Homemade Nutella

Dear God, grant me the wisdom to avoid eating the entire jar in one sitting. :D

 

I mean...what can I say? I`m sorry if the pictures show you something that resembles poop, but the taste is just the same. 

This is not just a Nutella substitute. It is Nutella! 

 

There is NO ONE in this entire world who tasted Nutella and didn`t get addicted to it. The smooth, chocolaty hazelnut spread is impossible to resist. 

You`ll forget about your strict healthy eating plan and just eat spoonfulls. There is no natural force that can stop me enjoying every little bit of it.

 

I wish I could have taken pictures of the jar while it was still full...I simply forgot about everything and everyone once I tasted it. And tasted again and again...

 

Enough talking! Let me introduce you my Nutella recipe. If you are too lazy, go buy the original one, it`ll still be amazing.

My entire family is addicted to it. Yes, even my dad who prefers white chocolate over black one. You know what they said? That this is even better than the store bought one! 

Ingredients:

200 g hazelnuts, skin on or off(untoasted&unsalted)

5 to 7 Tablespoons honey or icing sugar (sweeten it to your own taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 2 teaspoons vegetable,flavourless oil(such as canola)

1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions   

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius/375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet/tray with parchment paper and put the hazelnuts on it . Toast them for aprox. 12 minutes or until the skins peel of easly when rubbed between your fingers.

Peel skins off and put them in a blender or a food processor. Blend on high until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Add in oil (you might need more or less, start off with 1 Tbsp and blend after each addition until you get a smooth, shiny paste. 

  Like in the pictures above.

Toss in cocoa powder, vanilla extract, honey and blend on high for 5 minutes. Check it for the right consistency. If you think it`s not smooth or silky enough, blend more. Take a spatula and run it around the blades to make sure there are no pieces of whole hazelnuts. 

Store the Nutella in a jar..who am I kidding? Eat it! 

  

 

Homemade Peanut Butter

If you are American, I can feel your excitement...yes, homemade, natural Peanut Butter. Quick, grab a slice of bread and the jelly jar, because this stuff is amazing!

 

Please don`t feel discouraged if your homemade butter looks grainy and not smooth like the store-bought one, after all you aren`t using anything but 3 ingredients and a blender or a food processor. 

You can adjust it to your own taste. If you have more of a sweet tooth, than by all means add more sweetener. Or, don`t add it at all, it will still be delicious.

 

I`m sorry for the shark-like bite in the photo above, but I just couldn`t help tasting it. Or shall I say: gobbling it all up?

Now, Peanut Butter has a bad reputation: it`s fattening. Well, if you are talking about the store-bought stuff, then yes, it is not only fattening but also bad for your health. 

But (there is always a "but") homemade PB offers you all the protein you need, it prevents type 2 Diabetes and helps with your brain functioning(because of the natural fat the peanuts contain) .

 

I would like to compare a PB which can be found in your local supermarket with a natural one.

Bought PB Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, corn syrup solids, sugar, soy protein, salt, hydrogenated vegetable oils(cottonseed, soybean and rapeseed), mono and diglycerides, minerals(MgO,ZnO,CuSo), vitamins (niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid).

Homemade PB:Roasted peanuts, honey, salt, vegetable oil. Plus all the minerals and vitamins without corn syrup(which everybody should avoid).

So, go turn on your blender and start making this hassle-free recipe. Hardest part of all is cleaning after you`re done.

Ingredients

400 g roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)

2 to 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (peanut oil would be great)

3 Tbsp honey (this step is totally optional if you don`t want your PB to be a little bit sweet)

Directions:

Put the peanuts in a blender or food processor and let the machine do it`s work until you have peanut crumbs. From time to time, run your spatula around just in case some peanuts got stuck. 

Add the oil and honey. Lid on and blend until smooth, adding more or less honey/oil. It is better to start with 1 Tbsp and add more if necessary.

Your final product will look like a shiny paste.

Store it in glass jars and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 weeks or on the shelf for maximum 3-4.

*NOTE: The consistency of your PB depends on how much oil you add. If you end up with a runny butter than it is because you`ve added too much oil. If you find your PB is not that smooth, add 1 teaspoon and blend on high until you`ve reached the desired consistency.