I was dreaming in up this recipe on a sunny forest walk. Somehow I was thinking about these chocolate cream cheeses (totally random on a walk outside, I know!). Initially I had the idea to turn a regular cashew cream cheese into something similar. But then I got curious if this wouldn’t be also possible with hazelnuts- like a fermented Nutella! And so I made a cultured hazelnut and cacao spread. Let me tell you: it works!
Think a slight tanginess like cream cheese, a rich and creamy texture from roasted hazelnuts infused with cacao and maple syrup…delicious. This spread is sweet enough to satisfy any sweet cravings but not too overwhelming- the golden line, if you ask me!
About this cultured hazelnut and cacao spread
Maybe you’ve already made your own “cream cheese” from nuts or you never heard of it before-it is really simple. I used to think I needed some super expensive probiotic capsules (which might be essential for making something like coconut yoghurt)- however the result always turned out to be a total flop!
Then I came across several recipes that just used store bought plant based yoghurt to cultivate their milk alternatives.
Why haven’t I thought of this before? Ever since then, I make my own cashew cream cheese this way and it is the best one I’ve ever had. And the same procedure applies to this recipe!
All this cultured hazelnut spread requires are hazelnuts (you can use already roasted ones!), raw cacao powder, maple syrup, water and some yoghurt alternative.
A little side note…
At this point I also want to mention that you might not get the same result with every yoghurt- they are all different. However I find that few ingredient ones work best. You just have to try and see which kind is delivering the best finished product!
Anyways. Basically all you need to do is roast the hazelnuts, let them cool and then blend them together with the other ingredients (except the yoghurt) until you end up with a smooth hazelnut paste. Finally stir through the yoghurt, fill everything into a jar, cover it with a cheese cloth and let the magic happen.
To cultivate your spread, it needs to rest for 12-24 hours in a warm place. I like to use either the oven with light turned on or the heating. And if you live in a naturally quite warm place- leave it on the counter top, preferably in the sun! The time for how long you let it sit depends on the tanginess you’d like to achieve.
Well then, ready to make your own cultured hazelnut cocoa spread? If you try it I’d be very happy if you’d let me know how you liked it. And as always, feel free to tag me on Instagram. I hope you enjoy!
ALL THE BEST
Cultured hazelnut and cacao spread
Ingredients
- 150g hazelnuts
- 30 g cacao powder
- 1/6 Cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 1/3 Cup (80ml) water
- 2 heaped Tbsp (20g) natural plant based yoghurt*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper.
- Layer out the hazelnuts onto the tray and roast in the oven for 15-25 minutes until they smell delicious and theirskin starts to peel off. Keep an eye on them though to make sure they won't get burned!
- When the hazelnuts are ready, remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Add them to a jar, cover them with water and let them soak overnight.
- The next day, dain the nuts and add them to a food processor alongside the water and maple syrup. Blend until a creamy, smooth concistency forms. This takes about 10-15 minutes and you may stop through the process a few times to give you processor some rest and scrape down the sides.
- Add the cacao powder and blend again until well combined. Finally pulse in the yoghurt, but do not blend it in too long to ensure the cultures are not destroyed through the heat.
- Fill the sptread into a jar and cover it with a cheese cloth. Let evrything ferment for 12-24 hours, depending onthe tanginess you want to achieve! I find that the heating or oven with the lights turned on works best!
- After the fermentation store put an air tight lid on and put the jar into the fridge to cool. It will firm up a bit more and youll end up with a creamy cream cheese texture. Enjoy!
