Love the taste of Nutella, but hate preservatives and excess sugar? Here is a simple recipe to prepare gianduia cream at home (based on chocolate and hazelnut), using few ingredients and obtaining a product even better than the original. When the cream is ready, you can spread it on bread, incorporate it into an icing, give it to friends or eat it directly in spoonfuls!
Ingrediants
- 1 cup of hazelnuts
- 350 grams of good quality milk chocolate
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt (or according to taste)
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Making the Chocolate
Step 1. Choose the chocolate to use as an ingredient in your spread
Opt for a high quality product, in tablets or in discs (the one in drops has less cocoa butter and is more difficult to melt). The percentage of cocoa and milk depends on the type of chocolate you choose and affects the taste and appearance of the cream.
- The milk one contains a lower percentage of cocoa and has a very sweet taste. It is used in many traditional chocolate bars. It is ideal if you want to obtain a sweet, delicate cream with a not too strong chocolate flavor.
- The dark one is usually used in the drops, which contains less sugar and more cocoa than the milk one (the proportion is about 40% -60%) and gives the cream a particularly rich flavor. An even higher percentage of cocoa results in a slightly bitter aftertaste.
- Extra dark chocolate tastes similar to dark chocolate. It contains even less sugar and even more cocoa, which is usually present in a percentage of 60% -85%. It is ideal if you want to obtain a slightly less sweet, slightly bitter cream with a decidedly distinct chocolate flavor.
- Avoid the bitter one, to be used only for making cakes and desserts.
Step 2. Break up the chocolate and chop coarsely
This will make it melt more easily.
Always use a sharp knife (otherwise it is easier to get hurt)
Step 3. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl
If you're going to melt it in the microwave, make sure the bowl is made of the right material. Afterwards, set it aside until you have finished toasting the hazelnuts (this takes a while: if you melt the chocolate now it risks hardening again).
Part 2 of 4: Toast the Hazelnuts
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC
If you don't have an oven, you can also toast the hazelnuts on the stove. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the hazelnuts (the oil is not necessary, because it is already naturally contained in the fruit), continuing to mix them with a wooden spoon until they turn golden.
Step 2. Spread the toasted hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Make a single layer: they must not overlap, otherwise they will brown unevenly, or they risk cooking rather than toasting.
- You can also line the pan with a silicone baking mat, which is reusable and easy to clean.
- Use a rimmed baking sheet so the hazelnuts don't roll out as you put them in the oven.
Step 3. Toast the hazelnuts for 10-12 minutes
It is understood that they are ready by the fact that the leather is browned and lifts slightly. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a while.
If you don't have the opportunity or time to toast them, you can buy them pre-roasted and unsalted from a grocery store
Step 4. Remove the skin from the roasted hazelnuts
One way to do this is to wrap them in a tea towel that you don't mind getting stained. Rub them vigorously. This should remove the bulk of the skin (even if there are some fragments left, that's okay).
- Remove them from the towel, discard the skin and let them cool.
- Another way is to put them in a mesh bag (one that contains citrus fruits) and rub them against each other with your hands, standing over a sink. The hazelnuts remain in the net, while the cuticles fall into the sink.
- You can also peel them by hand, but obviously it takes a lot longer. Again, don't worry if any pieces of skin stick to it.
Part 3 of 4: Melt the Chocolate
Step 1. Use the bain marie cooking method
It involves putting a pot with water directly on the stove and a second one inside it, where you will put the chocolate to heat. With this method, the chocolate will gradually heat up, avoiding burning.
You can also heat it in the microwave. After placing it in a microwave-safe bowl, reheat the chocolate at 15-second intervals, stirring between times. Heat and mix until it becomes a smooth cream
Step 2. Place the chopped chocolate in the inner pot for cooking in a double boiler
Although this system was designed to prevent the chocolate from burning, if you are not careful it can happen anyway, because it overheats very easily. Keep an eye on it and keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and velvety, without lumps.
When the chocolate is completely melted, remove the bowl or pot from the heat source. Set it aside and let it cool
Part 4 of 4: Prepare the Chocolate and Hazelnut-based Spread
Step 1. Chop the hazelnuts with a food processor until they become a mushy mixture
Operate the robot at one-minute intervals, taking breaks to prevent the motor from overheating. Initially the hazelnuts will be reduced to a powder and subsequently, as the contained oils are released, they will form a pasty compound.
- Stop regularly to remove the dough from the sides of the bowl.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a high-powered blender.
Step 2. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Continue blending at one-minute intervals until the dough is completely smooth. Some prefer a greater consistency: if you also love crunchy, do not chop all the hazelnuts, but leave them whole pieces.
- It is best to use a relatively low-flavor oil, such as sunflower or grape seed oil. Alternatively, if you want to add some character to the taste, you can use coconut or peanut oil.
- If you have a preference for salty taste, add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
Step 3. Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl containing the hazelnut butter
Mix the two compounds well, taking frequent breaks to remove the dough from the sides of the bowl. At some point, taste it to decide whether to add salt or sugar.
The mixture could be quite liquid, but don't worry: it will congeal as it cools
Step 4. Filter the cream with a sieve, if you want it to be smooth and soft
If you'd prefer it a little rougher and less refined, then skip this step. Otherwise, pour it into a fine mesh colander (someone better help you hold it if you don't want a drop to go to waste).
If it feels too firm, you can add some oil to make it easier to spread
Step 5. Pour the hot cream into a glass jar for preserves
Before closing the lid, wait for it to cool and reach room temperature.
- Place the jar in the fridge or on a shelf at room temperature. In the fridge it lasts longer, but to use the cream it may be necessary to heat it a little to reach the right consistency.
- If you live in a warm climate, keep it in the fridge.
- You can also distribute it in many small jars to give to friends.
Warnings
This is a recipe that requires the use of sharp knives, blades and boiling water - ask an adult to help you with the preparation
Advice
- This recipe can go vegan if you use non-cow's milk chocolate and if you check the ingredients in the powdered sugar.
- Know that Nutella is not the same all over the world. The variety marketed in the US has a different flavor than the one sold in Europe; the ingredients are also different.
