A glass of this washed away any Monday blues I had! I also had to to have a little glass to celebrate I only have ONE more physio session for my ankle to attend YYAAYYY, and I can start pilates…this is huge!! Not being able to run has had a huge impact on me physically and mentally, more than I thought. But before I broke my ankle, I was getting back into my fitness; I found running was such a stress buster, it just felt good.

This tastes like Nutella, and I can’t wait to put a big splash in my morning coffee! Toasting the nuts adds that extra element of flavor. And it was a bit of an experiment toasting the hazelnuts but it came out really nicely! IT’S JUST DIVINE!

Raw Cacao Toasted Hazelnut Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup of hazelnuts

water for soaking AS WELL AS 3 cups of water(the three cups you’ll be putting in blender)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

pinch of sea salt

Optional: teaspoon or two of agave nectar if you want it sweetened

Method:

I suggest turning this recipe into a two-day project!

Preheat the oven to 180C (360F). On a baking tray, toast the hazelnuts until the skins are blistered(about 12 minutes). Wrap the nuts in a tea towel, and rub until the skin falls off. Let the hazelnuts cool. Once the nuts are cool, in a large bowl, cover the nuts with water. Leave to sit for about 8 hours, or overnight.

Drain the hazelnuts the next day, or after the 8 hours. You can toss the water, as you won’t want to use this in the milk. Give the hazelnuts a little rinse.

Put ALL ingredients (soaked hazelnuts, cacao, 3 cups of water, sea salt and vanilla) in a blender and blitz on high until the hazelnuts are minced!

Strain milk and blitz again if you want it even smoother. To strain: use a VERY fine sieve or cheesecloth. Tip: You can use the leftover pulverized hazelnuts in smoothies or baking! Avoid food waste if you can!

Store milk in sealed container in fridge, and enjoy!