Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

We get a surprising number of emails to sample different products and food services, and generally the answer is a resounding, "no thanks." But when Nocciolata asked if we wanted to sample a jar of their chocolate hazelnut spread... well, this amazing panna cotta is the result.

(Pssst: Don't forget to enter our Yummy Supper cookbook giveaway! Go over to this post and leave a comment to be considered! Then come back and get hungry for panna cotta.)

I have long been a fan of Nutella, but I have never been a fan of their list of ingredients. I have tried to make a suitable hazelnut chocolate spread at home, but it will never have that silky smooth texture which is part of the spread's allure. Nocciolata wooed us with ingredients such as dark chocolate from the Antillean Islands, Italian hazelnuts, brown sugar, and bourbon vanilla extract. Oh, and it is organic! We did a side by side tasting of the two and found Nutella to have a more hazelnut-forward flavor with the Nocciolata being more chocolatey.

This was the first time that I had made a panna cotta, and I had been under the false impression that it was difficult to make. It is so, so easy to make! It is not a last minute dessert because it needs a few hours in the fridge to firm up, but the hands on time is only a matter of minutes.

Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

adapted from this Food Network recipe

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 7 oz of chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1 pouch Knox gelatin
• chopped hazelnuts for garnish, optional

1.  Combine heavy cream and chocolate hazelnut spread in a sauce pan and heat until just boiling. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin, stirring until dissolved.

2. Pour mixture into small bowls or ramekins, and place in the fridge to firm up overnight, or at least 4 hours. Makes 4 servings.