Hazelnut Crunchers Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and bake according to package instructions. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
• For the crunch:
• Place the toasted nuts close together in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the sugar mixture until dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar is light brown, about 8 minutes. Let the bubbles subside then pour the caramelized sugar over the nuts. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let the sugar nut mixture cool until hard, about 30 minutes. When the sugar nut mixture is hard and cool, top with another piece of parchment paper and pound into small pieces, or place the sugar nut mixture on a cutting board and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
• For the filling:
• Put the mascarpone cheese, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer whip the cream mixture to soft peaks. Fold the Crunch mixture into the whipped cream.
• For the topping:
• Place the chocolate, sugar and zest in a food processor. Process the mixture until the chocolate is finely ground.
• To assemble the cake:
• Put 1 cake on a serving plate. Top with 1-inch of the whipped cream crunch mixture. Top with the second layer of cake and continue frosting the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream crunch mixture. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the ground chocolate. Serve.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add rosemary and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add hazelnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until nuts are golden brown and rosemary and lemon zest are crisp, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Add sugar and lemon juice and continue cooking, stirring, until liquid darkens and nuts begin to caramelize, just a few seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break apart into smaller pieces as desired. Crunch can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Line a 9 inch square pan with enough aluminum foil to extend a little past the edges, and butter the foil.
• Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl, and cook in the microwave, stirring every 20 to 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread the melted chocolate in the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside in the refrigerator to cool while you make the candy part.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, butter, hazelnuts and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring to blend as the butter melts. Heat the mixture to 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.
• Pour over the cooled chocolate, and spread into an even layer. Return to the refrigerator to cool. When completely cool, break into bite size pieces, and store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and dark corn syrup in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and boil without stirring until a candy thermometer registers 260 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Mix in the hazelnuts, butter, and salt (the mixture will be thick and nutty), and cook until the thermometer registers 295 degrees F, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes. Quickly stir in the baking soda. Immediately pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it as thinly as possible. Let stand until hard.
• Break the brittle into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature. If desired, serve over your favorite ice cream.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.
• Add egg and vanilla, mixing well.
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Stir in chips and nuts.
• Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.
• Place on greased baking sheets.
• Flatten to 1/2 inch thickness with a glass dipped in sugar.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• To make the ganache, pour the cream into a saucepan and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod, along with the pod. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 mins. Strain the infused cream into a clean saucepan, add the sugar and bring to the boil.
• Put the Gianduja and dark chocolate in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and mix until everything forms a thick melted chocolate mixture.
• Add the butter and mix well until fully incorporated. Leave the ganache to set at room temperatire for 1-2 hrs.
• To assemble, put the ganache in a piping bag fitted with a 12mm nozzle. Pipe small 'bulbs' of the ganache onto a lined tray. Put a whole rosted hazelnut into each bulb of ganache.
• Pipe a larger bulb of ganache on top of each hazelnut and leave to set for 1 hr in the fridge.
• Roll each bulb into a sphere and coat in feuillantine, then chill while you prepare the nutty chocolate.
• Temper the milk chocolate by melting 2/3 of it in a bowl to 45C-50C set over a pan of simmering water. Add the remaining chocolate to allow it to cool to 26C-27C, then melt back to 29C-30C.
• Add the almonds to the tempered chocolate. Remove the ganache from the fridge and use a fork to dip each into the nutty chocolate. If the chocolate thickens too much, warm it slightly.
• Place each rocher on a lined tray to set for 1-2 hrs in a cool, dry area before decorating with gold leaf to finish, if you like. Will keep for one week stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.