Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

When I posted the picture above on my Instagram page @roarganics, I had so many requests via text, Facbook, and Insta for the recipe that I thought it'd make the most sense just to post it here! This is quite possibly my favourite recipe I've come up with so far, and I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy it smeared on your favourite homemade gluten free toast, as a dipping sauce for strawberries, or even atop oatmeal. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Fills 1 jar

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hazelnuts
• 6 tbsp melted cacao butter (I've also had success with coconut oil, although it leaves a very distinctive flavour of coconut, so I prefer using cacao butter)
• 6 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 5 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 6 tbsp unsweetened almond milk 
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Roast hazelnuts in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 minutes, until the skins have begun to brown and split. 
2. Rub the roasted hazelnuts between a tea towel to remove the skins. It's okay if a few skins remain, but the more you can get off, the smoother the finished product will be. 
3. Combine all of the remaining ingredients with the hazelnuts in a high speed blender (I used a Vitamix) and process until smooth and emulsified. Add a little more almond milk if you need to. Note: if you do not have a high speed blender, a food processor would probably work, although the finished result will not be as smooth (although still delicious!)