A group of us went out for breakfast this past Sunday morning at one of my favorite spots, a great local place called Cafe Avalaun, and a plate of their heavenly pancakes with “not-tella” arrived at our table in short order. Not nutella, whose first ingredient is sugar and second ingredient is modified palm oil, but not-tella, which the folks at Cafe Avalaun make with real food ingredients, all of which you can find at the grocery store. 

I went on line to look for a homemade “not-tella” recipe that I could make at home, and was very happy to find this one, from the Coconut Mama.

1 cup hazelnuts, roasted
1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (my addition)
1/4 cup (plus 1/4 cup more to hold) coconut milk
a pinch of salt

Blend the hazelnuts in a high-speed food processor (Vitamix, Blend-tec) to form the hazelnut butter. Add coconut oil, cocoa butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and 1/4 cup coconut milk. Blend until mixture is creamy and smooth. Add salt, and then, if necessary, additional coconut milk, just one teaspoon at a time, to obtain desired smooth texture.

Bon appetit!