I’ve always loved Oreos. From the cookies in their simplest form – twisting them apart to try to get all the cream on one side – to cookies & cream ice cream, Oreo brownies, milkshakes, etc. You name it! So one of my favorite challenges as a newfound cupcake baker is to create the perfect Oreo cupcake.

This is my second attempt, and I think I’m certainly getting there. My original attempt was good, but not great. These definitely verge on greatness… stealing some of the secrets from my chocolate cupcake recipe and perfect vanilla buttercream but adding the deliciousness of pure and simple Oreo cookies to elevate those recipes to perfection.

And the way these cupcakes made my house smell, I’m shocked I even got any photos before they were gone! (The remaining cookies in the package lasted about equally as long!)

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Bakerella

  Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup brewed coffee (hot)
• 24 Oreos, broken into pieces (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Oreo Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6-12 Oreos, crushed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 18 paper liners. Break apart at least 12 cookies and place the broken pieces into each cup. (Note: Alternatively you can place a whole cookie at the bottom, but breaking them up has 2 benefits in my opinion… 1) it adds more texture to the cupcakes, and 2) I’ve found that the cookie tends to get stuck to the paper baking cups.)

Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl using a whisk. Add eggs, oil, vanilla and milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed just until combined. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the hot coffee. Mix on medium high speed until thoroughly combined.

Transfer the batter (it will be very liquid) to a large measuring cup and then pour batter into each baking cup so it’s about three quarters full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes. Makes about 18 cupcakes.

To make the frosting, add butter to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until nearly white and very fluffy (about 5 minutes), scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add confectioners’ sugar in 2 batches, mixing on medium-low speed just until incorporated after each addition. Scrape down bowl and add heavy cream and vanilla. Mix on low speed just until blended. Add cookie crumbs, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, mixing after each addition, until desired taste/crumb-to-buttercream ratio is achieved. Increase mixer speed to high and whip until very light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes.

Everyone needs that go-to recipe for something they make often. For me, that is vanilla buttercream.

After trying a variety of different recipes and methods – from butter to Crisco, confectioners sugar to granulated sugar, paddle to whisk – I’m excited to finally have found the one. The ultimate. I will never cheat on this recipe ever again.

To accompany the recipe, I’ve included some photos of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes I baked for a baby shower last weekend. These are topped with this vanilla buttercream (tinted yellow with Wilton gel color) and yellow sugar pearls. I also had a lot of fun with the chevron liners from Dress My Cupcake! They really add a lot of visual appeal to the cupcakes, and worked perfectly with the chevron theme of this baby shower!

Basic Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Add butter to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until nearly white and very fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1-2 cups at a time, and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Scrape down bowl and add heavy cream and vanilla. Mix on low speed just until blended; increase speed to high and whip until very light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes.

If frosting is too stiff, add milk one teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. If too loose, add confectioners’ sugar.

TIP: To increase intensity of vanilla flavor, scrape down the pod of a vanilla bean into frosting. This will add some little black spots into your frosting so if you’re going for a solid color or tinting your frosting, I wouldn’t recommend this.

TIP: Vanilla extract can be substituted for whatever extract you like to change the flavor of the buttercream (almond, coconut, lemon, etc.) – use sparingly and increase little by little to taste.

I was super busy this week, but had a lot of fun. These cupcakes speak for themselves, so I’ll just post the images here of the final results. These are my favorite chocolate cupcakes, topped with a pink vanilla buttercream and Hello Kitty made of fondant.

I’m going to tell you something that might be shocking. At least to chocolate lovers (of which I am one).

I’ve never liked chocolate cake.

I love chocolate. I love cake. But chocolate cake has just never done it for me. Like baking it into a cake makes it lose some of its magic. I guess I can’t really explain it. The only way I ever really enjoyed chocolate cake was when it was SO moist that it tasted almost like fudge. Like Molten lava cake. But regular, plain ‘ol chocolate cake just never was.

That is… until I found this recipe.

You know that show on the Food Network, The Best Thing I Ever Made? Well this recipe comes close. While it’s not the best thing I’ve ever made (in the full universe of things I’ve made), it is certainly the best chocolate cupcake (or cake) I’ve ever made.

So what’s the secret? Why don’t boxed cakes or any other store-bought or even homemade chocolate cakes taste like this one?

Turns out that, like me, chocolate cake just isn’t itself without a cup of coffee! Yup, you heard me right – the secret to making the best, moistest, most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever had is coffee. You might think, “Well I’m not a coffee drinker” or “I’m not trying to make a mocha cupcake, I want CHOCOLATE”. In fact, I know some of you are thinking that, because I’ve read comments on the plethora of websites and blogs I scoured looking at chocolate cake recipes. But I promise you that this cake tastes, smells, looks and feels NOTHING like coffee. The coffee just has some magical element that makes the chocolate flavor so much richer and better, and adds a moistness like no other to this cake.

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to  325°. Line two 12-muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add oil, coffee and milk. Add half of the flour mixture and mix with whisk attachment at low to medium speed for about 1 minute or until combined. Scrape down bowl. Add remaining flour mixture and mix at medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 more minutes. Scrape down bowl as needed to completely combine batter (batter will be thin).

Fill 24 cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Frost with your desired buttercream (I used vanilla, but caramel, coffee or Baileys would also be yummy!!).

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Have you ever thought you didn’t like something, but then found the perfect recipe or preparation that changed your mind? What was it?

 Believe it or not, when I started making these cupcakes, they were not supposed to be Boston Creme. I had grand plans to try to make zeppole cupcakes for St. Joseph’s Day, based on trying one of these amazing creations from Sweet Indulgence in RI.

Unfortunately, it turns out I need to practice baking a bit more before I can figure out how to make the sweet, light, airy, delicious zeppole – the item that came out of my oven was closer to a rock than a zeppole. That one is on the “needs improvement” list for now.

In the meantime, what I did learn is that the yellow cream that goes in a zeppole is remarkably similar to what we call a “Boston creme” – aka the filling of a Boston Creme Pie, donut, etc. – and so these cupcakes were born.

It also turns out that when I made these, I was inadvertently celebrating Pi Day (March 14 – 3.14) – not that I understand why Boston Creme Pie is even considered a pie, since it is clearly a cake, but regardless I felt like these cupcakes were meant to be when I decided to make them on this celebratory occasion!

Boston Creme Cupcakes

Cake and ganache recipe adapted from The Kitchn; cream filling recipe adapted from Diana’s Desserts

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

For the yellow cream filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Spray top of pans with nonstick cooking spray, if desired.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

With a standing mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until they turn light yellow and look like frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour until combined. Then beat in half of the buttermilk. Continue alternating between the flour and the buttermilk, ending with the last of the flour.

Divide the batter between the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cupcakes are domed and beginning to turn golden. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the cream filling:

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and sugar for the filling. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the starch mixture and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken (about 2 minutes). Remove the mixture from the heat and slowly add the eggs, beating well. Return the mixture to the heat for just a few seconds to cook the mixture, being careful not to scramble the eggs.

Pour the filling into a bowl, add vanilla extract, and blend. Cover with buttered waxed paper and refrigerate 2 hours or until cool.

To make the ganache:

Set the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Warm the milk until it’s steaming and pour it over the chocolate. Let this stand for a minute, then mix until they form a thick, glossy paste. Microwave on low power for 15 seconds at a time if necessary to completely melt chocolate until mixture is smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes:

Use a paring knife to cut cones out of the center of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag with cream filling and pipe filling into the hole in each cupcake until it is filled to the top with cream.

Pour a generous spoonful of ganache over each cupcake, spreading it with the back of the spoon or a butter knife to even out the top. Let ganache set with cupcakes on wire rack or in refrigerator before packing or transporting to prevent them from sticking together.

Once ganache is set, serve immediately or keep cupcakes refrigerated until serving.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

I have to admit – there can be no better way to celebrate Pi day than with a cake disguised as a pie. Because let’s face it – cake eats pie for lunch (and only because it doesn’t want to be a cannibal).

As you’ve probably noticed, the theme of this month is Cadbury Mini Eggs. They’re just too good not to have at this time of year, but I have to find new ways to use them so I don’t eat the whole bag! After having success with my Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies, I decided to try a similar, but more fudgy, chocolatey and decadent version – brownies.

In the past, I’ve dabbled with homemade brownies from scratch, and not very successfully. Boxed brownie mixes definitely have it down to a science, and my recipes always fell flat – usually because they were too dry or cake-like. But I’m excited to report that I’ve finally found a recipe that beats the pants off of the boxed stuff. I won’t say I’ll never go back, because good old Betty Crocker really does make it easy for you… but these will be a new go-to when I’ve got a little more time on my hands.

Fudgy Mini Egg Brownies

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good baking cocoa (I use Rodelle)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Cadbury Mini Eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to  350°. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through salt).

In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs and vanilla; add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Carefully fold in Cadbury Mini Eggs. Spread batter in greased pan.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Before I conclude, I would just like to add that I think a big reason these brownies were so delicious was the baking cocoa. Typically when I’ve baked, I’ve used your standard Hershey’s cocoa powder from the grocery store. But recently, I decided to try to make homemade hot cocoa mix, so I looked into a better quality cocoa powder. I took a leap of faith and trusted my fellow Amazon users and bought Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa - and that’s what I used in these brownies. If you want to give all your chocolate recipes an extra depth of flavor and chocolate goodness, I highly recommend it. And no, this post isn’t sponsored. I just love it!

What’s your favorite decadent chocolate recipe?

I love springtime. Sunshine, flowers, outdoor activities… it just puts a spring in my step (no pun intended). As a result, Easter is always an eagerly-awaited holiday, because it means Spring is coming. But there’s another reason I love Easter, and it ranks almost as highly as Spring’s arrival. And that, my friends, is Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Many will consider it blasphemous, but I absolutely hate Cadbury Cream Eggs, so it came as a surprise to me when I discovered these delicious, crispy, chocolatey, bite-sized treats by (almost) the same name. And since they’ve now become an essential part of the beginning of Spring in my life, what could be more fitting than combining my love of baking with my love of Cadbury Mini Eggs?

This will be a series up until Easter, and as my first recipe, I’ve made Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies. These are like chocolate chip cookies + brownies + Cadbury Mini Eggs all in one… in other words, heaven.

Recipe adapted from Chef in Training

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups Cadbury Mini Eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325˚ F.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Add melted butter to the bowl of your electric mixer. Cream together with sugars. Then add vanilla and eggs, and mix until creamy. Slowly add in flour mixture until fully incorporated.

Carefully fold in Mini Eggs with silicone spatula or wooden spoon, being careful not to break them.

Spread batter into a greased 8×8, 9×9, or 11×7 baking dish.

Bake at 325 for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean. Let the bars cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

I guarantee that these will be a delectable treat for you, and a huge crowd-pleaser for Easter or another springtime party or get-together. Personally, I couldn’t stop myself from a little extra sampling. I mean… I had to make sure they were good enough for guests!

Do you have a holiday candy that you can’t wait to see on store shelves year after year? Tell me about it in the comments!

As I’m sure everyone has heard, New England got hit with a pretty nasty blizzard this weekend. Some call it Nemo, some call it the Blizzard of 2013, some call it Snowpocalypse. I call it a great excuse to get snowed in and bake!

I hosted a poll on my Facebook page to ask what I should bake while stuck inside due to the snow. At the point where I had to go buy ingredients, though, the poll was at a tie so I made a game-time decision. Turns out that I made the right one based on the results!

This post, or rather the idea behind it, was inspired by a very talented baker and friend (if you live in or will be visiting the Rhode Island area I encourage you to stop by her bakery, Silver Spoon Bakery). After trying the Cookie Monster cupcake at Silver Spoon, I was inspired to recreate it. I’m thinking this will be a process with many attempts though, as mine paled in comparison. But it was certainly still yummy and I’ve already got ideas for improvement next time.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup milk, divided
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 3/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

For the filling: (NOTE: This will make WAY more cookie dough than you need for the cupcake filling!) 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons skim milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the frosting: 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons milk

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper or silicone liners.  In a liquid measuring cup combine 1/4 cup of the milk, egg whites, vanilla and almond extracts.  Whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Mix briefly on low speed to combine, about 30 seconds.  Add in the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand, about 30 seconds.  Mix in the remaining 3/4 cup of milk, then increase the speed to medium and beat for about 90 seconds more.  With the mixture on low speed, add the egg white mixture in three additions, mixing for about 20 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds of the way full.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.  Let cool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.

While the cupcakes are baking prepare your filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars together. Using an electric mixer beat on medium speed until well combined. Add the milk and vanilla and mix again. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour and salt. (Make sure you lower the speed or your whole kitchen will be covered in flour!) Put completed cookie dough in the refrigerator while your cupcakes are cooling and you’re making your frosting so it can harden a bit.

To make your vanilla buttercream frosting, place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of confectioners sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar is fully incorporated with the butter. Add vanilla, salt, and milk and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. You’re likely going to need all of the confectioners sugar to get the right consistency for these cupcakes, as they require a bit of a stiffer buttercream. Honestly, I’d probably even add a bit more than 4 cups because I would’ve liked mine a bit stiffer.

Now, remember that extra cookie dough I mentioned? There are a couple of things you can do with that (and I did a little of both). One is to bake little mini chocolate chip cookies to garnish your cupcakes. These add a funness to the cupcakes so you don’t have to do much decorating after you frost them. Just roll it into small balls and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until slightly browned. The second way is to simply enjoy it. This recipe eggless and safe to eat, and pretty hard to resist!

To complete your cupcakes, once they are completely cooled (don’t mess around with this or you will make a mess), cut a small cone-shaped hole in the top of each cupcake. This is called the cone method (aptly named!). The upper left image in the collage below demonstrates what this will look like. Don’t get rid of the piece you cut out, though, because you’ll still need it!

Grab your chilled cookie dough and rip off a small portion that’s about the size of the hole you just cut in the cupcakes. Drop it inside and then put the top piece back on. You might have to smoosh it a little bit to get it to stay on, but don’t worry about what it looks like because you’ll just be covering it all with frosting anyway. Then, choose your favorite tip and pipe your frosting on top of the cupcakes (I used the Wilton 1A). Top with mini cookies, if desired.

You’re probably still thinking “Okay, so you said you’d improve this recipe… well how??” Not to fret – here are a few (untested) ideas and thoughts that I will try next time. One is to replace the vanilla buttercream with either a cookie dough frosting or use less vanilla extract (or potentially pure vanilla beans) as the vanilla flavor was a bit too strong. Secondly, I’d probably try it with a vanilla/yellow cake rather than the white cake recipe I used. The cookie dough and cookies were pretty much right on, so I think I’d leave those as-is. So stay tuned… more to come on these babies!

Source:

Inspiration from Silver Spoon Bakery. Cake recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats, cookie dough from Confessions of a Chocoholic, and frosting from Savory Sweet Life.

Oreo truffles have always been one of my favorite things. From their versatility (especially now that Oreos have so many delicious flavors) to their incredibly easy recipe, and most importantly, the fact that they’re always a crowd pleaser.

But before I get into the truffles, a quick housekeeping note:

For those of you who formerly knew me as Add a Pinch of Salt, it’s still me, but my blog is now going to focus a lot more on baking, cake and cupcake decorating, the trials and tribulations of fondant vs. buttercream, etc. so I gave it a rebranding. You will now forever know me as Build Me Up Buttercream!

Another change you’ll start to see (hopefully) is improved photography. Thanks to my loving husband, I’m now the proud owner of a Nikon D3200, which I hope will help to bring my new blog and baked goods to life for all of you in a whole new and much better way. Please forgive my learning curve for now

But I digress… let’s get back to the chocolate.

The Superbowl gave me the perfect excuse to reinvent the traditional Oreo truffles. You all know the recipe. 1 package softened cream cheese, one package crushed Oreos. Combine and coat with chocolate. White, dark, milk or colored candy melts – no matter what these babies look like on the outside, they’re darn tasty. Thanks to Pinterest, I was enlightened with the idea of making these into little mini footballs coated with milk chocolate with royal icing stitches. And since the recipe is truly that easy, I’ll spend some time in this post explaining a bit more about royal icing.

If you’ve ever learned the basics of cake decorating, you probably know a little bit about royal icing. If you haven’t, you’ve probably at some point in your life had a cake that had those crusty roses on top that the little kids fought over (until it came time to actually eat them). Those were made of royal icing. What makes royal icing different from traditional frosting and gives it that crusty, rock-solid texture once it dries might surprise you. Growing up, I always assumed it was basically pure sugar. But the ingredient that defines royal icing is actually meringue powder, or egg whites, depending how much work you want to put into it. Personally, I use pre-bought meringue powder as I find it much easier and faster to work with, and it isn’t overly expensive.

My recipe for royal icing, courtesy of Wilton, is as follows:

• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 6 tablespoons warm water
• 4 cups (or 1 box) confectioners’ sugar

* Side note: I halved this recipe for my football Oreo truffles, and still had some leftover.

Simply place all ingredients in a stand mixer, or mix in a bowl with an electric mixer or a whisk, until well combined. The end result should be similar to a confectioners sugar/water mixture – thick and goopy – but the meringue powder will help it to dry nice and stiff like you want it.

For my football Oreo truffles, the royal icing was great because I was able to pipe it on using a Wilton #1 tip (the one with the smallest opening) and the initial frosting-like texture allowed me to fix any small mistakes, but it dried  nice and stiff. With any other frosting, the footballs would not be able to be stacked in a plate or even picked up without ruining the stitches… and with white chocolate, I would not have been able to nicely pipe the stitches on so they looked uniform.

I am happy to report that my football truffles are a huge hit at our Superbowl party!

What is your favorite crowd-pleasing party food or dessert? Do you have a consistent go-to like my Oreo truffles? Tell me in the comments!

The week after Christmas, I was gifted some leftover hazelnuts that a friend of mine was going to throw away. I have to admit, the concept of cooking with hazelnuts is pretty new to me, but when she said she had them, the first thing that came to my mind was Nutella.

Ahh, Nutella – your creamy, chocolatey, nutty goodness is unlike any other. I wasn’t sure if a homemade version could even do justice to the kind in the jar, since I already had such a love for it. But it most definitely did. Here is the recipe I followed.

Homemade Nutella (Adapted from Instructables):

Ingredients

• 7 ounces of hazelnuts
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup fat free milk (heated)

Directions

1. Toast hazelnuts in a saute pan over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Nuts should smell roasted, not burnt.

2. Let hazelnuts cool, and then remove the skins. This is a fairly tedious process, but worthwhile to avoid the bitter taste they would add to your Nutella.

3. Place hazelnuts in a food processor, and process until they become the consistency of peanut butter, scraping the edge of the bowl frequently. I forgot to take a picture at this point in the process, so this photo is courtesy of Instructables.

4. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on a low power setting for 2 minutes at a time, stirring after each 2 minutes, until melted. Stir sweetened condensed milk into melted chocolate.

5. Combine chocolate mixture with hazelnut spread until fully combined. Texture will be thick.

6. Stir in warm milk a little at a time until spread reaches your desired consistency.

And voila! Nutella!

Stay tuned for my post next week (celebrating World Nutella Day!) with a delicious recipe I plan to bake up using this tasty treat. Assuming I don’t eat it all with a spoon before I make it to next week