Serves: 5
Total Calories: 74
Yield: 1 1/2 pints

1 cup hazelnut
2 (6.8 ounce) milk chocolate candy bars
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 12 minutes, until they’ve browned a little and the skins are slightly blistered. Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove as much loose skin as possible. (It is normal for some skin to cling to the nuts when you’re done.) Let cool completely.

Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over gently simmering water or in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Cool.

In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts until they form a paste. Add the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt and continue processing until the mixture is as smooth as possible – or as smooth as you like. Add the melted chocolate, blend well, and then strain the mixture to remove any chunks of hazelnut that remain. The resulting spread will be a little thin and perhaps warm, but it will thicken as it cools to room temperature.

Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into a gift container and let cool completely. (And try not to snitch too much as it cools – remember that this is a gift, after all!)

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 74
Calories from Fat: 50

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