DailyBuzz Style 9x9: Homemade nutella

We are a nutella loving household - stuffed in a crepe with sliced banana, oozing out of aebelskivers on Christmas morning or straight from the jar late a night - we take it however we can get it. I never really considered it a problem until I read the ingredients on the packaging and decided to take things into my own hands. It's pretty easy to make, is well-worth the extra effort and a perfect little stocking stuffer or hostess gift. Next batch I'll be adding some cinnamon and cayenne for a little kick.

Inspired by Liz at Sophisticated Pie, I whipped up a batch and made just a few adjustments. You'll need a few mason jars, a quick trip to the grocery store and a food processor and you'll be all set.

Homemade Nutella
Adapted from Sophisticated Pie and the LA Times

1 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon hazelnut oil (I added much more for desired consistency)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Toast hazelnuts in a saute pan over a medium high heat. Shaking pan frequently to distribute heat. Skins will start to separate from the hazelnuts and your kitchen will smell toasty. This should just take a few minutes. I ended up transferring all the nuts to a damp towel, aggressively rubbed them together to release the remaining skins. Then I did my best to peal the remaining skins. I'm not going to lie, this was the least fun part of the process.

In a food processor, grind the nuts to a smooth butter. This takes about five minutes and I never exactly got a butter consistency, but moved on once the nuts were ground down to a very fine consistency.

Add the cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla, salt and oil (and additional spices if you wish) until it's completely combined. I ended up with a very chalky mound of dough and started adding quite a bit more oil (a bit at a time) until the giant chunk of chocolate turned into the creamy nutella I've come to love.

Pour the mixture into mason jars, seal and gift to your favorite people.

P.S. This post will be highlighted on DailyBuzz Style on Thursday with a round up of 9 DIY homemade gift ideas. Be sure to check it out. I'm pretty excited to be included in the special collection.