However, I made a number of minor errors which affected the final product:
1. I burnt the caramel just a little and it was just too late at night to start over, so I risked it. This led to a slightly more bitter taste than I had hoped.
2. I made it at the same time as my husband was making jerky. This led to a steamy environment which made my caramel sticky and hard to grind, leading to a curious (though not entirely unpleasant) ground glass style crunch.
3. I missed out the vanilla because I couldn’t find it. I’m guessing it adds a little more depth to the sweetness.

But it really was very good. Much more hazelnutty than nutella, which I find far too sweet. However, I did find it far more runny than I had hoped, despite adding no oil or liquid of any sort. Perhaps they were especially oily nuts? Is there such a thing.

One suggestion though, not sure if anyone else has made it in the gazillion comments I’ve not read. The skins can be easily removed from RAW nuts by pouring boiling water on them and leaving them to sit for a few minutes. The skins go baggy and fall off. I guess you’d have to leave the nuts to dry out for a bit in order to get a nice roast on them though.

Allergy-boy-fussy-pants tried it in a sandwich this evening and seemed to enjoy it. And I felt like a very good mother to be feeding my child all those healthy hazelnuts and nutritionally beneficial cocoa that I managed to completely forget the sugar.

Thanks so much five years down the line for posting this.

Emma.

Now if I could find a recipe for the cappuccino spread the I found in The Netherlands, I will be totally fat and happy.