for up to 12 months in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

2. Blending hazelnuts

Transfer the roasted hazelnuts to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until smooth – in intervals, so the nuts and machine don’t overheat. As you blend, the nuts will get stuck to the sides of the work bowl. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula once in a while. The longer you blend, the smoother the hazelnut butter will be. 4-5 minutes will give you a thick spreadable butter (as pictured here) / 12-15 minutes will give you a smooth, more liquidy butter (note: the times will vary depending on the appliance you’re using).

Once made, use the hazelnut butter immediately to make this Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread or store it in a jar or airtight container for up to 3 months in the fridge.

Cooking notes:

• This recipe requires the use of a high-speed blender or food processor.
• This recipe was developed with the use of milk chocolate, to create a creamier/spreadable texture. I also found milk chocolate lends the best taste. Make sure you choose a good quality milk chocolate bar or callets – not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips often include stabilizers such a soy lecithin added to them, which raise their melting temperature so the chips keep their shape once baked. So a melted baking bar yields a smoother and more malleable end result. Choose a milk chocolate with at least 30% cacao solids. I personally recommend Callebaut and Valrhona brands.
• This recipe gives you enough spread to fill a 1.5cups / 350ml jar. You can double the quantities to make more. 

How to store this Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread? 

After making the spread and letting it cool to room temperature, store it in the refrigerator.

• In the refrigerator: store it in an airtight container/jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. I recommend you take it out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before eating it, to allow the texture to soften a bit. 
• Not in the freezer: I do not recommend freezing this spread.  

I hope you’ll love this Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. 

You may also like:

• Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt 
• Chocolate Chip Cookies with Fleur de Sel
• Brownies with Pecans & Fleur de Sel
• Hazelnut Chocolate Sea Salt Granola
• Classic French Chocolate Truffles
• Classic French Chocolate Pots de Crème

Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Print Recipe

Serves: 350ml Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.8/5

( 6 voted )

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (200g) whole hazelnuts, raw (or 200g natural hazelnut butter)
2/3 cup (150ml) heavy cream (35% m.f.)
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
2 tbsp (14g) unsweetened cocoa powder
100g (3.5oz) milk chocolate, chopped
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Skip step 1 & 2 explain how to make hazelnut butter. If you already have a jar of organic hazelnut butter, you can skip step 1 & 2. 

Step 1 – Roast the hazelnuts. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle. Line up a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the hazelnuts on it in an even layer. Bake the hazelnuts for 15 minutes, until skins are blistered. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the hazelnuts cool completely on the baking sheet. Once cool, transfer the hazelnuts, one handful at a time, into a kitchen cloth. Close the kitchen cloth and rub/scrunch between your hands. The friction will help most of the hazelnut skins to fall off. Transfer the “cleaned” hazelnuts to a bowl.

Step 2 – Make hazelnut butter. Transfer the hazelnuts to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until smooth - in intervals, so the nuts and machine don’t overheat. The longer you blend, the smoother the hazelnut butter will be. 4-5 minutes will give you a thick spreadable butter / 12-15 minutes will give you a smooth, more spreadable butter. Choose the consistency you prefer, which will lead to a similar consistency for the hazelnut chocolate spread.

Step 3 – Make the hazelnut chocolate spread.In a medium sauce pan over low-medium heat, warm up the heavy cream with the cocoa powder and sugar. Stir until well combined and hot – but not yet simmering. Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and pour the hot cream over top. Wait about 15 seconds and stir until the chocolate is all melted.

Stir in the hazelnut butter and salt, until combined. Transfer the spread into a jar and let it cool completely to room temperature before closing the lid and storing it in the fridge. 

Note about this recipe:

I experimented to test and develop a homemade hazelnut chocolate I was very happy about –  and this is the one. I played around with hazelnut vs. chocolate ratios, tried different types of chocolate (ie. dark chocolate), different fats (ie. hazelnut oil, powdered milk), different sugars (ie. honey, maple syrup), etc. In the end, I found this final recipe to be my best result, both in taste and texture. It isn’t dairy-free, low-sugar or anything as such (I feel this spread is definitely “a treat”), but this is by far the BEST version, in my opinion! There are hundreds of homemade hazelnut chocolate spread recipes out there… so if you are looking for a dairy-free, low-sugar or “healthier” spread, I am certain you will find it elsewhere.