Here’s a confession. I am a big fan of chocolate flavored hazelnut spread. When my children were younger and I had no choice but to make our home totally free of food they are allergic to (wheat, dairy, egg, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, shellfish) this pantry staple was something I really missed the most.
After the kids got older and they were able to properly handle their food restrictions, our home turned from completely allergen free to food allergy friendly. This meant that I allowed certain food in our home even if one member is allergic to it. Take note, I said “certain” because there are still some items that are a big no-no in our house. Our personal “food screening” was solely based on the reactions of each child. I’ll write more about it in another post.
Then I learned about Once Again Amore Almond Spread with Cocoa and Milk from MomsMeet. Since this spread is made with almonds instead of hazelnuts, I was so thrilled to work with them and give it a try. Almond is one of the nuts that we can have around the house without issues.
Getting to Know the Once Again Nut Butter Brand
Here’s my full disclosure. Before this review, I’m already quite familiar with the Once Again brand. A while back, I was able to try and review their line of Nut and Seed Butters. Since then, if I see it on sale, I would buy a jar for me and Child#1 to share.
Once Again Nut Butter Company has become one of my go to brands because their nut and seed butters are all Certified Gluten Free, NonGMO Verified, Certified Organic and Vegan. It’s an employee-owned local business (located in upstate New York) and has been manufacturing their products since 1976. Yes, that’s way before the “healthy, clean” food trend.
For those of us with food restriction concerns, I like that their website a clear allergen and testing page available. This information and transparency is very much appreciated.
The Review
As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge chocolate hazelnut spread fan. I put it on cereals, ice cream, baked goods, crackers and fruits. I even eat it as is right off a spoon for a quick dessert. With that kind of “love and loyalty”, I did have really high expectations before I tried this chocolate almond spread.
With just five organic ingredients – cane sugar, roasted peeled almond paste, skim milk powder, cocoa powder and sunflower oil, this product is as natural as we can get. I like that it has no fillers, additives or even extra preservatives.
Texture wise, Amore Almond spread is really smooth and creamy. Just like natural nut butters, there is some oil on top when I first opened it. With a little stir, it has the consistency of thick chocolate syrup. While it’s not mentioned on the label, I store it in the refrigerator after it was opened. This cooling made it thicker but still easy to spread.
Taste wise, I like that it is not too sweet. The flavors are well balanced and the chocolate really stands out. A big plus if you or your child likes chocolate. There’s no almond or nutty flavor too. It’s like having a chocolate treat with the healthy benefits of almonds.
Price wise, a 12 oz jar retails betwee $9.99 – $17.00. It is on the same range as most artisan or specialty chocolate nut butter spreads. In fact, with all the certifications and all the ingredients being organic, this brand is more reasonable.
Things To Consider
While the Once Again company is US based manufacturing company, this item in particular is made in Italy. Also, while the product is just made with almonds, there is a disclosure on the packaging that it may contain hazelnuts because it is processed on the same equipment that processes hazelnuts.
As for the facility, it also processes peanuts, tree nuts and seed products. If you are concerned of gluten in the facility, I’ve contacted them and I’m waiting for their response as of this writing. I’ll definitely update once I got the info.
Final Thoughts
If you are into gluten free and organic products without nut concerns, this Amore Almond Spread is definitely worth a try. It’s delicious, creamy and a real treat for chocolate lovers.
Have you tried Once Again Nut Butter products?
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