One night in law school, I had plans to go out for frozen yogurt with a friend. She called about a half hour before to ask if I was ready, and I looked at the spoon in my hand sheepishly. “Um, I think I can’t go for ice cream. There was an incident … involving a jar of Nutella … and a spoon.” I am thankful that my sometimes uncanny memory is not letting me remember how much Nutella I actually had that fateful day, but suffice it to say, I always want more Nutella.

People routinely ask me how I can cook and bake so much and not eat entire roasts and cakes. I always answer that I have just convinced myself that I can’t eat an entire batch of whatever, if I want to live a reasonably healthy life. There are a few things I make, though, that push my willpower to the max. This Chocolate – Hazelnut Spread is one of those dangerous recipes. Accordingly, I highly recommend two things, if you are going to make this recipe.

1. Have plans later that day (lest you stay home and finish the 3 CUPS that this recipe yields), and
2. Have some jars on hand (like those pictured in this post, which were under $2 at the Container Store), to pass on the love to your friends.

With those disclaimers, on to the good stuff!

Ingredients:
– 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
– 1 c hazelnuts (may be called “filberts” at the store)
– 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli bars – they are so thin that they are easy to chop and melt)
– 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
– 1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free – hey, every bit helps, right?)
– pinch of kosher salt
– small pot of boiling water

How do I make it?

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• In a medium ovenproof skillet, melt 1 T of the butter. Add the hazelnuts and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until they just start to brown, about 3  -5 minutes.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the nuts for 5 – 10 minutes, until the skins blister. Keep an eye on them! It’s ok if they get a little dark – this will help you get the skins off later.
• Transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel and rub off the skins. I worked in batches and had to transfer to about 4 kitchen towels (the skins stick to the towels), so have a few on hand just in case. By the time you’re done, the nuts should be cool. If you’re super-fast and they are not yet cool, let them sit until they are.
• In a food processor, combine the hazelnuts with both chocolates and process until the nuts are finely chopped and the chocolate just begins to melt. It will melt just from being processed. This took only about 30 seconds for me, but may take a bit longer depending on the chocolate you use.
• In a small saucepan, heat the sweetened condensed milk with the salt until hot. This will not take long – maybe 2 – 3 minutes.
• Add the hot sweetened condensed milk and process until incorporated.
• Add the remaining 7 T of butter and process until smooth.
• Add boiling water, 1 T at a time. Process until creamy and delicious! If you have to taste it along the way, for “quality assurance,” I promise you I will understand.

More info please?

You should keep this refrigerated once made. If it is cold and you want to thin it out a bit for spreading, just add a little boiling water and stir. You won’t be watering it down, I promise! Just add a tiny bit at a time.

Original link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hazelnut-chocolate-spread

A very special thanks to ARB for her help with the VERY difficult task of selecting the right pictures for this post!