Seems everyone is crazy for Nutella; that chocolatey, hazel-nutty spread that goes so well on a spoon at 2am. I love hazelnuts and chocolate, but Nutella is to sweet for my taste (except at 2am). And I’m appalled by their current TV commercial campaign that promotes Nutella as a wholesome option for children at breakfast. Really? I love to give my kid a sugar injection first thing in the morning. Keeps ‘em focused!
I needed an alternative. One that’s loaded with real nuts and chocolate, no fillers, while going easy on the sugar. A few years ago David Lebovitz posted a recipe for chocolate-hazelnut paste made from cacao nibs and hazelnut oil. Last summer I bought a box of TCHO roasted cacao nibs at their factory in San Francisco, thinking I would make his recipe. Equally inspired by Lebovitz, TCHO and Nutella, I created my own version, with whole roasted hazelnuts, roasted cacao nibs, and a bit of sugar. Viola! Naked Nutella. Now my daughter can have naked nutella on toast for breakfast. But she’ll have to fight me for it.
