Is Nutella Better Than Nutella?

 

I've written a series of blogs comparing various spreads to Nutella. I use Nutella as a comparison because I feel like many people have sampled the stuff. I'll also be very honest here, I believe Nutella is one of the best dessert like spreads in the world. There are a few better, but Nutella is pretty amazing considering it's so mass produced. Today however, I think Nutella may have met it's match... literally.

I've recently come across the same Nutella two different ways. One is in a giant jar (from Costco) while the other is in a tiny single serving blister pack. One is meant to be one serving, the other is really small (I joke). From what I know both of these Nutella samples were manufactured in the same place (Canada). They're also both about equally fresh. So in theory they should be exactly the same, only in different sizes.

Here's the strange thing, the minute I started to smear on the Nutella, I got the sense that the one in the smaller package was a little bit darker. It's very subtle, and may not even really show up in a photo, but I felt like it was just a tiny bit darker than the stuff in the big jar. Could they be cheating out on cocoa for the stuff they sell in bulk?

Flavour wise they seemed pretty similar, although my mind may have been playing with me a little. I thought the smaller package of Nutella tasted a little more cocoa full. If we take this possibly hypothetical difference out, there are a few other things worth noting about the two. First of all the small one gives you less Nutella. Take that any way you like. If you're trying to cut back on Nutella usage, it might be a good tool. If you want more Nutella in your life, it's not great.

The smaller container was also a little harder to get the Nutella out. I've always said that a near empty jar of Nutella is a bit of a challenge, and this small container was like a near empty jar virtually instantly. One of the good features of the small package is the portability. If you need Nutella on the go, this is really the better way.

It's really hard to decide which is better. Since economics plays a role in this for me, I think I'll stick with the bulk jars. Even if there is slightly less cocoa, they're good enough and the difference is ever so slight (if any at all). I like to get little packages of Nutella when I'm eating out, only because an open jar of Nutella at a restaurant or breakfast buffet is always tragic. People need some serious Nutella etiquette.

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Is Crispy Wow Better Than Nutella?

 Not everyone likes Nutella. I know that’s a bit of shocking thing to say, but it’s true. When I tell people that I like to write about various spreads and compare them to Nutella, some people will then tell me that they assume that almost all the other spreads must be better. I don’t put these people down, I understand that they simply have different tastes than myself. Two of the most common complaints I’ve heard about Nutella are about the texture and the sweetness.

The most common complaint people have with Nutella is that it’s very sweet. I don’t deny that at all, I just happen to enjoy very sweet things. After all I have a website dedicated to the love of sweet things. If however you happen to be one of those people who feel that Nutella is too sweet, then you might actually enjoy this Crispy Wow spread. It’s not to say that it’s not sweet, but I would say that it’s marginally less sweet than Nutella. It’s not that it has a richer cocoa flavour either, it just seems less sweet.

While maybe not being the most common complaint, I have talked to several people who feel that Nutella’s texture is a little boring. Once again Crispy Wow has managed to deal with just that problem. Better yet it’s dealt with it in a really original way. While rice crisps are not rare in the candy world, it’s not often that you find them in any kind of liquid treat. The reason for this is that rice crisps often get soggy in any liquids. Some how however, the crisps in Crispy Wow have remained fairly crunchy. The texture of this spread is really a winner.

So is Crispy Wow better than Nutella? I would probably say no, unless you fit a very particular criteria. If what you’re looking for is a spread that’s a little less sweet than Nutella, with a fun crispy texture, maybe it’s better for you. The downfalls however are that the cocoa quality of Crispy Wow doesn’t seem as good as Nutella. I would also argue that the addition of hazelnuts would improve this spread as well. So this is no Nutella, but if you want a quick break from Nutella with a little crunch, this might work perfectly.

Chocolate Spread From Myanmar - Is It Better Than Nutella Part 1

 

I'm a big fan of chocolate spreads. While I was brought up on Nutella, I don't know if it's truly the best on out there. It's probably the most famous of them all, and I've written about it many times on this blog. Nutella has become so popular that many people refer to all chocolate spreads as "Nutella". A few times on this blog I've also pointed out some alternatives to Nutella, some better and some not so great. The thing that most people don't realize is that there are many chocolate spreads that are different than Nutella. In particular some great chocolate spreads that don't use the same ingredients, like some with no hazelnuts at all.

Today for example I tried a really interesting chocolate spread from Myanmar. As you can see by the giant sticker on the jar, they're very proud of the fact that it's made locally. I learned recently that Myanmar actually grows their own cocoa beans, and there's a budding chocolate business here. Interestingly, because it's such a small crop in Myanmar, most of the chocolate products made with Myanamar chocolate are made by local companies. The great thing about these local companies is that they really think about the ingredients they use. This chocolate spread for example contains few ingredients, and doesn't use palm oil at all. I'm also pretty certain there's no nuts added to it either, so unlike Nutella it's just a chocolate spread and not a chocolate hazelnut spread.

The best way I can describe this spread is that it's a coconut oil spread with a chocolate flavour. It took me a little while to get used to the coconut oil flavour, as it's a lot more powerful than a palm oil, but after a little while I really started to enjoy it. It's not as sweet tasting as Nutella, but it is very unique. While I don't know if I like it more than Nutella, I love that it's around and that they offer something so different. I would recommend that anyone with the means to give it a try, even if just to have something different.

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Is Baristella Rocher Better Than Nutella?

 

One of the benefits of having a life that involves a great deal of travel and moving around the world is that you get to experience foods that might be similar to what you already know, but with a local twist. This has actually allowed me to sample many interesting treats, like several different version of the milk chocolate Kit Kat, as well as some variations on KFC. If you look back on this blog you'll also find that there has been a series of posts where I compare different spreads to Nutella. In fact you're reading one right now. 

My point is there are many different version of hazelnut spread out there. While Nutella is the name most people associate with this type of spread, it's not the only one. What I've learned while writing this series of posts is that there are many brands of hazelnut spread that are trying to do the same thing as Nutella, a simple chocolate and hazelnut spread. There are however many brands that are trying to do something different, pushing the boundaries of what a chocolate and hazelnut spread could be. This Baristella Rocher is exactly that kind of spread.

The interesting thing about this particular attempt, is it's not really original in its concept. Rocher chocolates are really just chocolate with crunchy bits (often rice crisps and sometimes nuts), filled with a hazelnut spread/cream. It's all flavours and textures we know work really well. So why is this the first time I've tasted a spread that's trying to copy that amazing, classic treat. You would have thought there would be hundreds of this variation out there, but nope, there is not.

Most importantly you'd think Nutella would have come up with something like this. Particularly since the brand that makes Nutella also makes Ferrero Rocher, probably the most popular rocher in the world. It actually made me think on this subject a little more, most notably, why is there not 100 different variations of Nutella out there? Is this choice because they wanted to keep their brand pure, or do they just not want to invest in research and development?

The main reason I ask this of the folks at Nutella is that while this Baristella Rocher is a creative idea, I'm not really a huge fan. There's something about the flavour of the chocolate that I just don't love. It could be the quality of the cocoa or the flavour of the hazelnuts, but something is a little off. The crunchy rice crisps are nice, but a few crunchy bits of hazelnut as well would have made this a lot better. As it stands it's a great idea with a slightly below average execution.

Is Sweet Potato Butter Spread Better Than Nutella?

 When I first started this series of blogs comparing Nutella to other spreads, my main focus was on chocolate hazelnut spreads, then it expanded to any kind of chocolate spread, now I think it’s gone off the rails a little. Comparing sweet potato spread to Nutella probably isn’t very fair, as they’re completely different things. The problem is since I’m now searching the grocery store isles for spreads, I sometimes come across odd things to put on toast, and sometimes I can’t pass one up. My brain also has a hard time trying to come up with another way to write about this odd spread, so I just lump it in a category that it probably doesn’t belong.

As for the spread itself, the first thing some people might have to get over the fact that it’s made with a sweet potato. For some reason some people have a hard time readjusting themselves to believing that sweet potato works as a sweet ingredient. It’s odd because just about every sweet potato dish has a sweet aspect, and the word “sweet” is even in the name. 

The only problem I had with this spread is that I’m convinced that there’s more than just sweet potato in this spread. I feel like there’s some additional sugar and possibly some spices (I couldn’t read the ingredients as they’re not in English). This makes me feel a little ripped off, like when you eat something that’s pumpkin flavoured, but it’s actually flavoured with pumpkin as well as the spices that are associated with pumpkin pie. I’m not saying that there’s no sweet potato in this, I’m just wondering how much help the sweet potato has had to make it a little more flavourful.

As far as comparing it to Nutella, I think Nutella is a bit better. However, this does have a uniqueness to it that Nutella does not, and so I would say if you have the chance to try it you should. If you have the choice of either this or Nutella then I’d lean towards Nutella assuming you’re basing your choice on flavour and texture. If you’re basing your choice on adventure and uniqueness than I would probably suggest you try the sweet potato spread instead.

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Is This Cokokrem Better Than Nutella?

 I'm here once again to find out if another chocolate spread is better than Nutella. The more I've been writing these comparisons, the more I've realised that there are often times when chocolate or hazelnut spreads aren't trying to be better, just similar to Nutella. This particular spread is not the case as it's pretty similar to Nutella in taste and texture, however there's a twist. The twist is that this comes in a tube, and it's a fun tube at that. Since chocolate/hazelnut spread is a food product focused on kids, or at least the young at heart, it makes sense to put it in a fun package. This is probably the most entertaining package that I've ever had chocolate spread, in fact it might be the only attempt to make the packaging fun. It's also the easiest package I've ever found to dispense chocolate spread as it needs no knives or spoons to get it out. It takes seconds to apply this to your bread, and requires no cleanup at all.

Flavour wise I'll admit, it's not as good as Nutella. It is most certainly going for the chocolate and hazelnut flavour, but the flavours are just a little more subtle than Nutella. It's not much better for those who find Nutella to be too sweet, as this is also just as sweet. The chocolate hazelnut flavour is pretty close, but just a little more bland than Nutella. Having said that, if I was going camping or on a picnic, I might choose this Cokokrem instead. The application is so much easier, and the flavour is close enough that I'd be happy to eat this instead and the package would make eating it on the go so much easier.

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Is Cookies and Cream Better Than Chocolate and Hazelnut?

 I feel like comparing this Cookies and Cream spread to Nutella is a little unfair. They're both very different types of spread. I do believe that many sweet spreads out there in the world owe a great deal to Nutella. While Nutella was not the first sweet (non jam) spread out there, I believe it's probably globally the most famous. I believe the fame of Nutella has allowed for new and obscure spreads to get out into the open market. Cookie butters are very popular right now, but I don't believe that we would have them available in so many places if it wasn't for Nutella. Because of this, I figured it was okay to broaden my search for sweet spreads that might be better than Nutella beyond just chocolate and hazelnut themed treats.

While I'm really glad that spreads like a cookies and cream spread exists, I'll be honest and say that I wasn't really a big fan of this one. The crunchy cookie bits were great, and most of the time I'm a huge fan of cookies and cream things. The problem with this spread is that it's too sour. I believe that many cookies and cream treats have a sour component in order to balance out the sweet and heavy cream flavour of the cream. Sour is a flavour that's common in real dairy products, but as we know if a dairy product is too sour it just tastes rotten. I wouldn't say that this tastes rotten, but it felt like it was heading that direction.

Creatively this is really a great idea, as cookies and cream on toast or even some fruit is a great combination. With just a little less sour, this spread would at the very least be a close runner up to Nutella, but as it stands it's most certainly not better than Nutella.

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Is Vanoise (white and milk chocolate) Better Than Nutella?

 This is a special edition of Better Than Nutella because we're looking at two spreads instead of one. Normally I would split these two spreads up, but I feel like it's important to actually compare these two spreads instead of looking at them independently. Both are made by the same company and even have the same name Vanoise. The difference however is in the chocolate.

If I was to look at the Ma Creme A Tartiner (milk chocolate) Vanoise spread, I would describe it as average to below average. The chocolate flavour is there, but it's kind of weak. The hazelnut flavour is just weird, it almost tastes like a chemical version of hazelnuts instead of the real thing. I'm not saying that they faked the hazelnuts, I'm just saying that something in this mixture made it taste really fake and strange.

Honestly I wasn't a big fan of this stuff, and I probably wouldn't get it again. This spread alone would be a very short edition of Better Than Nutella because it's just not great and nothing really that special. If it wasn't for the companion version of this spread that's so different this article would be over.

I've tasted a few spreads out there in the world including cookies and cream, regular cream and most of all milk chocolate. I can't say however that I've ever tried a hazelnut spread with milk chocolate like this Vanoise Ma Creme Noisette White (strange how they use one English word in the name). I've been doing this series comparing various spreads to Nutella for a few years now so maybe I've forgotten, but I'm frankly surprised that this white chocolate variation doesn't come up more often.

More importantly, it works, and in this case works really well. I can't figure out why, but the hazelnut flavour of this version of the Vanoise spread doesn't have that chemical like flavour that the milk chocolate version does. It tastes of real hazelnuts and it works so very well with the white chocolate. It's a nice blend of smooth milk chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. A good hazelnut will often have a nice toasted flavour, and while milk chocolate certainly doesn't smooth that out, white chocolate seems to smooth it out in a different and also pleasant way. I'm not sure if this white chocolate spread is better than Nutella, but it's truly something different and well worth giving a try.

In fact, I feel like the folks at Nutella should maybe think about making some variant versions of their spread too. I've tried a few spreads with additions that are obvious and work really well. This white chocolate version is a great example of a version of a hazelnut spread that I'm surprised I haven't seen more often, particularly from the folks at Nutella.

Nocilla Spread From Spain - Is It Better Than Nutella Part 2

 

This particular chocolate spread has lead me to a conclusion about chocolate spreads. Some people argue that Nutella is full of sugar, fillers, and generally non-healthy things. The argument is that it's basically icing being sold as a breakfast spread. While I don't disagree that one should probably limit the amount of any chocolate spread one eats particularly in the mornings, I'm starting to think that certain ingredients are key to make a great chocolate spread. I say this arguing that Nocilla is a fine spread, but it's not as good as Nutella. 

Here's what I think is better about Nutella, or at the very least the problems I have with Nocilla using Nutella as the example. First of all, Nocilla as many of the other spreads I've discovered, does not advertise as a hazelnut, or any other kind of nut spread. I'm starting to think that Hazelnuts are a key ingredient in chocolate spread, as if the cocoa powder needs something else to balance out. I don't totally feel that nuts are totally necessary, as my favourite spread in the world contains no nuts, I just think that you really have to have amazing quality chocolate to be able to pull of no nuts.

The second problem is the oil. I believe that choosing the right oil is key, and I feel like many of the secondary brands of chocolate spread that I taste do not pick the right oil or oil combination. I believe this come about because you want a certain texture when room temperature, and palm oil is great for creating that texture. Unfortunately palm oil is a faux pas today, so companies move instead towards coconut oil. Coconut oil has the perfect texture, but the flavour is overpowering. In particular it overpowers anything that doesn't have a strong flavour, even more so if you don't blend it with a nice nutty flavour.

What I'm saying is this spread is good, but I think it pushes the limitations of what can be done when excluding certain ingredients. While I feel many companies, including the fine people who make this spread, want to be different than Nutella, I just don't think it's as good. Maybe it's because I like icing, and I'm generally not fond of coconut oil except in very particular circumstances. Needless to say I do not believe this is better than Nutella, it's fine, but it's just not better.

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Is A Chocolate Teapot... Better Than Nutella?

In my continuing effort to try all of the chocolate spreads I can find, and find out if they're better than Nutella, I present to you the most unconventional of all chocolate spreads, Teapot. Teapot is traditionally not chocolate flavoured, however they make a version that is chocolate, and I believer it's very popular. Teapot is actually something that many of us have been eating for years, but just didn't know that it works as a spread on toast, sweetened condensed milk.

To be fair, Chocolate Teapot is nothing like Nutella, other than the fact that you put it on toast (or other pancake/waffle like things) and it's chocolate. The texture of Teapot is much thinner, and the application is through a tube as opposed to using a knife. To be honest though, if Nutella came out with a tube version I'd be happy to give it a try.

The great thing about Teapot is the fact that it's very creamy. It doesn't have a any kind of nutty flavour either, but I'm fairly nonplused about that. I feel like it's fine being nut free, but I'd also be willing to try a hazelnut version if they ever came out with one. The biggest disadvantage of Teapot is the runny texture, as it tends to drip off the toast. I'll often just apply as I eat to avoid serious messes. Flavour wise I think it's actually fairly on par with Nutella, at least from a quality standpoint. It by no means tastes the same, but it's equally as good.

The one thing about Chocolate Teapot is that it actually has a better way to eat it on toast, and that's something known as Hong Kong toast. Basically you get your bread, put on a layer of peanut butter, then add a layer of Teapot. The traditional way to eat Hong Kong toast is with the regular Teapot flavour, however being a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together I feel as though this works just as well, maybe even a little better.

So is Teapot better than Nutella, maybe not. The big downfall being how messy it gets and how much better it is with peanut butter. If I was to compare Hong Kong Toast to Nutella that might be a different story, but on it's own it's just not as good, but pretty close.

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Is Delicious Chocolate Share Happy Moment Better Than Nutella?

The theme behind this series of blog posts is to sample various spreads and compare them to Nutella. The title of this series suggests that I’m looking for a spread that’s better than Nutella. They do exist in the world, however this Delicious Chocolate Share Happy Moment is under no circumstances better than Nutella. In fact, I feel like you could take the worst spread I’ve eaten up to this point, and this would still be worse.

This spread is not only made from lacklustre ingredients, and almost impossible to spread, but it’s also really confusing. For some reason there’s a single small cookie embedded in my package of Delicious Chocolate Share Happy Moment. When I first bought this treat, I thought that it might be a candy. Then after a bit of investigation it seemed like it was more likely some kind of spread. So I took it off my list of candies to review, and added to my list of spreads to compare to Nutella. The problem is, after seeing the cookie embedded in the spread I’m once again not too sure what kind of treat this is supposed to be.

I use the word “embed” instead of “floating” because this spread is rock hard. Even if it’s a candy, I feel like you’d want it to be soft and gooey. This is just some semi hard chocolate with a cookie stuck in it.

To be fair, I decided to place the random pieces of this treat onto a piece of toast. The chocolate did melt a little bit, but it just became a softer solid rather than any kind of spread. The texture was nothing like Nutella, and because of the solid state I wasn’t able to cover my entire slice of bread. As a spread goes this totally fails (to be frank if it is a candy it’s a pretty big failure too).

The flavour is about as disappointing as the texture. It had a slight chocolate taste, but that flavour was mostly overpowered by staleness. The name of this spread/candy suggests that I Share Happy Moment, but instead I’m sitting here writing this blog about my misery.

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Spreads - Nutella

I just finished an art piece for bewarethecheese.com's fine art gallery "Senses". For this piece I had to photograph, and eventually eat more than 40 different spreads.  I've decided to post a little something about each spread that I sampled.

I don't think anyone can argue that Nutella is now the king of all spreads, and it's also not just for bread either.  Personally my favorite way to have Nutella is on ice cream.  All you need is a simple flavoured ice cream (chocolate, vanilla or strawberry do very well) and a few spoonfuls of Nutella on top.  The ice cream freezes the Nutella so it has a slightly hard texture, but the minute it hits your mouth it melts back to it's original smooth texture.

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Crescent Roll Challenge Part 5 - Nutella

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved Pillsbury crescent rolls.  They hold so many memories for me, in particular during holiday meals.  With my new found interest in baking, my love of candy, and my fondness for Pillsbury crescent rolls, I've decided to do a little experiment.  Each day this week I'm going to bake a Pillsbury crescent roll filled with a different sweet filling.  Some are very conventional, others... well not so much.

While I've never actually baked Nutella into crescent rolls before, I have eaten crescent rolls with Nutella spread on it.  I figured that this would be a no brainier and a fine way to end my experiment.  It was a little messy to roll, and difficult to figure out how much was enough.

Strangely, I have to say that this crescent roll was a bit of a failure.  Something happened to the Nutella when it was baked into the crescent roll.  It became very oily and didn't hold together well at all.  I was expecting a nice creamy center, but I didn't get it.  My suggestion is, if you want Nutella with your crescent rolls, just wait till they're out and spread it on.

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Chris Stuffing His Face - Nutella

Nutella is probably one of the most popular things that people spread on... well anything.  While peanut butter may give Nutella a run for its money (at least in North America), I think Nutella has one great advantage.  Nutella can be spread just about anywhere, it even tastes really good mixed into plain yogurt.

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Is Choco Like, Like Better Than Nutella

I would say that curiosity was the reason I bought this jar of chocolate spread. I don't really understand the name, and most importantly I was curious if it actually contained any chocolate. The reason I wondered is because I wasn't sure if the word "like" meant that it was similar but not chocolate, or if it was just saying that it approved of chocolate. Considering it contains cocoa powder I'm guessing the latter. I probably could have answered that question in the grocery store by just looking at the package, but then I wouldn't have found out how it compares to Nutella. 

Of all of the spreads I've tried since starting this series of blogs, I would say that this spread is the closest to Nutella. Maybe not in quality or at the very least how much I like it, but as far as being a simple chocolate hazelnut spread. I feel like it's not as good as Nutella, but it's also not bad at all. In a pinch I would certainly recommend this if you're really craving some hazelnut spread and Nutella isn't available.

While the spread is just fine, the name is bold and a little weird, and I like that. Now that I know it contains cocoa, and is in fact made with chocolate like ingredients, I'll read the words "Choco Like" in a 1980s valley girl voice.

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Is Said Pate A Tartiner Better Than Nutella?

 It's been a while since I've written a Better Than Nutella blog post and the main reason is geography. I've been living in South East Asia for the last few years in a place where chocolate spreads were actually fairly uncommon. They had a few, but I went through them fairly quickly. I have however moved, and it appears I've moved to a place that loves chocolate spreads. In fact my local grocery store has an entire section of an aisle dedicated to them. They have Nutella as well, but the range of other brands is staggering. 

I decided to start with the brand that seemed to be the most common. I won't say popular because I'm pretty sure Nutella is the most popular brand, but Said is all over my local grocery store. It's a fine spread, it's not better than Nutella by any stretch of the imagination, but it's fine. Many spreads seems to go a little too creamy and miss out on the chocolate and hazelnut, this is the problem here. It's not a huge problem, but it's not a perfect balance either. The good news is that unlike many other chocolate/hazelnut spreads I've had in the past, the chocolate and hazelnut are still present. Most of the time the creamy flavour or chocolate overpower the hazelnuts.

I also want to mention that "pate a tartiner" might be the classiest way ever to describe this kind of treat. I call them chocolate hazelnut "spreads" and the more I think about it the less I like that description. I'm not sure if I'll switch to pate a tartiner in my daily use, but I will say that it's much better a name.

Italy and Nutella Fear Labels

The European Parliament (frankly I don't really understand what that is) has decided to get strict about labels on foods. They want foods with a certain amount of sugar, or other things to have mark them clearly. In some cases they might even require a red warning label. I'm ok with proper labels, I just want to be sure that items that appear to be healthy also have to label the bad ingredients. Even if percentage wise they're not as bad as something like Nutella. I guess what I'm saying is when you buy Nutella you pretty much know it's loaded with sugar. When you buy yogurt, you pretty much assume it's not. Read the label and learn.

Click here to read about the problems that Nutella is having with these new labels.

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Is Creme a Tatiner Gout Framboise better than Nutella?

The thing I’ve learned about spreads lately is that more chances need to be taken. I’m talking about not just me, but also the companies out there making spreads. While we all know that chocolate and hazelnut will make a fine spread, we should start looking at some creative options as well. That brings me to this jar of Baristella raspberry spread (or creme a tatiner gout framboise in French). A fruit flavoured, yet still chocolate based spread makes so much sense that I’m surprised no one has thought of it before. Keep in mind I’m assuming my cultural bias since I’ve never seen it before. It could be that there are parts of the world where this kind of thing happens all the time.

All I’m saying is that not only should the idea of fruit and chocolate blended into a nice spread work on paper, but the folks at Baristella have made it work in reality as well. The white chocolate makes this spread super creamy. The raspberries add a wonderful contrast to the deep chocolate flavour and texture. Best of all is that they’ve even added a slight sour flavour to make the raspberry flavour work so well. I would not only suggest you try this spread, as long as I’m in a country where this stuff is made, I plan on putting it into my rotation.

It could be that in a few months or years I’ll get tired of this spread, but at this very moment I would say that this is easily comparable to Nutella. A better way to describe it is that it compliments Nutella, in that if offers you a very different flavour (and even slightly different texture) while still being a creamy spread. In other words, if you like to have a few different spreads open in your cupboard, I would suggest finding a jar of this stuff to add to the mix. It will give you all the satisfaction you might get from Nutella, but it’ll also offer you a slight change of pace.

Nutella Fest

A bunch of students in Indiana have started an annual tradition that involves fun, games, but most importantly Nutella. I read the article and was shocked to find out that there are some people at a University level whom had not yet tried Nutella. It's good to know that the education system is working and university students are able to experience the right things in life.

Click here to read about Nutella fest.

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Viennese Desserts

Last week I wrote about some of the great baked treats available at the Christmas markets in Vienna this year.  It's not surprising that there were so many baked treats at the market because, Vienna is a city covered in bakeries.  In fact I can remember there being about 3 convenience stores in the neighborhood where my hotel was located, but I can remember at least 15 bakeries.  They really go nuts for baked goods and desserts in Vienna.  Needless to say, on this trip I made sure to sample as many of the fine desserts that I could, some where traditional, other unconventional and strange (in a good way).  I've decided to highlight my favorite traditional and my favorite unconventional desserts that I sampled on this trip.

When it comes to "traditional" desserts in Vienna, nothing is more so than the sachertorte, or sugar cake.  Of all of the desserts and sweet treats that people told me I "have to try" in Vienna, this one ranked the highest. While I can't say it's the best dessert I've ever tried, I can tell you that it's one of the most original and detailed cake I've ever tasted.  You might think it's a simple slice of chocolate cake, it is in fact so deep with mixed flavours that it's pretty astonishing.  There are fruit flavours (apricot I believe) found in thin layer of jam.  There are sweet, almost spiced, cake layers, and a subtle chocolate icing.  This is a cake that could be messed up so easily, but with proper proportions, it's really a taste experience that shouldn't be missed.

As far as unconventional desserts go this plate resembling a plate of spaghetti wins hands down. It wins not only because it's very strange looking, but also because it was really tasty.  What you have here is a plate of ice cream spaghetti covered in hazel nuts and Nutella.  Vienna is actually full of many gelato and ice cream shops and they focus on sundaes and themed ice cream desserts.  Ice cream desserts here are as big and ornate as the crazy palaces and concert halls found throughout the city.

This treat wasn't simple by any means at all.  Not only did it have the ice cream noodles, Nutella sauce, and a hazel nut top, but it also had a cream filled center.  I can easily say that this is one of the most creative sundaes I've ever eaten in my entire life.  Best of all it was also one of the tastiest sundaes I've ever eaten in my entire life as well.  The ice cream was fresh, the nuts came in a variety of sizes so each bite was unique, and the Nutella... well it's Nutella, and that's awesome.

Another great thing about desserts in Vienna is the love of fun teas to go with your dessert.  I particularly fell in love with all of the varieties of fruit teas available.  Most of them had a very strong berry theme, and these tart flavours went really well with the many sweet desserts available.

CC