Hazelnut Cocoa Spread on the Trail
A jar of chocolate hazelnut spread, a spoon, and whatever you can dip in it.
- calories
- 410
- weight
- 2.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 158
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 2 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Dessert
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Day hike
- Vegetarian
- Eat in the bag
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Chocolate hazelnut spread | 4 tbsp | a 13 oz jar covers about six servings |
|---|---|---|
| Flour tortilla | 1 large | holds up for a week in a pack |
| Salted crackers or a granola bar | 1 sleeve or 1 bar | the dipping vehicle if you skip the tortilla |
| Dried banana or mango chips | 1/4 cup | optional, for texture |
| Flaky salt | a pinch | cuts the sweetness |
Method
- Lay the tortilla on a lid or a flat rock. Spoon on 4 tbsp of the spread and push it to the edges with the back of the spoon.
- Press the dried fruit into the spread so it does not fall out, then hit it with the pinch of salt.
- Roll tight and eat from one end. No water, no stove, no pot.
- If you skipped the tortilla, dip crackers or a bar straight into the jar and stop counting.
Chocolate hazelnut spread runs about 200 calories per 2 tablespoons, roughly 55 percent of that from fat and the rest from sugar. That mix is the reason it works on trail: the sugar moves fast and the fat keeps working an hour later. Olive oil is denser at around 240 per 2 tablespoons, but it is pure fat and you cannot eat it off a spoon.
Protein is the weak spot, about 2 grams per serving against 7 or 8 for the same volume of peanut butter. Treat it as a calorie and morale item, not a protein source, and do not carry both jars unless the trip is short. Pair it with the tortilla or a bar so you are getting some starch behind it. The spread is shelf-stable in the heat and does not separate the way natural nut butters do.
Packing
Squeeze the spread into a small screw-top jar or a heavy freezer bag before you leave, so you are not carrying glass. Tortillas ride flat against your back panel. Wipe the spoon on the last cracker.
Variations
- Half the jar spread, half peanut butter. Better protein, and the two together are the point.
- Stir a spoonful into hot cocoa or coffee for a mocha with fat in it.
- Spread it on the second half of a bagel at a resupply town and call that lunch.
https://backcountrybanter.com/new-series-back-pack-snacks-nutella