Nocciolata: Is It Worth Going Nutty Over?

I’m about to share something that will undoubtedly shock many of you to your very core.
Until this past fall, I’d never tried any sort of chocolate hazelnut spread. Not even Nutella. Not even once.
I know. I’ll give you a moment to gather yourselves.
I like chocolate alright, and hazelnut is fine — I just didn’t know quite what to do with it, I guess. It’s not something I’m likely to use for breakfast. (Apparently my parents succeeded in teaching me that sugary foods aren’t for breakfast — glad to see my nearly Fruity Pebbles-less childhood had a payoff, right?) And I didn’t see using it in a sandwich, so … I just never bought it, even though, I admit, I was always pretty interested.
So, when Rigoni di Asiago offered to send over some little samples of its Nocciolata chocolate hazelnut spread, I decided it was time to venture forth into that tasty land. (The fact that their spread has no artificial flavors or colors, is gluten-free and organic, uses all raw natural ingredients, and contains neither hydrogenated fat or palm oil didn’t hurt one bit.)

I had every intention of trying a couple of recipes (particularly the brownies with pistachios recipe on their website) with it, but … well, the samples weren’t very big, and I ended up liking it so much on toast with some cut-up banana on top that I didn’t want to use it up in a recipe that I would then have to — gasp! — share with others. So I hoarded it all and enjoyed several Nocciolata, toast and banana snacks.
As far as not knowing when to eat it, I still don’t reach for it for breakfast, but it’s been a nice treat as a light second breakfast. (You know, when you get up for an early workout and eat something before you go, and then you’re hungry again as soon as you get home but you have a lot of time before lunch? Second breakfast. Highly recommended.) And spreading a bit of it on fruit as a dessert at night definitely satisfies my sweet tooth.
How about you? Do you love chocolate hazelnut? How do you like to eat it? —Kristen