A few years ago, I flew to Chicago for a blogging conference. By some miracle, the November weather cooperated and stayed fairly nice with temperatures in the 50’s and absolutely no snow in sight (I’m definitely a warm weather California girl!), which meant I really looked forward to exploring the city.
I arrived with over a full day before the conference began, so after grabbing breakfast from a local smoothie and breakfast bar, I wandered around Millenium Park to see the infamous Chicago jelly bean (aka Cloud Gate!) and Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. That afternoon, I bought a ticket for a riverboat tour, and our witty and vivacious guide talked nonstop as the boat chugged along up and down the Chicago River, pointing out iconic scenes and buildings while entertaining us with stories of their history. It was worth every penny to sail with this company!
Later, on the second day of the conference, I decided to explore more of the city’s food scene with my friend Jane and her cousin. After lunch at the grand opening of Latinicity, we walked over to Eataly, a combination of restaurants and a marketplace, all boasting authentic flavors imported directly from Italy.
As food bloggers typically do in places like that, we slowly walked through every inch of the massive two-story building, snapping photo after photo and accepting every free sample offered our way by the kind and generous employees. Somehow, we mostly restrained ourselves, ending up with only one or two items to purchase in our hands until…
We spotted the little dessert shop downstairs, directly adjacent to a gelato stand and Nutella shop. I picked out two dainty yet impressive pastries from the first stall, a teensy sliver of cake and a little domed chocolate hazelnut cake, then made my last stop before exiting Eataly at the Nutella shop.
Jars of that sweet chocolate hazelnut spread filled rows upon rows of shelves, all in various sizes, ranging from small 13-ounce jars all the way up to 11 pounds. Some of the medium-sized ones even displayed cute sayings on their labels, like “me & you” or “miss you” or “good luck.” I thought about buying a jar for my mom, seeing as it’s one of her favorite treats… Yet I remembered at the last second that Mom was trying to eat healthier and remove as many sweet temptations from her pantry as possible.
But now, far too many months later, I finally perfected this recipe for the Ultimate Healthy Homemade Nutella! It tastes exactly like that famous hazelnut spread, perfectly creamy and deliciously sweet with rich chocolate tones, yet this healthy version contains just 4 ingredients and no artificial ingredients, dairy, oil, or sugar!
Continue reading & see the rest! ›› The Ultimate Healthy Homemade Nutella
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