Chocolate Almond Hazelnut Butter Food

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ALMOND BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine the nuts, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla and sea salt in a food processor.
• Drizzle in the melted coconut oil and process for several minutes or until smooth.
• Store in a tightly covered jar. For best results, keep in the refrigerator, though you'll have to soften it before using.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER BUDDIES

Steps:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and almond butter on medium-high speed until very smooth. Add the graham cracker crumbs and vanilla and beat again until smooth. On low speed, add 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and beat to combine. Continue adding the sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until you can form a handful of the mixture into a slightly sticky ball. Refrigerate the dough just to firm it up a bit, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and put on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the dough again just to firm it up a bit, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a double boiler or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the chocolate cool and thicken while the buddies chill in the refrigerator. (You want the chocolate thick enough so you can dip and coat the buddies.)
• To dip them, poke a buddy with a wooden skewer or toothpick and swirl it in the melted chocolate, leaving a little of the almond butter mixture peeping out at the top. Drop it gently back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Once you've dipped all of the buddies, refrigerate them until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND HAZELNUT SPREAD

Steps:

• If nuts are raw, roast them by spreading in a single layer on cookie sheets and baking at 350 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes. Watch them as they can burn easily.
• Place the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub them together vigorously to remove the as much of the skins as possible.
• Be sure your nuts are completely cool before adding them to the Vitamix.
• Add nuts to Vitamix. Remove the cap from the lid and insert the tamper. Start at Variable 1 and quickly increase the speed to Variable 10. Blend while pushing down in each corner of the blender with the tamper to move the nuts into the blades. It will turn to powder and as you continue to blend and tamp it will start to turn creamy. (This should take around a minute.)
• When it gets creamy, stop the blender and add the coconut sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt. Turn the blender back on to Variable 10 and blend and tamp to incorporate them completely.
• At this point, if your mixture still seems dry and not so creamy, start adding coconut oil - a tablespoon or 2 at a time. I soak and dehydrate my nuts before using and this does make them dryer, so I normally have to add about 1/4 cup or so of coconut oil. If you don't dehydrate them first, you may not need to add any extra oil.
• Spoon into jars. I keep a small jar of it out on the counter, and store the remainder in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND- HAZELNUT BUTTER

Steps:

• Toast 3/4 cup blanched hazelnuts on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. While the hazelnuts are warm, make Basic Almond Butter, using 3/4 cup almonds and the hazelnuts; omit the vegetable oil. Add 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons superfine sugar; process. Pulse in 1 ounce melted bittersweet chocolate until combined.