Hazelnut Chocolate Butter by Loving Earth
This Hazelnut Chocolate Butter is made with Amazonico Criollo, Certified Organic Raw Cacao (20%) from Satipo, Peru, creamy raw hazelnuts and sweetened with Organic Evaporated Coconut Nectar. Our chocolate butter is made in Melbourne.
What is it?
This butter is made by blending raw hazelnuts with our crushed Amazonico Criollo Cacao Beans and Evaporated Coconut Nectar. With a delicate, nutty flavour and a creamy texture, this is our take on the classic hazelnut spread!
The cacao used to make this chocolate is Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade standards ensure that producers and their community receive a fair share of the benefits of trade, thus improving the quality of their lives.
We have sweetened this butter with Organic Evaporate Coconut Nectar from the island of Java, Indonesia. This low GI (35), mineral rich sweetener, produced from coconut palm blossoms is considered the most sustainable in the world and makes a great cane sugar alternative.
Please Note: If the product becomes liquid, store in the fridge to resolidify. The coconut oil may separate, forming a white layer on top, warm gently to re-combine.
- Cane Sugar Free
- Gluten Free
- Fair Trade
- Dairy Free
- Low GI
- Vegan
INGREDIENTS
Organic Raw Hazelnuts (30%), Organic Evaporated Coconut Nectar, Organic Raw Cold Pressed Coconut Oil, Organic Raw Cacao Nibs
*Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients.
How to use
Use as a spread, add to fruit, smoothies, desserts, toppings or chocolate drinks.
Please Note: If the product becomes liquid, store in the fridge to resolidify. The coconut oil may separate, forming a white layer on top, warm gently to re-combine.
Health Benefits
Raw Cacao Nibs:
Antioxidants
Research has demonstrated that the antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism. In the adjacent table you can see that our Raw Cacao has set the world record for antioxidants when compared to the other top 10 antioxidant foods such as Goji Berries, Acai Berries, and blueberries. The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to measure the ability of antioxidants to absorb free radicals, which normally cause cell and tissue damage. The higher the ORAC score, the higher the level of antioxidants present in the food.
Evaporated Coconut Nectar:
Our Evaporated Coconut Nectar is unfiltered and preservative free. It has a low on the Glycemic Index (GI) of 35. By comparison, most honeys are GI 55 and cane sugars are GI 68.
The Glycemic Index provides a ranking for carbohydrates according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a low GI (less than 40), produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, avoiding the sugar “highs” and “lows” that we experience when consuming foods with high GIs.
Evaporated Coconut Nectar also has a nutritional and mineral content that is richer than all other commercially available sweeteners. When compared to brown sugar, Evaporated Coconut Nectar has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc.
Growing
Satipo is a region that sits at the edge of the Amazon basin at the base of the Andes mountain range. In this area we work with 4 small producer groups that are grouped under the umbrella association of cacao producers of Satipo that consists of 164 families in total.
Processing
There are three main varieties of the cacao plant; the Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario. The cacao beans that we have sourced from Satipo are of the Criollo variety, which are the rarest of the three types of beans and are highly regarded for their delicate and complex flavours.
Cacao pods are harvested from the trees and cracked open. The beans are then taken out and fermented. The level of fermentation affects the flavour; we do a low fermentation at approximately 45 °C. At this lower temperature, the structure of the nutrients is preserved.
At Loving Earth, we wash our raw cacao beans with a citric-based organic disinfectant to remove the microbiological matter, whilst preserving the nutrient and antioxidant properties.
Afterwards, the beans are dried in large commercial dehydrators at controlled temperatures, before being winnowed into nibs, whereby the skin is removed. The nibs are ground and pressed to create the Raw Cacao Powder and Raw Cacao Butter and all these products all come from a single origin.
By sourcing our cacao products from this one community, we are supporting Satipo’s agricultural industry as well as the development of their indigenous community.
Our Raw Cacao Nibs are then combined with Coconut, Evaporated Coconut Nectar, and creamy raw hazelnuts to create our delicious Hazelnut Chocolate Butter.