As the weekend approaches I am already thinking of pancakes! I know…I had a terrible week and thinking of something to cheer me up:). If I could I would eat Nutella everyday…but knowing the actual percentage of hazelnuts in this it’s no wonder I am coming up with a home made version of the chocolate hazelnut butter.
Believe it or not this actually has nutritional value.
Hazelnuts are high in:
- monounsaturate fats which protects the heart and helps lower cholesterol;
- vitamin E which helps keep a healthy immune system as well as regulate sex hormons;
- vitamin K that helps prevent blood clotting as well as in calcium metabolism;
- folate and vitamin B biotin which promotes healthy skin and hair;
- copper – helps build red blood cells, protects cells from free-radical damage and strengthens connective tissue.
TIP: eating hazelnuts with the skin on increases the intake of antioxidant proanthocyanidin 3 times. Why is this good…well it keeps your organs and cells in good healthy condition keeping them away from the damaging free-radicals.
Cocoa beans are also some kind of superfood if you like as they contain some special antioxidants (catechin and epicatechin) that helps lower the risk of cancer and lowers blood pressure.
TIP: at least 30 pesticides are used in conventional cocoa so choose organic.
This is sooo simple that you will never turn back to your shop bought stuff. Plus it’s incredibly delicious and almost no sugar at all…it doesn’t need it trust me! So all in all…a perfect The Organic Cookery recipe!:)
For the chocolate hazelnut butter recipe you will need:
- 200g hazelnuts
- 1 fist of organic cocoa beans
- 2 table spoons of raw organic cocoa powder
- 2 table spoons of virgin cold pressed coconut oil
- 2 table spoons of agave syrup
Start by roasting the hazelnuts in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 10-15 minutes shaking the tray from time to time until the skin gets darken and the nut the develops a nicely rounded roasted flavour. Remove from tray and cool for 5 min. Place the hazelnuts in a tea towel and start rubbing together. You want to remove most of the outer skin. Be careful as the hazelnuts will still be quite warm but if they cool completely it will be difficult to remove the skin.
After a good rub transfer the hazelnuts into a food processor (believe it or not this time I used Nutribullet but you need to be careful as it heats up) with the cocoa beans, cocoa powder, coconut oil and agave syrup.
You will have to blend for quite a while…so be patient. Although the mixture is dry, as the nuts blend they will start releasing oil and will transform in this shiny, oozing deliciousness. It will take around 10-20 min so make sure you have blender that is quite powerful and will not die on you.
Loving the end result! Spread on buckwheat pancakes, rye toast or simple swirl into your yogurt granola or porridge for an extra touch of antioxidant indulgence:).
Happy Fridays!
xx
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