I know everyone loves Nutella, however the actual Nutella you buy in your local supermarket is full of preseravtives and stuff you shouldn’t consume as an adult and especially not as a child. So I have made my own Nutella wich is te topping for this slice or can be used on it’s own to dip strawberries in or lather on your toast.

My nutella is full of hazelnuts which are sweet and incredibly nutritious. Hazelnuts are very high in energy and loaded with numerous ealth benefiting nutrients that are essential for optimum health. They are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids which help lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol. These nuts are rich in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals packed with numerous health promoting phytochemicals. Altogether they help protect from diseases and cancers.

Hazelnuts are also rich in folate which is an important B complex vitamin that helps prevent anemia and most importantly, neural tube defects in the newborn. Good news for expectant mothers. They are also a great source of vitamin E wich is great for your skin.

So anyway here is the recipe for this mouth watering slice.

Ingredients for the base;
1 and 1/2 cups of roasted hazelnuts (skins off as much a possible after you roast nuts for 15 minutes or so)
1 cup of medjool dates (pitted)
2 Tbsp rice malt syrup
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
2 Tbsp cacao powder

Blend all of these ingredients together. I have a thermomix so I can blend them all together in 10 seconds, however if you are using a food processor you may need to add 1 date at a time. If te mixture is too dry you can add a tiny bit of water. Once you have a nice crumbly consistency, press mixture into a square or rectangle loaf tin tat is lined with baking paper.

Nutella Spread;
1 cup of roasted hazelnuts (skins removed)
2 Tbsp rice malt syrup
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp cacao powder
1 Tbsp melted coconut oil

Firstly blend the hazelnuts for a few minutes in a high powered machine until the oils of the nuts are released and a nut butter is formed. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Taste, sweet enough? Adjust if needed. Evenly spread over the base and place in the fridge for a few hours to harden or the freezer if you want the job done quicker. You can keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, however I doubt it will last more than a day:)

Enjoy