In the doldrums of winter it's imperative to have a sweet treat to break the (snowy!) blues. How about one that's quick to put together and just as delicious spread over toasted brioche as it is eaten straight out of the jar?
This spread is a do-it-yourself peanut version of Nutella. It comes together almost magically, with the help of several minutes in the food processor.
Start with raw peanuts or already roasted (but not salted) ones. The key to a smooth and creamy spread is really letting the peanuts blend in the food processor longer than one would think necessary. Go about two minutes past that. The peanuts will first be crumbly, then form a paste, and finally, a soupy liquid. Really, they'll get there!
From there, it's a matter of taste. Blend the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and peanut oil and taste. Throw in some more salt or sugar until it tastes perfect. Then spread. Over anything!
This base recipe has great potential for additions. What about starting with almonds or adding a little orange zest? The recipe says it keeps for a week in the refrigerator, but it will probably be long gone by the time a week passes by.
• Get the recipe: Chocolate-Peanut Spread from Smitten Kitchen
Related: How Can I Make Nutella At Home?
(Images: Stephanie Barlow)
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Thank you for posting this review! I've been wanting to try it, and now I know I'm going to :)
This sounds good, but looks awfully soupy. It looks from the pictures like you'd have to keep the bread perfectly level at all times or the spread might start to leak off the top.
My wife and I bought a Blendtec blender (YES! It BLENDS!) and have done all sorts of things in it. One of the best has been fresh peanut butter. Not this recipe (no cocoa, sugar, etc), and it was rather thin. One thing we're oging to try with our next bathc is add a little coconut oil, which is solid at room temp and should stiffen up the butter somewhat. If I remember, I'll report back on how it works.
@ Orchid64 - You're right, it was rather soupy. But I think you could tighten this up a little if you cut back on the oil. The recipe calls for three tablespoons of peanut oil - give it a shot with one or two.
@ JetSmooth - Oh, I'm jealous! I think perfecting freshly blended peanut butter is difficult, especially if you're trying to match the consistency of the jarred stuff. I'd love to hear how it comes out with coconut oil.
That looks terrific. I tried making a chocolate almond spread - with somewhat mixed results - I would appreciate any tips that anyone has!
http://girlfriendlifeline.blogspot.com/2011/01/healthier-home-made-nutella-made-with.html
I recently made a lazy version of this: I simply heated some freshly ground almond butter from Whole Foods with A LOT of dark chocolate chips in a saucepan. Was soooooo yummy. It got a little hard in the fridge but softened after being left out on the counter. Great on whole grain toast and a little sea salt on top ;-)
I made some and it's fabbo. Mine is much thicker though.
The soupy would actually be a good thing, for me -- I keep my house at 60 degrees in winter, and at that temp, Nutella's a touch too solid for spreading on anything, really. Enough, even, that eating it with a spoon is markedly less fun than in summer. Which isn't really a bad thing, but if you're environmentally-minded but also want to be able to eat Nutella, which i try to avoid, a thinner consistency might be nice.
I tried the almond-and-orange variation-- divine. I started with a little over a cup of roasted almonds. After liquefying, (and based on what was in the cupboard), I added half a cup of powdered sugar, plus the last blob of honey in the jar and a tbsp of regular sugar, a quarter of a cup of unsweetened cocoa and an ounce of baking chocolate, a tiny bit of salt, maybe a tablespoon of oil, give or take, and the zest of about half an orange. results: AMAZING. oh man, i hope this can be a breakfast food.
Not doing the sugar thing but I MUST figure out how to do this with Stevia or agave.