Chocolate Orange Spread

Our recipe for Orange Chocolate Spread is made with just 6 ingredients, its quick to make and incredibly moreish. It's a Macadamia Nut Butter with Cacao, Orange Extract & Zest, Vanilla, and a splash of Maple Syrup.

Contents:

• What You'll Need
• How to Make it
• Storage
• Recipe Tip
• Serving Suggestions and Variations
• FAQ's
• Other Spreads
• Recipe
• Comments

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

• High Speed Blender such as a Vitamix or Magimix

How to Make it

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 Chocolate Orange Spread is to have it simply spread on Toast, or a Warm Bagel. I do 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 this 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

Other Spreads

Here are a few of our other delicious spreads you might like to try.

Recipe