Chocolate Spread with Cocoa Powder & Dates, Homemade
Easy chocolate spread with cocoa powder for a healthy homemade chocolate date spread inspired by Nutella, but vegan. Uses dates, hazelnuts & cocoa powder!
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 60 grams dates about 8 pieces; I used deglet nour dates, but you can use any kind (see notes below)
- 130 ml hot water (1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon)
- 250 grams hazelnuts (1 3/4 cup) unpeeled
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak: Soak the dates in hot water with a lid on top to trap in the heat and steam. Putting the lid on top will soften the dates so they will mix well in the nut butter.60 grams dates, 130 ml hot water (1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon)
Make Hazelnut Butter (skip if you're using ready-made nut butters)
- Roast: Preheat your oven to 170C (340F). Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until the skins darken and crack. Start with 10 minutes. If the skin has not cracked, roast back in the oven in an increment of 1 minute but be careful not to burn them.250 grams hazelnuts (1 3/4 cup)
- Peel: Let the hazelnuts cool down for about 3 minutes. Then transfer on a kitchen towel. Wrap the kitchen towel around and rub the nuts to loosen and peel off the skin. Remove at least 60% of the skin since the skin tastes bitter and rancid. Some of the tougher skins could be removed by peeling by hand afterwards.
- Blend: Transfer the peeled hazelnuts to the food processor. Process until smooth and until it reaches a nut butter consistency. It should take 7-12 minutes depending on the power of the food processor. You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
Make Chocolate Date Spread
- Add cocoa and blend: Add the cocoa powder, salt, soaked dates, and the water from the dates. Continue to process for 3 more minutes until your homemade Nutella becomes creamy and spreads easily.If you are using other types of dates other than deglet nour that I use, see note below.2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
Video
Notes
- If you are using fresh dates that are less dry than the deglet nour dates that I use, start with half of the water from the soaked dates. Process for 2 minutes at first. If the texture is still lumpy and not runny yet, add 2 tablespoons of water every 10 seconds until you reach the desired consistency. The homemade Nutella should be creamy and spreads easily.
- Use a high-speed food processor. This is the secret to making any nut butter. Mine has the power of 1200 Watt. If you have a lower-speed one, it would take longer to blend but be patient — you'll get there!
- When soaking the dates with hot water, make sure you cover with a lid on top to trap in the heat. This is crucial to soften the dates so it can mix well with the hazelnut butter.
- To achieve that rich, creamy texture, make sure you add enough water. I found that 130 ml worked well but it still depends on how much water your dates absorb when being soaked. You might need more, you might need less.