Low carb chocolate nut spread with the Thermomix® only works if the nut oil is fully released. Without this step the mixture stays grainy instead of creamy. We show you how to turn 400 g of hazelnuts into a silky butter in 5 to 10 minutes, without any sugar, yet still beautifully sweet.
The recipe comes from the book “Mix dich schlank”. We have made it dozens of times and have now found exactly the method that works reliably. The critical point is the nut butter phase: stop too early and the spread stays gritty. Run the Thermomix® for too long and the mixture heats up and loses its texture.
Low Carb Chocolate Nut Spread with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 5 ✓
- 100 g erythritol
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 400 g hazelnuts
- 65 g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 130 g coconut oil virgin
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 2-3). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
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2
Pulverise the erythritol.
Add the erythritol and salt to the mixing bowl and pulverise for 15 sec / speed 5, then set aside.
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3
Toast the hazelnuts.
Spread the hazelnuts on the baking tray and toast on the middle shelf of the oven for 8 minutes.
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4
Make the nut butter.
Add the toasted nuts to the mixing bowl. Chop for 20 sec / speed 10, scrape down with the spatula, then stir for 5 to 10 min / speed 4. During this time stop the machine regularly and push the nuts down with the spatula. The natural oil must be released from the nuts so that the butter becomes beautifully creamy. Set the nut butter aside.
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5
Add the cocoa powder.
Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil and pulverised erythritol to the mixing bowl and melt for 5 min / 50°C / speed 2.
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6
Fill the jars.
Add the nut butter and mix for 30 sec / speed 3. Fill into two screw-top jars.
Tip: The nut butter can also be made with other nuts. It is important not to exceed the maximum filling quantity of 400 g in the mixing bowl. Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the spread keeps for several months. The nutritional values are based on hazelnuts.
Nutrition per serving
Pulverise the erythritol rather than using crystals
Erythritol has a coarser texture than regular sugar. If you do not pulverise the 100 g beforehand, you will feel crystals in the finished spread. 15 seconds at speed 5 is enough to make the erythritol as fine as icing sugar. That is the difference between a gritty and a silky result.
The pinch of salt (3/4 tsp) matters. It brings out the chocolate note without making the spread taste salty. Without salt the flavour falls flat.
Oven toasting for even browning
We toast the 400 g hazelnuts in the oven at 180°C (fan 160°C) for 8 minutes. This gives an even colour that is hard to achieve in a frying pan. Do not let the nuts get too dark or the spread will taste bitter. Lightly golden is enough.
If you prefer to use a frying pan: medium heat, keep tossing constantly, remove after 5 to 6 minutes. The pan needs more attention while the oven runs by itself.
The nut oil must release for a creamy consistency
This is the critical phase. After the initial chop (20 seconds at speed 10) the nuts are roughly broken up. Now the real work begins: stir for 5 to 10 minutes at speed 4, stopping several times to scrape the mixture from the sides down with the spatula.
What happens: the blades break open the cell walls of the nuts. The oil is released. The mixture goes from sticky to creamy. Stop too soon and the consistency stays crumbly. After 5 minutes the mixture should start to look glossy. After 8 to 10 minutes it will run off the spatula and have the consistency of peanut butter.
We stick to the 400 g limit. More nuts overload the mixing bowl and the mixture will not become evenly creamy. Less does work, but the risk increases that the butter will cling to the sides rather than staying at the bottom.
Incorporate the cocoa powder and coconut oil at 50°C
The 65 g cocoa powder and 130 g coconut oil are melted at 50°C and speed 2 for 5 minutes. This is warm enough to liquefy the coconut oil but not so hot that the erythritol caramelises. The pulverised erythritol goes in at this point, not before.
Cocoa powder must be unsweetened. That is important. Sweetened cocoa would undermine the sugar-free approach. We use virgin coconut oil because it stabilises the consistency. At room temperature the spread is soft enough to spread; in the fridge it sets firm.
Stir in the nut butter last
Once the cocoa, coconut oil and erythritol are melted, add the nut butter. 30 seconds at speed 3 is enough to bring everything together. Mixing for longer would warm the spread again and affect the consistency.
Right after mixing the spread is liquid. After 30 minutes at room temperature it becomes spreadable. In the fridge it sets completely and firms up like Nutella. Stored in an airtight container it keeps for several months.
Other nuts work just as well
Almonds, cashews or a mixture give a different flavour profile, but the method stays the same. The key is always 400 g total weight. Cashews become creamy faster (7 minutes); almonds take longer (12 minutes). Hazelnuts are the standard because they deliver the classic nut nougat aroma.
For more chocolate flavour, add 10 g extra cocoa powder. For a less sweet result, reduce the erythritol to 80 g. Keep the ratio of nut butter to coconut oil the same, though, otherwise the spread will turn out either too firm or too oily.
Goes well with: toast, wholemeal bread and waffles.
Try stirring this spread through a creamy Thermomix® rice pudding or have a go at our classic homemade Nutella-style spread.
