Ask A Sacramento Expert: 5 Best Nutella Recipes

Sacramento native Cynthia Broughton uses fresh, all-natural and locally sourced ingredients for Cornflower Creamery's mouthwatering ice cream. Broughton is a big fan of Nutella, a rich Italian cocoa spread, saying it's her "go-to because of the great hazelnut flavor".

Broughton opened Cornflower Creamery, a mecca for lovers of hand-made artisan ice cream, late in 2015. Located across from the State Capitol, the shop has already earned a sizable following of dedicated fans. Broughton uses fresh, all-natural and locally sourced ingredients, with no artificial colors or flavors, no corn syrup and only minimal amounts of sugar. The same rules apply to the fresh baked goods, soups, salads and sandwiches served in the Creamery.

She loves combining unexpected flavors to create mouth-watering ice cream, such as her Coffee Baked Banana, made with cardamom, brown sugar and a splash of dark rum. The hardest decision for Broughton is to name her favorite ice cream, but finally settles on two. Her picks are the highly popular Baklava ice cream, made with bits of baklava and hints of rose and honey, and her decadent dark chocolate, chile powder and cinnamon-laced Mayan Chocolate. One of the many combinations she wants to make is a butterscotch and caramel corn ice cream.

Broughton uses Nutella twice when making her delicious Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream. Chunks of house-made candy bark are swirled into an ice cream base that has been blended with Nutella. The easy to make bark is also delightful on its own. "For the bark, put Nutella into a double-boiler to melt with an equal portion of semi-sweet chocolate," says Broughton; using milk chocolate would make the bark too heavy and sweet. Once melted, she spreads the mixture on a cookie sheet that is covered with plastic wrap or a silicone sheet. "Toast some chopped hazelnuts and sprinkle them over the mixture," then simply let it cool. Break the bark into pieces and enjoy.

A home espresso machine can be used to easily create this sumptuous drink. "Put a spoonful of Nutella into the milk frother" Broughton says, "add milk, stir and then steam." Pour the mixture over espresso for a soul- and palette-pleasing treat.

For a fun and tasty sandwich that even kids will love, Broughton loves firing up a panini press. Slice a croissant and "spread it with Nutella, sliced bananas and raspberry jam." Grill it in the press and expect them for come back for seconds.

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Simply heat Nutella in a double boiler until thin, then pour over ice cream or lightly toasted pound cake. Broughton says this is particularly good poured over the Creamery's Marionberry, Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut or Toasted Coconut ice creams; the latter is made with curls of fresh coconut, coconut rum and dark chocolate chips.

"My personal favorite is to spread Nutella on English tea biscuits," the packaged cookies used at tea time in England; these can be found in Sacramento stores such as Tea Cozy and Touch of Britain Tearoom. Broughton enjoys the Nutella on biscuits as she sips her tea, which is usually Earl Grey. Broughton also enjoys chamomile and lavender herbal tea, but she drinks green tea every day.

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