Orange Hazelnut Chocolate Clusters Food

CHOCOLATE, ORANGE & HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Make the candied orange slices a day ahead if you can. Put the sugar and 300ml water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, add the orange slices and cook for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins or until the pith is translucent, turning occasionally. Line a baking tray with parchment. Carefully remove the slices from the syrup, place on the prepared tray and set aside to dry (at least 8 hrs) before cutting in half. Reserve the syrup.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease a loaf tin (mine was 900g) with olive oil and line with a strip of baking parchment.
• Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs (do not blitz them too much or they will become oily), then add to a bowl along with the orange zest, a pinch of salt and the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Mix together until evenly combined.
• Pour the oil and the orange juice into a jug and mix together. Put the eggs and sugar in a tabletop mixer or large bowl and whisk together for 5-10 mins or until the mixture has tripled in volume and holds a ribbon on the surface when the beaters are lifted out. Slowly pour the oil mixture into the egg mixture and fold together until combined.
• Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions, folding together until combined. You can't sieve this mixture over the eggs because of the hazelnuts, but try not to dump the flour in one place - you need to be careful and fold the batter to retain its lightness. Once fully combined, pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50-55 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Prick the top of the cake all over, then pour over 5 tbsp of the reserved orange syrup. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Trim the top of the cake (keep this for a mini trifle) and turn out, cut-side down, onto a serving platter.
• To decorate, pour the orange juice into a small pan and bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a small bowl, pour the orange juice over and stir together to form a smooth ganache. Set aside in the fridge until thickened, about 20-25 mins. Tip the hazelnuts into a small bowl and add the gold powder with a dash of water, stirring together to coat. Put the ganache in a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Pipe in peaks over the top of the cake, decorating with the golden hazelnuts and the orange slices. Will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and shortening in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and smooth, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and add the cereal and peanuts. Stir with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.
• Spoon the cereal mixture into clusters (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with nonpareils. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE, ORANGE AND HAZELNUT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place hazelnuts in a resealable plastic bag; crush nuts using a mallet or rolling pin., Beat egg, sugar and milk until light and thick; add vanilla. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir in orange zest. Gradually beat into egg mixture (dough will be thick). Fold in chocolate chips and crushed hazelnuts by hand., On an ungreased baking sheet, shape dough into a 9x5-in. rectangle. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on pans on wire racks until firm, 5-10 minutes. , Reduce oven setting to 325°. Transfer baked rectangle to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut crosswise into 1/2-in. slices. Place on baking sheet, cut sides down. Return to oven and bake until crisp, 6-8 minutes on each side. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.,

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE HAZELNUT BARK

Steps:

• Line a small (9-by-13-inch) baking sheet with aluminum foil; refrigerate. With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from half the orange. With a sharp knife, cut zest into very thin strips, each about an inch long.
• Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and completely smooth. Mix in half the zest and hazelnuts. Immediately, pour onto prepared baking sheet; with a flexible rubber spatula, spread into an 8-by-10 inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. (To help spread chocolate, tip baking sheet up and down.) Sprinkle with remaining zest, nuts, and coarse salt.
• Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. To serve, break into pieces. To store, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate, up to 3 days.

ORANGE HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula to ensure even melting. Remove the double boiler from the heat, remove the top pan containing the chocolate, wipe it dry, and set aside briefly. Replace the water in the bottom pan with lukewarm tap water, set the pan of chocolate on top of this, and stir gently to reduce the temperature of the chocolate (10 to 15 minutes). It will begin to get a bit thicker as it cools. If using a thermometer, it should register 95°F.
• Again remove the top pan of chocolate from the water and replace the water in the bottom pan with tap water that is a few degrees warmer than the chocolate. If using the same thermometer to check the temperature of the chocolate and the water, be sure to dry it completely so no water mixes with the chocolate. Set the pan of chocolate over the pan of warm water. The warm water will hold the chocolate at the correct temperature so that it does not cool too fast.
• In a bowl, mix the hazelnuts thoroughly with the chopped candied orange peel. Stir this mixture into the chocolate, making sure that the nuts and peel are thoroughly coated with the chocolate.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Spoon out clusters 1 inch in diameter onto the sheet, leaving 1 inch of space between them. Let the clusters set up at room temperature, or chill them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then place them in paper candy cups. In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the clusters will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. The clusters are best served at room temperature.
• VARIATIONS
• Orange Almond Chocolate Clusters: Replace the hazelnuts with toasted, whole, unblanched almonds.
• White Chocolate Orange Almond Clusters: Replace the bittersweet chocolate with white chocolate and replace the hazelnuts with toasted, whole, unblanched almonds.
• Orange Pecan Chocolate Clusters: Replace the hazelnuts with toasted pecans.
• Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters: Replace the candied orange peel with 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped dried cherries and replace the hazelnuts with toasted, whole, unblanched almonds.
• Cranberry Almond Chocolate Clusters: Replace the candied orange peel with 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped sweetened dried cranberries and replace the hazelnuts with toasted, whole, unblanched almonds.
• White Chocolate Apricot Hazelnut Clusters: Replace the bittersweet chocolate with white chocolate and replace the candied orange peel with roughly chopped dried apricots.

CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Add the chocolate-hazelnut spread, flour, orange zest, orange juice, egg and salt to a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer, beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined. Fold in the hazelnuts by hand.
• Use a 1 tablespoon size ice cream scoop to scoop balls of the cookie dough straight onto the prepared baking sheets, keeping them 2-inches apart. Bake until the edges are set but the tops are still slightly soft, 13 to 15 minutes
• Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE CANDY CLUSTERS

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate and chips at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in walnuts and pretzels. , Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK, ORANGE AND HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Combine flour, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, unsalted butter, grated orange peel and vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate chunks and toasted hazelnuts.
• Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until just firm to touch and beginning to brown, about 13 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT ORANGE WONTONS

Steps:

• Lay wonton skins out on a work surface. Spoon 1 scant tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread onto each wonton. Brush the edges with water using a pastry brush. Lay a wonton wrapper over top and seal, pressing together with fingers.
• Using a round 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter or a glass, cut the wontons into circles, discarding the excess dough.
• Heat a 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add water and butter to melt. Add chocolate wontons. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove cover and let the liquid evaporate. Zest orange over top of the wontons in the pan. Cook over medium heat until the bottoms of the wontons become crispy and release from the pan. (They will stick at first, and will release once they are ready.) Use a flat spatula to help release them. Remove to a plate.
• Serve warm over ice cream with orange segments.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE HAZELNUT BARK

Steps:

• Using aluminium foil line a 9 by 13 inch baking sheet and refrigerate it.
• Remove zest from half the orange with a vegetable peeler.
• Cut it into thin strips, about an inch long each.
• Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of water that is simmering.
• Mix well until melted and smooth in texture.
• Fold in half the zest and nuts.
• Immediately, now pour this mixture onto the refrigerated sheet.
• Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into an 8 by 10 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
• Sprinkle with remaining zest, nuts and salt.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Break into pieces and serve.
• Transfer to an airtight container and store refrigerated for 3 days.
• Enjoy!