Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

I promised to post my recipe or vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (what most people know as "Nutella")  from my book "World Vegan Feast" this week, so I'm making good on my promise. In Europe, chocolate is considered a food and, indeed, it does contain valuable antioxidants. Combined with nuts, it makes a delicious, nutritious (if high-fat) traditional Italian spread to use on toast or bread as you would peanut butter. I would recommend it as a treat, not an everyday commodity. Since most commercial brands contain hydrogenated fats and dairy products (and even the organic vegan commercial varieties contain palm oil), I prefer to make my own.


Since I had to make some to photograph, we are going to have to exercise restraint and not gobble it up too fast!  It is very delicious and actually easy to make (especially if you use commercial hazelnut butter-- or almond butter, which makes an easily-available substitute).  If, for some strange reason, you don’t use it all up, you can swirl it into muffin batter (see the second recipe below for Gianduia Muffns) or vegan ice cream, use it in sweet breads, or make chocolate panini with it (try it with apricot jam or sliced bananas and vegan marshmallow creme).