Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (Move Over Nutella)

There's a lot of things that I never had as an omnivore or a vegetarian - a Philly cheesesteak, a Reuben and I never had nutella.Now in my vegan life I have fallen so in love with a vegan chicken philly that I actually took one on a plane wrapped up in foil back from Philly to Atlanta and I make tempeh Reuben's at least twice a month. Now that I have found Justin's chocolate hazelnut butter I will be adding a new vegan experience to make routine.

When I look at the nutrition facts label of Nutella I see why I was never allowed to have it as a child and why I steered clear as an adult. It's basically frosting disguised as a nut butter. I honestly can't believe they advertise this stuff as a breakfast food with toast. A 2 tablespoon serving has 20 grams of sugar in it! To put it in perspective Pillsbury's Chocolate Fudge Frosting has 18 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoon serving. No wonder everyone loves this stuff so much. Who doesn't love sugar on a spoon?!

Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter has only 7 grams of sugar and double the protein of Nutella and it's damn delicious. And of course, unlike Nutella, Justin's is 100% vegan. Made of hazelnuts, almonds, cane sugar, organic cocoa cocoa butter, palm fruit oil, vanilla and sea salt. It is a bit pricey, I've seen it at Kroger and Whole Foods and both retail prices hovered near or over the $6 range for a 16 ounce jar. The taste is so good that the price doesn't dissuade me from buying it, it just ensures that I will use it conservatively and cherish every bite of it.

So far I can't stop cooking with it. Stay tuned for my Hazelnut Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes and Hazelnut Hot Cocoa recipes!

Oh! I can't believe I forgot one of the best parts! This wonderful spread also comes in little individual packets so you can take it anywhere with you. I always keep one in my purse  now. You never know when the moment strikes that you just need a little chocolate and hazelnut.