It is a crazy-busy weekend coming up with both Super Bowl LI and World Nutella Day on Sunday. (The date of the Super Bowl varies, but World Nutella Day is always on February 5th.) To recognize both events in blogs (I post twice a week on Tuesdays & Fridays) I gotta start today. Since I prefer chocolate & hazelnuts to football, the Nutella recipe wins out and is getting posted first, ahead of the Super Bowl recipe!
Nutella is a creamy chocolate and hazelnut spread that has been around since the 1940s. My kids introduced me to it around the turn of the millennium. I had never experienced it before that. Originally, Nutella was a smart solution to a tricky problem. Cocoa was in short supply following World War II. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker from Piedmont, Italy, created the sweet paste using hazelnuts, (they were plentiful in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy) sugar, and just a little cocoa. This enabled him to extend the limited chocolate supply he had for his pastries. He shaped his creation into a loaf that could be sliced and served on bread. In 1964, Ferraro’s son, Michele, improved the recipe and turned it into the spreadable cream we know today.
World Nutella Day started 10 years ago when a blogger and die-hard Nutella fan decided to dedicate a day to the chocolate treat. The idea was launched through social networks, quickly gathering thousands of Nutella devotees who followed along and showed their appreciation for Nutella by adding it to everything they were making. Nutella is the main attraction in this hot chocolate recipe.
(Spiked) Nutella Hot Chocolate
Nutella Hot Chocolate (adapted from thekitchn.com) Serves 2
- 1 1/2 cups milk (any kind)
- 1/3 cup Nutella
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 ounces Frangelico, divided, for a spiked version
- Whipped cream or marshmallows, to top
Directions:
In a pot over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Add the Nutella, stirring until it has melted and become incorporated. Add the cinnamon sticks and bring the mixture back to a simmer.
Add the Nutella & cinnamon sticks to the simmering milk.
Add 2 ounces of Frangelico to each mug for the spiked version. Ladle the hot milk mixture and a cinnamon stick into each mug and serve it with fresh whipped cream or marshmallows. The marshmallows can be toasted on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler for 30 to 45 seconds, until golden, if desired.
Add Frangelico and whipped cream or toasted marshmallows to the hot chocolate, if desired.
This will definitely warm you up when it is cold! ~Linda
Nutella Hot Chocolate (adapted from thekitchn.com) Serves 2
- 1 1/2 cups milk (any kind)
- 1/3 cup Nutella
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 ounces Frangelico, divided, for a spiked version
- Whipped cream or marshmallows, to top
In a pot over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Add the Nutella, stirring until it has melted and become incorporated. Add the cinnamon sticks and bring the mixture back to a simmer.
Add 2 ounces of Frangelico to each mug for the spiked version. Ladle the hot milk mixture and a cinnamon stick into each mug and serve it with fresh whipped cream or marshmallows. The marshmallows can be toasted on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler for 30 to 45 seconds, until golden, if desired.