Home made Hazelnut Spread with Lav Kokonas Virgin Coconut Oil

I am always on the look out for quality, easy to make recipes to share with our customers, of course using ingredients from our range.  I spotted this recipe on The Coconut Mama website (I think she loves coconuts almost as much as I do).   It includes Vanilla Extract and Virgin Coconut Oil, so it had to be tested in the Lav Kokonas kitchen.   Timely as it was, here in New Zealand, it’s autumn and hazelnuts have recently been harvested.  There are a couple of farmers who sell freshly dry roasted hazelnuts at the same markets where we sell our absolutely delicious Virgin Coconut Oil – so it seemed only right to try out this recipe and I am certainly pleased I did – ticks the boxes on quality and ease of making.

Ingredients

1 cup hazelnuts (roasted)

1 1/2 tablespoons of Lav Kokonas Virgin Coconut Oil

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon Venui Vanilla Extract.   If using other brands – why would you if you want the best? – then you will need a whole lot more vanilla extract.

1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut milk or coconut cream – I prefer to use coconut cream.  A wee tip for you here, put the tin of milk or cream into the fridge the day before if you are feeling organised.   It will help the fat content to set a little and the water content to separate so you maximise the fats you are using.

1/8 teaspoon salt

Using a food processor – blend the hazelnuts until they form a nut butter.  In my domestic food processor (not particularly fancy), it took about 2 minutes to get to a good consistency.  Then add in 1/4 cup of the coconut milk along with all the other ingredients.   Blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth.  Add more coconut milk if needed. Pour into sterilised jars. I’m keeping mine in the fridge, because of the coconut milk content and it still has a nice spreadable consistency.   Enjoy.