Add texture and flavor to your desserts by putting Chocolate hazelnut spread

A spread is a food that is plainly spread, normally with a knife, onto crackers, breads or other food products. Spreads are an integral part of the dish as they are added to food to provide flavor and texture. They should be distinguished from condiments, which are optional additions. Spreads should similarly be distinguished from dips, which generally are not applied to food via a knife or similar utensil, such as salsa. Most commonly found spreads include dairy spreads (e.g. cheeses, creams, and butters), yeast spreads (e.g. Vegemite and Marmite), plant spreads (e.g. jams, jellies, peanut butter, hummus and baba ghanoush) margarines and meat spreads (e.g. pate, fleischbutter, cretons).

 Chocolate hazelnut spread is manufactured by a lot of companies with Nutella leading the pack followed by Hershey’s and Jif. In US, Nutella is a big success owing to its reach and great visibility across supermarkets, kiosks, gas stations etc. Almost 25 years back, Nutella was first imported from Italy to the US and till date remains the best selling brand. It has dominated the market since 1964.

 However, its monopoly has been challenged by two major players- Jif brand which entered the US market in 2012 with three flavors- hazelnut, mocha cappuccino and salted caramel and Hershey’s which entered the market in 2014 with three flavors- chocolate, chocolate with almond and chocolate with hazelnut. The ingredients of Nutella’s chocolate hazelnut spread include sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey, soy lecithin and vanillin. The difference in Hershey’s and Jif’s ingredients lies in use of vegetable oils (Hershey’s uses sunflower and palm oil whereas Jif uses Rapeseed and palm oil. Also both of these brands use cocoa processed with alkali. 

Adding chocolate spreads clearly make fruits and vegetables more indulgent snacks, with two tablespoons containing about 200 calories, 12 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar for both the Nutella and Hershey varieties. In order to make homemade chocolate spread, toast the hazelnuts; assemble them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 15 to 18 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature.

 Grind the nuts in a food processor until pasty (the nuts will be stuck to the sides of work bowl), 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the condensed milk, honey and salt. Blend well, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the cooled chocolate and pulse until combined. Transfer the spread to a small bowl and serve with toast and sliced fruit. 

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