America’s love of the chocolate-hazelnut spread has reached an all-time high. How many Nutella-based recipes fill Pinterest nowadays? Because we are totally on-board by this delectable duo of ingredients, we were excited to give Nocciolata a go.
Nocciolata is a delicious and organic spread from Italy. It is made from carefully selected ingredients, including dark chocolate from the Antillean Islands, Italian hazelnuts, brown sugar, skim milk and Bourbon vanilla extract. A healthier alternative to many sweet spreads, Nocciolata is free of palm oil, hydrogenated fat, artificial flavors and artificial colors. Even those with special dietary needs can enjoy it as it is kosher and gluten-free.
When sampling, Nocciolata I was very impressed by the incredibly smooth texture, both upon opening and two weeks after it had been opened. Sometimes, Nutella can get a bit clumpy after it has been opened for a bit, but, thus far, that hasn’t been the case with Nocciolata. I was also pleased with the strong hazelnut flavor, which ensured the spread wasn’t too sweet.
Though Nocciolata is delish when slathered on a strawberry or pretzel, here is a recipe for trying Nocciolata at home:
2.8 oz. flour
7 oz. potato starch
5.3 oz. butter
1 egg
½ pack dry yeast
3.5 oz. sugar
1.7 oz. pistachio nuts
For decoration:
custard
icing sugar
- Melt Nocciolata and butter in a double boiler.
- Whip together eggs and sugar in a bowl.
- Add the flour, potato starch and the dry yeast, previously mixed together.
- Gently mix in the pistachios.
- Butter a rectangular baking pan. Pour the mixture and let it stand in the fridge for a few minutes. Bake in the oven at 180°F for 20 minutes.
- Cool and cut into squares.
Nocciolata is available at Whole Foods and Sprouts for about $5. www.nocciolatausa.com.
