Crunchy Praline Chocolate Spread
This praline chocolate spread is made with caramelized hazelnuts and almonds processed into a paste and combined with melted dark chocolate. It's crispy and delightfully nutty, making it the perfect topping for toast, pancakes, or crêpes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 2 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions
Roast the nuts
- Roast the nuts. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the almonds and hazelnuts in an even layer. I recommend separating the almonds from the hazelnuts so it will be easier to remove the skin from the hazelnuts later. Roast the nuts for about 17-18 minutes or until the hazelnuts are golden brown.
- Remove the skins. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the hazelnuts to a clean kitchen towel. Rub with your hands to remove their skins. You only want to remove the skin from the hazelnuts, not from the almonds.
- Set aside. Next, discard the hazelnut skins and transfer both the hazelnuts and almonds to a bowl or deep plate. Set aside.
Caramelize them
- Prepare a baking sheet. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and very lightly oil it. Set aside.
- Heat the sugar. Add the granulated sugar and water to a light-bottomed saucepan or skillet. Heat it over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the water starts to boil.
- Caramelize it. Once there is no more water, the sugar will crystallize and become hard. This is normal. Keep heating over medium heat until the sugar melts again and starts to caramelize. This step might take another 2-3 minutes. Do not stir.
- Add the nuts. Once your caramel has a nice golden brown color, add the nuts and vanilla bean to the pot. Stir quickly using a wooden spatula to coat the nuts with the caramel. Heat for another 2 minutes, constantly stirring to coat the nuts evenly. Tip: Do not heat for too long, or your caramel might burn.
- Transfer to the baking sheet. Carefully transfer the caramelized nuts to the prepared baking sheet and flatten them into a thinner layer using a wooden spatula. The caramel will harden very quickly. This is normal. Allow the caramel and nuts to cool down for at least 25 minutes.
- Break it into pieces. Once the caramel is hard, carefully break it into large pieces. Be very careful, as the caramel can be very sharp.
Process into a paste
- Process. Transfer the caramelized nut pieces to a food processor bowl. Pulse a few times until you get smaller pieces. Continue to process until it turns into a paste, about 5-7 minutes, depending on your food processor. At first, it will turn into a powder, but as you keep processing, it will turn into a thin paste.
- Transfer to a bowl. Once the caramelized nuts have turned into a liquid praline paste, transfer it to a mixing bowl.
Combine with chocolate
- Melt the chocolate. Add the chopped dark chocolate to a small glass bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 cup (240 ml) of water. Make sure that the glass bowl sits on the edges of the saucepan, but do not touch the water. Heat over medium heat until the chocolate is melted.
- Combine with the praline paste. Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl containing the praline paste. Stir well using a whisk or spatula until well combined. Finally, transfer the chocolate praline paste to a clean jar and store it at room temperature.
- You can store this chocolate spread for at least 3 weeks at room temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator if you want a thicker consistency.
Notes
Be careful with the caramel.
As the caramel cools down, it hardens and can be very sharp. I can't stress this enough: be very careful when breaking the caramelized nuts into pieces. If you own kitchen gloves, use them to prevent cutting your hands.Adjust the consistency.
You can make a thicker or thinner spread by playing with the amount of chocolate. If you prefer a runnier consistency, decrease the amount of dark chocolate. On the other hand, if you want a firmer consistency (like ganache, to use in chocolates or as a filling), you can increase the amount of dark chocolate. Just remember that it will also alter the flavor, making your spread more chocolatey.Nutrition
Serving: 1 tbsp | Calories: 90 kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.6 g | Protein: 1.5 g | Fat: 4.8 g | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 10.3 g