Road Testing Homemade Chocolate Spread

I have been bought a new cookery book by OH  called the Super Jam Cookbook by Fraser Doherty (the Book People have it on offer at the moment £5).  ISBN No 978-0-09-193864-2 and it is a lovely little book with lots of recipes of how to use the jams and preserves at the back.  A good one for the home baker.  

I only received it last night and I have been dipping into it. There are recipes for Jams, Marmalades, Jellies, Curds, Chutneys, Special Spreads,  and Jammy Treats (cakes and buns in which to use your home made preserves) and plenty of preserve recipes which include recipes for Ginger Marmalade, summer fruit jam, peach and vanilla jam, pistachio butter, Marshmallow Fluff, Banana and Rum Curd,Coconut and Pineapple Curd, Dulche de Leche, Peanut Butter, Chilli Jam to name but a few.  

I am always  keen to see how other people come up with recipes for Jams and Preserves and how they use them and this book uses good nice and simple principles with some exotic flavourings for that something a little bit different. Some of the recipes also use fruit juice (white grape juice) instead of masses of amounts of sugar, but all the recipes give amounts for if you want to use sugar as well.  The recipes look fab and mouthwatering.

I am at low ebb again at the moment with a lot of pain and I tend to use chocolate spread (shop bought variety) as a pick me up and food for my soul for when I am having the blues or I am not firing on all pistons as I am at the moment.  (Excuse the analogy I am a Engineer/Fitters daughter after all). However, I don't think this is a recipe for a slim waistline!

I just had to try this recipe; it has been talking to me overnight,  so I just had to give it a go - even though I didn't have any hazlenuts so I have used Almonds and it is yummy.  So naughty but oh so yummy and I think it would be good spread in a chocolate cake too.  Apparently it keeps for two weeks in the fridge although to make it last longer if you add two tablespons of peanut oil or olive oil. this should extend its shelf life.   You could also potentially add a bar of chocolate instead of cocoa powder or add cream to make it even richer -  or vary the chocolate to suit your tastes.  I think white chocolate and almond would also be fab.  Sorry when it comes to food I have a meandering mind and like to consider all possibilities.  A good one for the Christmas pressie hamper to give to friends at Christmas and one that is quite quickly made.

It makes about 6 to 8 small jars.

Ingredients:

500g hazlenuts or alternative nuts of your choice

50g butter

250g sugar

100g unsweetened cocoa powder or a bar of chocolate

 Put the hazlenuts or nuts into a food processor and blend thoroughly until smooth.

Add the butter and the sugar to the processsor along with the cocoa and blend until it is as silky smooth as you like.  If using bar chocoloate I would melt this first and then add to the processor.

Pop it all into warm sterilised jars and keep them in the fridge, since it has butter in it. and after all your effort of making it we don't want the butter to go rancid.  Enjoy within two weeks of making and try and keep the kids and big kids away from it - it is delicious.  Also you get so many more jars for your money and you know what has gone into it.  Easily made if you keep in the ingredients in the time it would have taken you to go to the shop. 


A good recipe for those with youngsters in the house, but as with everything else, use in moderation.