Our recipe for Orange Chocolate Spread is made with just 6 ingredients, its quick to make and incredibly moreish. This recipe uses macadamia nuts, cacao powder, vanilla, orange extract & zest, along with a little maple syrup to make a wholefoods take on a well loved flavour duo.
Jump to:
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Macadamia Nuts - We use Macadamias for their healthy fat content and it's benefits for heart and brain health. It's also worth noting that the soluble fiber in Macadamia Nuts can act as a pre-biotic, meaning that it helps feed your beneficial gut bacteria - great news for everyones tummies.
- Orange Zest - You'll need the zest of 1 whole Orange, being sure not to grate the pith (white bit under the skin). We used the Jaffa variety as we feel this has the most flavour. As with all fresh ingredients, the better quality your fruit is, the more flavourful your end result will be.
- Orange Extract - The Cacao is a strong flavour and with the zest alone (which we've tried), the Orange flavour doesn't quite come through enough. It needs the concentrated flavour of the extract, so don't omit this. You should be able to find this in the baking aisle of any large Supermarket.
- Cacao Powder - We use Cacao Powder in this recipe instead of the more common Cocoa Powder. This is because it's high in antioxidants, has a great flavour, and is still inexpensive. I buy mine by the kilo from an online Health Food Store. You can also get them in almost all health food shops, and some Supermarkets now stock it but it's a more expensive way to buy it compared to health food stores or places online.
- Vanilla Paste - If you aren't able to find Vanilla Paste, you can use Vanilla Extract instead (not Essence). Sub 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Paste for 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract. Again, you'll find all Vanilla in the baking aisle of a large Supermarket.
- Maple Syrup - When using Maple Syrup, the darker the syrup is, the more antioxidants it will contain. It will also have more flavour and minerals (such as Manganese, Zinc and Calcium). Look for Amber, Dark or Grade B Maple Syrup, Amber is the most common type found in stores. Make sure you buy Pure Maple Syrup and not a product that contains a percentage of Maple Syrup - Always read the ingredients list.
Equipment
How to make the chocolate orange spread
Unlike some other nuts, you don't need to roast Macadamias in the oven prior to blending, as they are already quite an oily nut. You will however need to stop and scrape the nuts down towards the blades several times when making this, as pictured below in photos 4 & 6. The whole blending process only takes about 5 or 6 minutes from start to finish.
- Step 1: Macadamias in the blender.
- Step 2: After about 20 seconds on low speed.
- Step 3: After about 30 seconds on low speed the nut butter starts to rise up the sides.
- Step 4: Scrape down the sides of the jug.
- Step 5: Blend for further 15 seconds or so and it will rise up the sides again.
- Step 6: Scrape down the sides again.
- Step 7: Blend again and it should start to fall down under its own weight.
- Step 8: When it gets to this consistency gradually increase the speed to about half way.
- Step 9 - When it gets to a point where its appearance is fairly smooth, add the other ingredients
- Step 10 - Add Cacao Powder, Orange Zest, Orange Extract, Maple Syrup and the Vanilla Paste
- Steps 11 & 12 - Blend until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Storage
This is best stored at room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. There is no need to refrigerate, but you can do if you like.
Recipe Tip
When making the nut butter you will find that you frequently have to scrape down the blended nuts from the sides of the jug and back towards the centre. You can see how we do this in the photos for stages 4 & 6
Serving Suggestions and Variations
For a quick and easy toddler snack, halve and de-stone some Medjool dates, and then fill them with the Chocolate Orange spread. We also like to top these with a sprinkle of Hemp Seeds, for an Omega 3 boost.
Another way you can enjoy this is to spread it on toast, or a warm bagel. I also like to eat it straight out the jar with a spoon (...but don't tell the kids that).
If you're a fan of our chocolate orange spread, try out our homemade vegan nutella. It's another one of our recipes that takes about 5 minutes to make and only has 2 ingredients.
FAQ's
This Chocolate Spreads is best stored at room temperature, in an airtight container. There is no need to refrigerate.
If stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, this will keep for 3-4 weeks. It's worth noting that If it has been sat for a few days you may need to give it a stir, because the oils can separate slightly, as with any nut butter.
This can be stored in a freezer, in an airtight container, for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Chocolate Orange Spread
Equipment
- High Speed Blender (Such as Vitamix, Ninja or Magimix)
Ingredients
- 300 g Raw Macadamia Nuts
- 2 tablespoon Cacao Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Orange Essence
- The Zest of 1 Large Jaffa Orange.
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
Instructions
- Put the Macadamia Nuts into the Blender and start on a low speed.300 g Raw Macadamia Nuts
- Each time that the nuts push up the sides of the blender and away from the blade, stop the machine so you can scrape the contents down towards the blade.
- Using a spatula, scrape down the nut blend towards the blades and then continue to blend on a low speed.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the nut butter is a becoming a fairly smooth consistency.
- Increase the speed slightly to help make the Nut Butter as smooth as possible.
- Once the Nut Butter is at a consistency where it seems to no longer be changing, stop the blender and add the rest of the ingredients to the Nut Butter.2 tablespoon Cacao Powder, ¾ teaspoon Orange Essence, The Zest of 1 Large Jaffa Orange., 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
- Blend again until all of the ingredients are evenly mixed.
John
Omg I love this! Such a great site. I’ve just made this and your vegan nutella and I’m in heaven right now 🥰 Thank you!!!
Yasmin
We're so glad that you've enjoyed this recipe John. If you liked this then you should really try making our VVegan Nutella as well! Its incredibly easy and has only two ingredients.
sue
I'm definitely going to be making this again. Really easy to make and absolutely scrummy.
Crissy
I first made this a couple of weeks ago. Now my son insists we have it in the cupboard all the time. Thumbs up from my 8 year old and me.
Yasmin
Awww great to hear Crissy, reviews like this make my day!
Sammy
First time I've made a nut butter with macademias and I'll be making it again. It's delicious with the orange but have you tried making this without the orange before? I really want to try that next time and see how it turns out.
Yasmin
We haven't actually, but I imagine it would be delicious! Let us know what you think of it if you make it.
Ali
So tasty and really silky in texture. I’m definitely going to be trying more recipes with macademia nuts from now on.
Yasmin
Not the usual nut you'd think of for this but they really work well with the chocolate and orange flavours.
Fiona
Just as good as everyone says it is! Thx for the recipe.
Yasmin
Thanks for your review Fiona, I'm so pleased you liked it.
Hally
Has anyone tried making this with any other nuts at all yet? We made it with Macadamias and it's really nice, but we had to buy them especially for the recipe and they are quite expensive. We've normally got almonds, cashews and hazelnuts in the house anyway and I was wondering which of these would work best for this recipe?
Yasmin
Hi Hally,
I would recommend using Cashews or Almonds if you have those at home already. They're both wonderfully creamy, and neither will add too much variation to the taste - especially the cashews. I think the Hazelnuts would be a fun experiment to try, and if you do give it a go, let us know - I'm intrigued to know how it would taste.
Yasmin