World Nutella Day: Celebrate with 7 recipes!

1/7

Yum!
Recipe: Grilled Nutella and pecan pound cake sandwiches
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

2/7

The secret to this dish is the Nutella. Warmed, stuffed crepes are served with caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream and a Bananas Foster-type sauce for a rich but amazing dessert.
Recipe: Crepes with Nutella
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

3/7

It’s as if Lawry’s took everyone’s favorite flavors and combined them in an easy-to-make dessert, with Nutella, chocolate, espresso and Kahlua liqueur folded into a mousse. And the best part? It comes together in just 15 minutes.
Recipe: Lawry’s Nutella chocolate espresso Kahlua mousse
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

4/7

Could it possibly get any better than Nutella filling?
Recipe: Hamantaschen with Nutella
(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

5/7

Make your own Nutella with this recipe for chocolate hazelnut spread. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

6/7

Enjoy your Nutella in cookie form!
Recipe: Hazelnut-chocolate Linzer cookies
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

7/7

Homemade, you can fill them with Nutella!.
Recipe: Homemade Pop Tarts

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

By Noelle Carter

Feb. 5, 2014 9:20 AM PT

Can’t get enough Nutella? Then you’re probably one of the many fans who celebrates World Nutella Day every Feb. 5. The annual celebration was created by Nutella fan Sara Rosso in 2007, who also created the unofficial fan site NutellaDay.com.

You might remember the controversy last year when Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, moved to stop the annual celebration before backing off. Now fans everywhere can continue to spread the joy.

RECIPES: 7 ways to celebrate World Nutella Day

Beyond grabbing a spoon and simply digging into a jar (which totally works for me), we’ve compiled several other ways for you to celebrate! From creamy mousse to filled cookies and even homemade Pop Tarts, we have plenty of ways to share your Nutella love.

Want to make your own Nutella? Check out the recipe below for homemade hazelnut-chocolate spread.

Have other recipes or creative uses for Nutella? Share them with your fellow fans below -- we’d love to know!

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE SPREAD

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Note: Use good-quality cocoa powder, such as Scharffen Berger.

2 cups raw hazelnuts

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons hazelnut oil, more as needed

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts evenly over a cookie sheet and roast until they darken and become aromatic, about 10 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a damp towel and rub to remove the skins.

2. In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts to a smooth butter, scraping the sides as needed so they process evenly, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, salt and oil to the food processor and continue to process until well blended, about 1 minute. The finished spread should have the consistency of creamy peanut butter; if it is too dry, process in a little extra hazelnut oil until the desired consistency is achieved. Remove to a container, cover and refrigerate until needed. Allow the spread to come to room temperature before using, as it thickens considerably when refrigerated. It will keep for at least a week.

Each tablespoon: 109 calories; 2 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 13 mg. sodium.

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