Spreadable Heaven: Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

If you have even just a bit of interest in raw foods then, almost certainly, you're into nut butters too. They sure are "in"...and I doubt it's a temporary thing. It definitely isn't in my home, ha!
More and more companies are coming out with different flavored, even sprouted versions and the selection at health food stores is ever growing... However, if you'd rather make your own little jar of heaven instead of making extra trips to the store, then here's how you CAN.  No, you don't need a stone grinder. Yes, it would be nice, but let's be somewhat realistic, most of us don't have one of those machines sitting on the counter top. A food processor though...well, chances are you have one of those, and if you do, you're all set! You're just minutes away from indulging in your own creation of yumminess :)

By the way, home made nut butters make great Christmas presents too so you might as well stock up on a variety of nuts and other ingredients too.....to boost the flavor and nutrition density..

DIY nut butter, here we go..

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

Ingredients:

(Makes about 7 ounces)

1 ½ cup hazelnuts

½ cup cashews

¼ cup (or more, to taste) coconut sugar

¼ cup cacao powder

ground vanilla

optional: coconut oil*

Directions:

1. Place all of the nuts in the food processor and process them until you see butter forming. You will get a crumbly mixture first, which will slowly transition into a creamier paste, and eventually oily butter.
*Depending on how oily or dry the nuts you're using are, you might need to help out with a bit of coconut oil, so add some if you think it's necessary. I didn't need any this time at all.
While processing the nuts, make sure you pause your machine every now and then and scrape the sides and the bottom to help the formation of butter and even mixing.
2. Add the coconut sugar, cacao powder and vanilla and process it more to get a homogenous mixture.
3. Enjoy it immediately or store the butter in a glass jar. Refrigerate it to keep it for a longer period and lessen the chance of the oils separating out.








You're welcome! : )

Hazelnut Nutrition
Filberts are exceptionally high in manganese and are a great source of minerals in general...a great food for your bones and for supplementing mineral-deficient diets.  They're also a very good source of B vitamins, especially B1 (thiamine) and, like most nuts, they're high in vitamin E...overall, a wonderful snack for healthy skin, your nerves, and to support fertility. As if you needed to justify eating some : )
Just enjoy...

♥
Dita 

Featured in Funky Raw, UK's raw food magazine