Hazelnut Chocolate Butter Food

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT BUTTER

Steps:

• Place hazelnuts in a food processor; cover and process for 2-3 minutes or until mixture pulls away from sides of processor. Continue processing while gradually adding confectioners' sugar, cocoa and salt to reach desired consistency. Store in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BUTTER

Steps:

• In a high-powered blender or food processor, blend hazelnuts until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In a double boiler or heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt chocolate. Transfer melted chocolate to a bowl along with maple syrup and hazelnut butter and combine well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the springform pan by coating it in a thin layer with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Add the cocoa powder to the pan and tap the sides to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Discard any excess cocoa powder. Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven on the center rack until just fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a kitchen towel to stop them from cooking. Use the towel to rub off the skins. Set aside to cool. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill a 1- to 2-quart pot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat. Place the dark chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and set it over the pot and simmering water (this is a bain-marie). The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Let the chocolate melt, and then stir gently. Remove from the heat when melted.
• Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces using a chef's knife or a food processor. Make sure you don't turn them into powder. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer with the salt until they are almost at stiff peaks. Try not to over-whip. Mix together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter with the chocolate hazelnut spread in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in the espresso. Add the yolks and stir briskly to combine. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts and melted chocolate. Add one-fourth of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate hazelnut mixture and stir to lighten the batter. Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions. Don't over-fold. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake on the center rack of the oven until the sides of the cake start releasing from edges of the pan, 40 minutes. This cake is almost a hazelnut fudge, so no need to poke with a toothpick to check if the inside is ready or not. The cake will come out of the oven nice and fluffy and souffled, but it will deflate to half the size during its cool-off period. Serve garnished with some powdered sugar and whipped or cream or gelato, if using.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BUTTER

Steps:

• GENERAL DIRECTIONS- FOOD PROCESSOR: Place roasted hazelnuts in food processor container with all-purpose blade.
• Process to coarse butter texture, about 3 minutes.
• Gradually add sugar, salt or other ingredients through feed tube.
• Scrape down sides; continue to process until desired texture is achieved, 4 to 7 minutes.
• BLENDER: Place roasted hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in blender container and grind to meal on low speed.
• Continue to blend on low for several minutes, scraping down sides of container as required and adding another tablespoon of oil, if necessary.
• When butter is fairly fluid, blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until desired texture is achieved.
• Gradually add other ingredients and blend on low until thoroughly mixed.
• FOR CRUNCHY BUTTER: Stir in 1/4 cup roasted, chopped hazelnuts or raw sunflower seeds to finished butter.
• Makes 1-3/4 cups butter.
• These butter recipes are for"old-fashioned" butters with no stabilizers; if they are kept refrigerated, very little oil separation will occur.
• Shelf life is about 3 months in the refrigerator.

HAZELNUT-BUTTER COOKIES WITH MINI CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Steps:

• Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, hazelnut butter, and both sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before shaping.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 level tablespoon for each cookie, roll dough between palms of hands into 1-inch balls. Arrange 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT MAGIC BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a 9-in. square baking pan. On top of melted butter, evenly sprinkle crumbs, then coconut, then chocolate chips, then hazelnuts. Pour milk over all. Do not stir. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool several hours before cutting. If desired drizzle with melted Nutella.