Kelly Clarkson recently received bad press when she posted a picture on social media of the “Since You’ve Been Gone” singer giving her child Nutella. The outcry was deafening. “You R giving your kid cancer!” “He is going to blow up!” chimed in another troll (no doubt not too obliquely referencing Clarkson’s battle with her weight.) Nutella is not healthy, but eating it on occasion is not going to give you cancer. (Though eating its two main ingredients frequently will.)
Nutella tries to market itself as a hazelnut spread, but hazelnut is in fact the 3rd ingredient in it, behind two well-documented inflammatory agents we have covered in the Clean Eating articles, refined sugar and vegetable oils. What’s even sadder is that cocoa is the 4th one. Nutella is essentially a sugar chocolate spread masquerading as a quasi-healthy food spread. The good news is that it gave me an epiphany to write a recipe blog on a healthier and bonafide Dark Chocolate Nut Butter Spread. Thanks, Kelly! (Incidentally, you still don’t get enough love for, “From Justin to Kelly.” It wasn’t that bad!)
Similar to our other recipes, we endorse high-fat, ketogenic treats that support satiety and offer the full compliment of healthy monounsaturated and saturated fats. Ultimately it is your decision if you want to use hazelnuts (as opposed to almonds, cashews, et al) based on your palette preference. Either way the ultimate goal is to use clean and minimal ingredients with minimal sugar and/or dairy so as to avoid an insulin spike and/or hypoallergenic effect. Any flavored nut butter like Nutella, even healthy varieties, will boast some sort of preservative to extend its shelf life so its always best to make it at home.
{Read our review on non-dairy milk alternatives.}
Ingredients
- 1 bar of Bakers’s 100 % or 90% dark chocolate
- 1 cup of almonds (preferably raw and unroasted to remove inflammatory fats)
- 1 cup of macadamia nuts
- 1 cup peeled hazelnuts
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin unrefined coconut oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder or cocoa nibs
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- ½ cup of heavy whipping cream or unflavored coconut/hemp milk (more fat than almond, soy, rice milk)
- Optional 2 tbsp of stevia, xylitol, or erythritol.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Throw all the nuts onto a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Allow to cool.
Melt the chocolate with coconut oil on low heat using a metal spoon (not wooden).
Puts the nuts in a food processor and process until smooth.
Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, & optional sweetener into the processor and process until all are smooth. (If using whipping cream or coconut milk, pour in slowly into the mix while occasionally blending.)
Pour into glass jars to cool. (Once refrigerated it may be used for several months!)
Enjoy!
Notes
Your spread might end up grainy or the ingredients might separate the first couple of times you attempt the recipe. Keep trying!
Uses
Our Dark Chocolate Nut Butter Spread can be incorporated into:
- Bread
- Pancakes
- Smoothie
- Yogurt bowls
- Cakes
- Pies, or
- Eat with fruits, vegetables, blue-corn chips, or just straight out of the bottle.
{Read our article on 4 superfoods snacks you should be eating right now.)
Once you perfect your dark chocolate nut butter spread recipe send a package to Kelly! Feature with it a card stating “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Sorry, couldn’t resist!
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(Please share your recipe version with us!)
1 comment
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