Homemade Vegan Chocolate Spread

Growing up, peanut butter was the spread of choice. It wasn’t until I moved to New Zealand that I discovered the wonderfulness of chocolate spreads thanks to my German friends. The problem is that the majority of processed chocolate spreads in the store contain palm oil and/or cocoa butter which is of course a no-no on a low-saturated fat diet.

Luckily, I came across a recipe for making your own healthy, vegan chocolate spread! Not only is it a healthy alternative, it isn’t even difficult to make…oh, and did I mention it tastes divine? All you do is toast the nuts and then process in a food processor! Traditionally, chocolate spreads are made with hazelnuts. You can of course use hazelnuts for this recipe, but, raw hazelnuts are not always easy for me to find; in those cases I used almonds, which work just as well. However, one day when I was really having a chocolate craving, I didn’t have hazelnuts or almonds on hand. I did have walnuts though. So I made the spread with walnuts and it came out to have a very fudgy texture and was absolutely wonderful!

Anyways, the moral to the above spiel is that you don’t have to worry if hazelnuts are hard to find, pretty much any raw nut will do! I’m thinking next time I will try the recipe with pecans… or cashews…oh, or peanuts…Happy experimenting!

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Chocolate Spread Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw nuts
• 1 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, best with Dutched cocoa powder
• 7 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 -1/2 cup non-dairy milk*

Instructions:

1. Roast raw nuts at 400°F for 8 min
2. Add to food processor and process until a smooth butter forms
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add only ¼ cup of non-dairy milk and process until smooth.

*The mixture will thicken when refrigerated so add some more of the milk for a spreadable mixture and process to mix. 
**Can be used on pancakes, cookies, toast, cakes, etc.