Chestnutella

Chestnutella

Okay, we are genuinely obsessed with this one. Chestnutella is our plant-based take on that chocolate hazelnut spread we all grew up loving, but made with sweet, earthy chestnuts and it is honestly better than we expected. The texture is incredibly smooth and creamy, the chocolate flavour is rich and deep, and there is this lovely subtle nuttiness from the chestnuts that makes it feel really special. Spread it on toast, swirl it into porridge, eat it straight off the spoon, we are not here to judge. Trust us, once you make a batch of this you will want it in your fridge at all times.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large baking tray lined with parchment
  • Food processor
  • Blender
  • Saucepan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Sterilised jar

Ingredients

  • 80g vacuum packed chestnuts - we used Merchant Gourmet
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 150ml maple syrup
  • 100ml plant-based milk
  • ¼ tsp salt

Method

1

Cook the chestnuts

  • Spread the chestnuts out on a lined baking sheet, put in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes
  • Take the baking sheet out of the oven, set it down on a heat proof surface and allow it to cool to room temperature
2

Blend the ingredients

  • Put the chestnuts and salt in the food processor and blend them until the nuts turn into a smooth, thick, creamy nut butter
  • You may have to scrape the sides of the food processor a few times to help the blending process (no licking the spoon...we're watching you)
3

Melting the chocolate

  • Put the saucepan on a medium heat and pour in 1 inch of boiling water from the kettle
  • Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan. Add the dark chocolate and leave it for a couple of minutes to completely melt
4

Combine

  • Pour the melted chocolate, maple syrup, salt and plant based milk into the liquidiser, put the lid on and blend everything together until the chocolate spread is really smooth
5

Store the spread

  • Pour the contents of the blender into a sterilised jar, refrigerate until solid and consume within 7 days (not usually a problem...)

Tips & Variations

  • Get it really smooth: Keep blending even when it looks done. Give it another 30 seconds and you will notice the texture gets noticeably creamier. It is worth the extra minute, we promise.
  • Adjust the sweetness: We like ours on the less sweet side but if you want it closer to a classic Nutella vibe, add a little more maple syrup or a few dates into the blend. Henry always sneaks in a tiny extra pinch of salt too to balance everything out.
  • Storage tip: Keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge and it will stay good for up to two weeks. Let it come to room temperature before spreading though, it firms up quite a bit when cold.

Why This Works

The trick here is roasting the chestnuts first. That 10 minutes in the oven brings out their natural sweetness and makes them blend into the most gorgeous smooth butter without any graininess. What really makes this sing is taking your time with the blending, scraping down the sides and letting the food processor do its thing properly until it turns silky and spreadable.