Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Exploring Five Senses)

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This Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread started as a simple recipe experiment but quickly turned into one of my favorite ways to explore the five senses while cooking together — and it all happened completely by accident.

It was the smell of hazelnuts roasting that lured my son into the kitchen.

Not every food experience has to be planned ahead of time. Sometimes the best moments happen when we follow a child’s curiosity and invite them to explore what’s already happening — or in this case, when they invite themselves.

Moments like that often become the first step toward helping kids feel more comfortable around new foods.

Turn This Recipe Into a Five-Senses Kitchen Activity

Cooking with kids isn’t just about making food — it’s a chance to explore how ingredients look, smell, feel, sound, and taste.

This simple vegan chocolate hazelnut spread creates a natural opportunity for sensory exploration in the kitchen with five easy steps for the five senses.

1. Follow the Smell (Exploring Aromas)

Hazelnuts are the star of this recipe. Roasting them in the oven releases a sweet, nutty aroma that naturally invites curiosity.

You can turn this into a simple scent game by creating smell labels like:

• Fruity
• Nutty
• Flowery
• Smoky
• Herby

No need to print anything — just grab a piece of paper, write the scent words down, and have fun walking around the kitchen or house to see what you can smell.

Then invite your child to smell different foods — lemon peel, vanilla, basil, or roasted hazelnuts — and decide where they belong.

2. Touch and Texture (Messy Sensory Play)

While the hazelnuts roast, set up small bowls with each ingredient:

• Hazelnuts
• Cacao powder
• Maple syrup
• Salt

Let your kids touch, feel, and label each ingredient with words such as:

• Sticky
• Hard
• Crunchy
• Soft

Once the hazelnuts have cooled, involve them in peeling the skins. Rubbing hazelnuts between their hands to remove the skins is messy but fun — and often surprisingly satisfying.

3. Listen to the Kitchen (Sound Exploration)

Blending hazelnuts into a creamy spread takes a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, which can feel loud for little ears.

Instead of avoiding it, try:

• Challenging your kids to make louder noises than the blender using their loud toys
• Offering noise-canceling headphones if they’re sensitive to sound

This step gives kids a front-row seat to watch something transform from solid nuts into smooth, chocolatey goodness.

4. Measure, Pour, and Notice (Using Sight in the Kitchen)

Now comes the part where math meets cooking — and where kids can start to notice how the ingredients look as they come together.

Have your kids:

• Measure cacao powder
• Pour the plant-based milk
• Add maple syrup and vanilla
• Sprinkle in salt

As they measure, invite them to look closely at the ingredients — the deep brown cacao powder, the golden maple syrup, and how everything begins to change as it’s added to the blender.

You can label teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups so they can match each measuring utensil before pouring.

5. Taste and Compare (Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Taste Test)

The best part — tasting.

Set up a simple taste test by placing small bites of different foods into colorful baking cups for added fun. Add a spoonful of the chocolate hazelnut spread to each so your child can try it with a variety of textures.

You might include:

• Bananas or strawberries
• Bread or wraps
• Crackers or rice cakes

Let your kids taste each one and decide which combination they like best.

Start With One Sense

There are five senses and five simple steps in this activity, but you don’t have to do all five at once.

Maybe you start with just one.

The taste test is usually the most fun place to begin.

When your child is ready, you can add another playful moment — smelling the hazelnuts as they roast, feeling the ingredients between your fingers, listening to the blender roar to life, or measuring and pouring together, one step and one sense at a time.

Before long, your child may be having fun participating in all five steps. And that’s the point of the Messy Plate Method — making room for fun in the kitchen.

Messy Little Readers Library

I Hear a Pickle (and Smell, See, Touch, & Taste It, Too!) by Rachel Isadora

The Story & Recipe Pairing

I Hear a Pickle (and Smell, See, Touch, & Taste It, Too!) introduces children to the five senses through everyday experiences, encouraging them to notice how they smell, hear, see, touch, and taste the world around them.

Making this Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread becomes a natural extension of that idea in the kitchen. Roasting hazelnuts creates rich aromas, blending introduces sound, and touching ingredients adds texture to the experience.

Just like in the book, kids are invited to slow down and explore what their senses are noticing.

Best For:

All ages are welcome, but it’s typically best suited for ages 3–7, especially children who enjoy sensory exploration.

Read Along Focus:

As you read, pause and ask your child which senses they notice in the story. Then talk about which senses you might use while cooking together.

Things to Point Out While Reading:

• We use our senses every day without always noticing
• Different experiences activate different senses
• Paying attention helps us discover new things

Simple Lessons (No Lecturing):

• Using your senses helps you learn about the world
• New foods become less mysterious when kids can explore them
• Curiosity makes learning fun

Kitchen Tie-In:

While preparing the spread, invite your child to use their senses:

• Smell the roasted hazelnuts
• Touch the ingredients before mixing
• Listen to the blender
• See how the mixture changes as it blends
• Taste the finished chocolate hazelnut spread

Encourage them to describe what they notice.

The Moment You’re Creating

This is a lively kitchen moment — roasting, blending, measuring, and tasting while something simple becomes something new.

No pressure.

Just curiosity, a little mess, and a spoon — or a finger — sneaking back into the jar.

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