New found addiction to Nutella

[CityFoodNY]

I was in Europe a few months ago, I tried Nutella for the first time and it was delicious. I bought a small jar and now I can not stop eating it. You can really put Nutella on anything and it is delicious!

[schrutefarms]

I like to buy the can of Pilsbury mini-croissants, and spread Nutella on them before they're rolled, then when you bake them, it's all warm and gooey. Or take a store-bought croissant, slice in half, spread with Nutella (like a sandwich) and put it in the panini press. Once its done, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

[Prav]

I'm allergic to nuts. Is there such a thing as a Nutella-like choco spread that doesn't have nuts?

[schrutefarms]

Looks like there's actually quite a few----

http://www.cardullos.com/chocolate_sp...

[purple goddess]

Nutella and peanut butter muffins.
Nutella cheesecake
Nutella Icecream (with Frangelico topping!)

My 2 personal faves?

Melt some Nutella in the micro until runny and add equal parts heavy cream and a splash of Brandy. Serve as a sweet dip with fruit.

And Jamie Oliver does an insane choco-banana Nutella bread.

[mpjmph]

When I was in grad school we would occasionally have study parties centered about a sterno s'mores maker and I quickly learned that Nutella s'mores are far superior to the ones made with Hershey bars.

[cassoulady]

I LOVE nutella. This may sound gross but it is quite good on pretzles. I also like it on rice cakes. Of course I like it on bread. I also love a grilled nutella banana sandwich.

[HillJ]

We're enjoying Nutella & banana stuffed french toast for dinner tonight, inspired by this fun thread! Thanks!

[pickledginger]

Nothing gross about your predilection for nutella on pretzels--it makes complete sense, like chocolate covered or peanut butter filled pretzels (or both, like Trader Joe's sells). It's sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, even a little bitter all at once. And the sandwich sounds good too. I think what I'm saying is that you have good taste!

[CoryKatherine]

does NOT sound gross

[sebetti]

When I was going to school in Belgium (11 grade...sort of), it was always big treat when Nutella was added -- Bread + Nutella and nothing else. Of course, the bread was always amazing...even stale.

[CoryKatherine]

I would kill for a crepe a nutella from the streets of Paris right now

[atlantanative]

Nutella and peanut butter sandwich on soft bread...omg...must have added 5 pounds in the last month after finding that morsel of joy! Like a semi-savory reeces cup.

[umbushi plum]

the one expierience i had with nutella was at a friends house when i was twelve in France-
white bagette with a thick spread of nutella made into a sanwhich, it was good, she also had these little packets with cool plastic flat spoons shaped like a short fat baseball bat, never had one since but the memeory lives.

[janemarcet]

re: CoryKatherine
Oh yeah, that alone would almost be worth the price of the flight! We're using the jar of Nutella in our house to curb Lenten cravings - two of us have given up chocolate for Lent, so we open the jar to enjoy the aroma whenever we're hankering for a bit of chocolate. Takes a lot of willpower to put that lid back on...

[CoryKatherine]

I could NEVER open it just to smell it! What a tease! I'd have to put all my jars under lock and key. You have some willpower woman

[janemarcet]

Only during Lent, believe me! Come Easter Sunday morning, I'll be sitting on the floor surrounded by empty Easter egg boxes.... in the meantime, I've made an Italian hazelnut cake for tonight, in an attempt to enjoy a Nutella-like taste minus the cocoa. I just know it won't be the same though!!

[Jacquilynne]

There's a music festival I got to most summers and it's a weekend long thing in a park. One of the best food vendors is a crepe stand, so I spend most of the weekend living on nutella and banana crepes. Crepes in the fresh air and sunshine while listening to live music is a pretty nice combination.

[Jacey]

My favorite is to take challa bread, spread nutella and slice some bananas on it, and then put it in a panini press for a bit to melt....so so good!

[Amuse Bouches]

Try making your own praline paste. It's Also addicting. You can add cocoa too.

http://www.savour-fare.com

[beccabones]

I am starting to believe that Nutella is actually addicting... in my group of friends lately there have been at least 3 fights because someone ate someone else's Nutella! crazyy but it's soo good.
=]

[jcattles]

Nutella is a staple in our house. Usually just eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon. Sometimes I'll take a spoonfull and spread it on a banana, take a bit and repeat. Another good recipe is a grilled nutella sandwich. I take 2 pieces of angel food cake, spread nutella on one (or both, if you roll that way) , put the slices together, butter the outside and grill. Sometimes I'll even use marshmallow fluff too.
This weekend my daughter was eating saltines and nutella. I asked if it was any good. She looked at me like I was stupid and said "well, duh, it's a cracker with Nutella!" Ok , 'nuf said. Like bacon, everything tastes better with nutella.

[cayjohan]

It's the salt that really sets Nutella up on another plane. You're daughter's onto something!

I'm not a big sweets eater, but a crusty slice of baguette, lightly schmeared with Nutella, then a sprinkle of salt? I'm on board. Salt and chocolate are wonderful in concert.

Cay

[chowser]

Google is a wonderful thing. Sea salt nutella cookies:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/1656/bris...

[cayjohan]

Well dang, chowser...I don't even like to bake but the esteem in which I hold my DD may demand me making a batch of these! They might make me quite popular! ;-)

Cay

[Sooeygun]

Somewhere I have a recipe for a bar cookie with a base made from Nutella, chocolate and cornflakes. It was darn good. I have to find it again.

[alkapal]

i haven't read through this thread, but just this weekend, jacques pepin mixed melted vanilla ice cream with nutella, and poured that sauce in a shallow bowl. he then sliced a mango, and spread half the slices over the sauce. then he served it with batons of pound cake, and a garnish of lavender.

that was one dish i don't think i'd like -- nutella with mango....esp. garnished with lavender.

[HillJ]

alkapal, I'd skip the pound cake and lavender but wontons filled w/nutella and served with mango puree is heavenly. I'm not a pound cake fan myself, so diff strokes for diff folks :)

[alkapal]

do you deep fry those nutella dumplings/ravioli/wonton?

i just recall nutella as more of a chocolate-y flavor, which is something i've just never associated with mango. also, the nutella i recall was really sweet.

i'd be alright with chopped hazelnuts on mango (over some coconut sticky rice, or vanilla ice cream even).

[HillJ]

oh my coconut sticky rice combo sounds wonderful. Yes, the wontons are spread with a small amt. of nutella then fried in peanut oil and served with mango puree.

[mcsheridan]

I'd take the melted ice cream mixed with nutella over pound cake...or over a few other things. Leave the mango and the lavender out of it.

[Passadumkeg]

Has the recipe of Nutella changed? I used to eat it a lot in the 80's in Scandinavia and it seemed less sweet and thicker.

[spellweaver16]

Someone mentioned upthread that the US Nutella contains hydrogenated oils now. So it might have changed in other ways.

[Morganna]

Though they also said it no longer does contain that. They checked recently. I'll have to take a look. :)

Ok, looked it up, this is from http://www.nutellausa.com/ingredients...
ingredients: sugar, modified palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (from milk), soy lecithin: an emulsifier, vanillin: an artificial flavor.

[pickledginger]

So now the question is: what is "modified palm oil?" My googling was less than enlightening--it looks like most of the hits are people asking the same question and giving various sorts of answers. It's not the same as hydrogenated oil, but it's not clear that it's much better....

[NellyNel]

Passadumkeg -
I recently asked that question on Tripadvisor (somehow Nutella came up).
Anyhow - when I was a kid in the 70's - Nutella used to be incredible - it used to have a big layer of hazelnut oil on top, and when you stired it in - the texture was very oily and silky; it was also less sweet.
Somewhere in the 1980's - everything changed - the oil was gone, and it has never been the same.
I asked if anyone knew if the Nutella in Italy was still they way I remembered it - here is the answer I got from an Italian resident :"nellynel, unfortunately, the nutella here is the same _ thick and without the oil on top. But the reason is that they at some point invented homogenizing and now can blend and keep the oil in the solid parts better. The oil on top of earlier was unintended, just the oil in the spread seperating from the rest in time - as will happen with anything natural"

It's a shame because if you never had Nutlla the old way - you never had Nutella. The combo of the textura and the not so sweet taste was simply incredible.

[lergnom]

They emulsify the product better now. If you get a jar that has separated, believe it or not they'll send you coupons for a new one.

I've had both ways and the difference is nostalgia not taste. It's like thinking back to when you mixed coloring into margarine.

[NellyNel]

Lergnom

Not in my opinion!
When the "formula" changed - everyone in my family - all my friends etc. were disgusted by the new version. There is no comparison. It is too sweet and sludgy now.
It's my personal taste so you couldnt possibly question it.

Some people hate natural peanut butter too - because of the oil on top - but I happen to love it.

[CoryKatherine]

hydrogenated oils (trans fats) are the handy invention that keep things 'emulsified'
all natural peanut butter separates b/c it doesn't have trans fats, whereas skippy and whatnot are nice and creamy...

[mcsheridan]

I like it spread on vanilla pizzelle cookies. :)

[chowser]

I've been making these toaster tarts with nutella.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe...

Beats pop tarts any day.

[mcsheridan]

OMG what a decadent thing! YUMMY. Thanks for sharing...

[kchurchill5]

Take pillsbury crescent rolls or any puff pastry or crescent roll that is pre made. Spread with cream cheese, nutella and pecans ... roll and bake. Great simple appetizer. Puff pastry works as good as any crescent roll mix. Just a quick fix easy dish. I have made this with puff pastry from scratch, but just trying to give an easy version. Anything work with this.

[lynnlato]

I was just going to post this! My 7 yr old son is completely addicted to nutella crescent rolls - he even makes them himself. Crack-like!

I spread it on hazelnut pizzelles too - oh so good. (like mcsheridan).

[kchurchill5]

Yep, addictive aren't they? Add some cream cheese and nuts, heaven. 3-4 for dinner, lol?

I could eat it out of the jar though :)

[mcsheridan]

You are *truly* dangerous...but in a good way. :)

[Den]

I use nutella in my cheesecake.

[jmckee]

Try this: Fill won ton wrappers with Nutella, fold in half diagonally, seal, deep fry, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Talk about addiction......

[laliz]

OMG

thanks

[kchurchill5]

Nutella, fine chopped peaches and crushed pecans. I just pan sear and amazing. Top with powdered sugar. Great also wish some fresh raspberries on top
You can also use some raspberry preserves which is a great dip for the ravioli.

[Morganna]

You know, sometimes Chowhound reminds me of that scene in the movie "Fatso" (I can't be the only one here who has seen that movie and thinks it's cute) where there's a group of dieters sitting around trying to help out the main character who is in a food crisis, and they start talking about all the cool things they do with different foods.

"Have you ever tried...."

In the end they all ran charging into the kitchen and started cooking and eating themselves into insensibility. ;D

You people are deadly. ;D

[Jacquilynne]

That reminds me of this horrible (and by horrible, I mean, wonderful yet crazy and guilt inducing) dessert I had in Nashville -- chocolate chip cookie dough spring rolls covered in chocolate sauce and served with ice cream. So wrong, yet so right.

[vvvindaloo]

The nutella pockets you are referring to actually do exist in Italy. They are called Panzerotti, and just about every Southern Italian neighborhood has their own take on both savory and sweet methods. Savory ones are typically fried, kind of like really large dumplings. But the sweet ones are often baked and filled with either a gianduja cream (like nutella) or sweet ricotta, or perhaps a combination. They are also really tasty with ricotta and fruit preserves.

[NellyNel]

Oh my gosh - that sounds incredible!!

[choco_lab38]

I believe Giada must have a recipe for the Panzerotti in one of her cookbooks--I remember seeing her make them in an episode...

[Janet from Richmond]

And serve with ice cream.

[HillJ]

Now create a mango puree for dipping and take that Nutella wonton to a whole new level!

[sebetti]

Nutella is just a gateway drug, If you want to step it up a notch, try this:

http://www.ritrovo.com/i-3013rad-ches...

It's not as sweet and is a little more subtle but it is on beyond amazing.

[eatzalot]

sebetti, I get "page no longer exists" under that link. Could you possibly research on the ritrovo site, or suggest another link about the product itself? We may find other sources for it, if we can know about the product.

[sebetti]

My apologies.
What I was attempting to link to was a description of a chestnut puree with cocoa and rum. The cocoa is more of an accent (as is the rum) to the paste (vs. the super - chocolate power of Nutella). It's sublime.

I initially found this product two years ago at a local gourmet grocery (Pastaworks) and forgot about it. While doing a little spring cleaning in my spice drawer, I found it again. I decided to try it and toss it....Yeah, that didn't happen. What happened was that I ended up hopping into my car to drive 20 miles to a decent bakery to get a fresh loaf of bread.

http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo-new...

Here's another site that does work when I copy and paste the link in...I wish I could test the link before I post it....

[MsMaryMc]

In Seattle, Costco has started carrying it--can't recall the price but it's better than I've seen anywhere else. You have to buy a bundle of two 26.5 oz. jars, but that works for us--my husband and I each get our own, so there's no fighting over who's getting more than their share (always a danger with Nutella!)

[Fritter]

Two 26 ounce jars at Costco here are just under $9.

[Miss Needle]

Yes, Nutella is indeed good, even straight out of the jar plain. As you're in NYC, you may find this of use. A few months ago, I was at Buon Italia (in Chelsea Market) picking up a jar of Nutella. A lady who was shopping there (I'll bet she was a Chowhound) was raving about the gianduja hazelnut chocolate they sold in blocks. Well, we picked up both. The gianduja chocolate was really good. I preferred the flavor over Nutella. It was also less expensive. The thing that Nutella had going for them was that it's spreadable. So you may want to give Gianduja a try one day.

[Uptownflavor]

I had stopped buying Nutella for two reason. One, they had started using hydrogenated oil (I recently checked the label and they stopped) and the price went up. I was in Stop Rite and they have their own brand that is imported from Italy for a full dollar less than Nutella and has better ingredients.

[Miss Needle]

Actually, Buon Italia (and I'm presuming other stores in the US) carries the Italian Nutella in addition to the American one. I don't think there's hydrogenated oil in the Italian one. The texture is different than the US version as it is a lot runnier. It is, however, super expensive compared to the American Nutella, costing about three times the price. Great that you found a substitute that you like, especially since it's cheaper.

I don't think there was an ingredient list on the giunduja chocolate at Buon Italia. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure if I want to know.

[Uptownflavor]

yes, runnier but just as yummy

[tpigeon]

Disagree, italian nutella is much better. I have had them side by side numerous times and it is not even close.

[stolenchange]

Trader Joes also has their version of Nutella which is pretty tasty. And it's cheaper than Nutella.