Hazelnut Chocolate Tuiles Food

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BALLS

Steps:

• Add 1 cup hazelnuts into a food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until hazelnuts are chopped into small pieces.
• Add cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt and chocolate (if using) into the processor and pulse a few more times, until the ingredients start to stick together. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture holds together well enough to be formed into balls. Be sure not to add too much water.
• Roll mixture into bite-size balls and insert one hazelnut into the center of each, forming the ball around it. This step is totally optional, but makes the bites more like the traditional Ferrero Rocher.
• Chop remaining 4 hazelnuts into tiny pieces. Roll each ball in the mixture to coat the outside.

TUILES

Steps:

• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the confectioners' sugar and flour and mix until combined. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating after each addition just until well blended, about 1 minute in all. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a rolling pin at hand. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
• Spoon 2 teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheet and with a small, offset metal spatula, spread it evenly into a 3-inch circle. Repeat to form more tuiles, baking only 6 to 8 at a time. Refrigerate the remaining batter while you bake the tuiles.
• Bake the tuiles for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately shape the tuiles, lifting up each one with a metal spatula and draping it over the rolling pin so it curves, just until set. Repeat with the remaining batter. Store the tuiles in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

HAZELNUT TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Chop the hazelnuts and place them on a sheet pan. Roast them in the oven for 10 minutes. (If the hazelnuts have skin on them, roast them for 25 minutes.) Set aside to cool.
• Chop the chocolates finely and place in a bowl.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it boils. Immediately pour the hot cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with the chocolates. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. (If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir for a few minutes just until it melts.) Whisk in the hazelnut liqueur, coffee, and vanilla. Cover and chill for 45 minutes to 1 hour until pliable but firm enough to scoop.
• With 2 teaspoons or a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres. Roll the chocolate in the chopped hazelnuts and chill again. Truffles are best when they're allowed to set overnight in the refrigerator.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake on the upper rack until golden, about 7 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted. Add the vanilla and whisk until smooth; set aside.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and beat until thick and pale yellow, about 6 minutes. Gradually add the melted chocolate mixture and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, about 1 minute. Fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
• Drop heaping tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are slightly puffed and crackly, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

HAZELNUT CREAM TUILES

Steps:

• Make the tuiles: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg whites, extract, and vanilla seeds; reserve vanilla bean for another use. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt; mix until just combined.
• Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; using an offset spatula, spread into a 4-inch round. Repeat, forming 3 more rounds and spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack. Working quickly, remove 1 cookie with an offset spatula, and roll around the handle of a wooden spoon to form a 1/4-inch tube. Hold until tuile begins to harden, about 10 seconds; transfer tuile to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies. If cookies become too cool to shape, return to oven for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Make the cream: Process nuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Reserve 3 tablespoons; transfer remainder to a medium bowl. Add butter, sugar, cream, and salt; stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #10). Gently pipe filling into 1 end of a tuile, forcing it halfway in with a skewer; pipe into opposite end until filled. Dip each end in reserved nuts. Repeat with remaining tuiles. Serve immediately.