Crema Gianduia (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)

A recipe for Crema Gianduia (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)! Hazelnuts are roasted until fragrant, then blended with chocolate, sugar, butter, and milk.

Secret Recipe Club

Time for another Secret Recipe Club! For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes a group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified reveal day.

I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog.

This month I was assigned to Hapa-tite. The author, Nicole, actually lives near me in the DC metro area. She named the blog after hapa and appetite. Hapa is a Hawaiian term that means half and is used in reference to people who are of mixed heritage and part Asian/Pacific Islander.

In addition to her father’s Hawaiian family, Nicole also has Chinese, Cherokee, German, and American ancestry. On her blog, you will find a mixture of recipes reflecting her family.

I particularly enjoyed her restaurant reviews and added a few to my list. I chose her recipe for Gianduja this month, but also pinned a few to try later: Green Tea Sandwich Cookies with Honey Cream Cheese Filling, Char Siu Chow Fun, and Vietnamese Pork with Nuoc Cham.

Crema Gianduia (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)

Crema Gianduia (Gianduja) is an Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and the precursor to Nutella.

It was created in Turin, Italy in the mid-1800s as a way to extend the amount of chocolate available while the country had a shortage during the British blockade. In Italy, you can find Gianduja as a spread or a sliceable block.

This particular version is made by roasting hazelnuts, then processing with sugar and a bit of salt until the hazelnuts become a smooth paste.

The paste is whisked into a creamy chocolate, butter, and milk mixture until smooth. It is spreadable when warm, but solidifies as it cools.

Serving Ideas

I usually spread the Crema Gianduia over a slice of bread for a quick snack. It has many other uses too!

I wanted to see how the Chocolate Hazelnut Spread did in baking so I used it to make Nutella-Nuss-Schnecken (German Nutella Nut Snail Pastries).

I spread the Crema Gianduia over a sheet of puff pastry, sprinkled it with some toasted chopped hazelnuts, rolled the pastry up, cut into rolls (snails), brushed the tops with an egg wash, and baked in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until golden. It was an easy and delicious mid-afternoon treat.

A spoonful straight from the refrigerator will also easily blend into hot espresso to make a Chocolate Hazelnut Latte.

A Few Tips

Toast the hazelnuts just until fragrant and golden, about 10-15 minutes in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven.

The skins of the hazelnuts should come off easily by simply rubbing in a towel after toasting. Don’t worry if a few stubborn pieces don’t come off. If you don’t to go through the process of removing the skins, use blanched hazelnuts if available.

Adjust the flavors to your personal taste. Decrease the sugar if desired. I kept the chocolate at 6 ounces (170 grams) to allow the toasted hazelnut flavor to shine through, but you can also increase the amount to 8 ounces (227 grams) for a stronger chocolate taste.

I prefer the Chocolate Hazelnut Spread with dark chocolate, but it can also be swapped for semi-sweet or even milk chocolate.

This spread hardens into a thick paste when refrigerated. Let sit at room temperature for up to 4 hours or warm for a few seconds in the microwave or in a double boiler.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Horseradish Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Lavender Bars from Bewitching Kitchen
• Low-Fat “KFC” Oven Fried Chicken from Lavender and Lovage
• French Onion Dip from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Sweet Orange Risotto with Strawberries from The Spiffy Cookie
• Chicken Taco Salad with Quesadilla Strips from Making Miracles
• Grilled Mahi Mahi from A Day in the Life on the Farm

This recipe was originally posted in June 2015 and updated in February 2023.

Crema Gianduia (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread) Recipe

Adapted from Hapa-tite

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Crema Gianduia (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)

A recipe for Crema Gianduia (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)! Hazelnuts are roasted until fragrant, then blended with chocolate, sugar, butter, and milk.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword appetizer, chocolate, dessert, gianduia, gianduja, hazelnut, Italian, Italy, nut

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup (135 grams) whole hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces (170 grams) dark chocolate chips or chopped
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Arrange the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and fragrant, 10-15 minutes.
• Once cooled slightly, place the hazelnuts in a clean cloth and rub to remove the skins.
• Place the hazelnuts in a food processor with the sugar and salt. Blend to create a smooth paste.
• Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture is steaming, but not yet at a boil.
• Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Allow to rest for 1 minute before whisking to combine and melt the chocolate into a smooth and creamy mixture.
• Whisk in the hazelnut paste until smooth.
• Transfer the chocolate hazelnut spread to jars, allow to cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for up to a week.