You may have heard. In case you haven’t, here it is:

Two mothers in the US took Nutella to court over false advertising and won their case — and got a $3.5 million payout.

About time, I say.

On the other hand, my version of Nutella is basically a chocolate nut butter (so it’s thicker than Nutella) with a touch of natural sweetness from some maple syrup. It’s healthy, delicious, vegan and gluten-free. Enjoy it, guilt-free.

Recipe

You need a good quality food processor to make this — something that can turn nuts into nut butter without burning the motor!

Makes about 1 cup (if  this isn’t going to last long in your household, just double the amounts)

• 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted with the skins rubbed off (as much as possible) 
• 2–3 tbsp (30–45 mL) macadamia nut oil (or unscented coconut oil, melted)
• 1.5 tbsp organic, fair trade cocoa 
• 2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) pure maple syrup 

In a food processor, blitz together the hazelnuts and 2 tablespoons of oil until it turns into nut butter. You may need to stop the processor couple of times, and scrape down the sides to get a nut butter consistency. Having a nut butter consistency is important, otherwise you won’t have a very spreadable ‘Nutella’. If it’s not quite there add another tablespoon of oil to help it along.

Then add the cocoa and maple syrup. Whizz together until everything is blended. If it’s too thick, add a touch more oil and/or maple syrup and process. (Note: This Nutella will be thicker than the store bought one).

Store in an airtight glass jar. It will keep for weeks in the fridge (if it lasts that long!).