Posts Tagged ‘hazelnuts’
Review: Wilton’s Linzer Cookie Cutter Sets and Fall Sprinkles
October 5, 2012 | 
Author I don’t mean to place any bias, but I really enjoy Wilton products. I’ve already been using their products for years, but after my delightful experience with their cake icing smoothers I became much more dedicated. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that when the next item to review showed up in my mailbox, there was no doubt that I needed to try it out. Especially since this time it involved festive sprinlkes!! Wilton generously sent me a round linzer and square linzer cookie cutter set (each complete with 6 interchangeable center cutout shapes that allow your filling of choice to shine through), as well as their leaves sprinkles, leaves mix sprinkles and fall sprinkle assortment.
The cookie cutters worked great, just be sure to dip them in flour after a few cookies so that the dough doesn’t stick to the edges. By dipping in flour I also rarely had to use the red plunger to remove the dough. Just don’t forget to keep track of how many you’ve cut with the middles punched out, and then you can easily slide out the midde-cutter to cut out some bottoms. I really enjoyed the different choices for the middle shapes. Great for all kinds of holidays!
Even though the linzer cookies I have come across are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar, I decided to change it up and use their fall colored sprinkles. I used to love decorating cookies for the holidays growing up, so using those sprinkles definitely brought back fond memories in my parents’ kitchen. Next I plan to use their super cute micro leaves sprinkles on some truffles!
For the insides I used a chocolate-hazelnut praline filling. Did you know that when you add chocolate to hazelnut praline paste, it’s basically becomes a fancier version of Nutella? What I am trying to say here is that you can use the hazelnut praline paste I shared with you yesterday to make these cookies. Or you can just use Nutella, or just go ahead and use your favorite jam (I bet a cinnamon apple would be wonderful).
One year ago: Taco Bowls
LINZER COOKIES
Makes approximately 5 dozen filled cookies
Ingredients:
COOKIES
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (or festive sprinkles)
CHOCOLATE PRALINE FILLING
1/2 cup hazelnut praline paste
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- To make the cookies: Beat together the butter, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Mix in the nut flour, flour, and egg.
- Divide the dough in half, wrap, and refrigerate for 60 minutes, for easiest rolling. Towards the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll the dough 1/8″ thick. Cut the dough into shapes with large linzer cutters. Use small cutters to cut a design out of the center of half the cookies.
- Transfer the cookies to an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. If using sprinkles, top cookies here before baking.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack. While the cookies are cooling, make the filling.
- To make the filling: Melt the praline paste and chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave on low power, stirring until smooth. Cool to lukewarm.
- Lightly dust the cookies with cutout centers with confectioners’ sugar (if not using sprinkles). Spread the solid cookies with 3/4 teaspoon praline filling. Place a cutout cookie on top of each filled cookie. Let stand for several hours, until the filling is set.
Source: King Arthur Flour
Disclosure: Wilton provided me with round and square linzer cookie cutter sets, and three kinds of sprinkles to review. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Reviews | 
Tags: almond flour, chocolate, cinnamon, hazelnuts, powdered sugar | 
4 Comments »
Hazelnut Praline Paste
Have you ever heard of hazelnut praline paste? I know I didn’t until a recipe I wanted to make called for it. When I looked into buying some, it definitely was not a inexpensive item to purchase. So I sought out ways to make my own and sure enough found a recipe out there on the internet. It’s kind of like making your own Nutella but without the chocolate. Some of you may be saying “No chocolate? Why bother ?” – I say, why not? Although I am not a chocoholic (unless it is paired with peanut butter), I still think that those who are would enjoy this spread. Afterall, it’s hazelnut praline ground into a spread! I am not sure there is any way to say no to that. And actually, I ended up using it in combination with chocolate in a recipe which will be shared tomorrow.
One year ago: Pumpkin Danish
HAZELNUT PRALINE PASTE
Makes approximately 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups raw, whole hazelnuts
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1-2 Tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil
Directions:
- Line a baking sheet with greased parchment paper, set aside.
- Toast two cups of hazelnuts at 325 degrees until the skins have darkened and the hazelnuts are giving off a wonderful toasty smell. Then wrap them in a dishtowel and let them steam for about 10 minutes (don’t skip this step!)
- After steaming, use the dishtowel to remove the hazelnut skins.
- When the hazelnuts are skinned, mix 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a heavy saucepan. After you’ve stirred the sugar and water, leave on medium high heat, and DON’T TOUCH. After about 10 minutes, it will reach a lovely golden brown in its darkest part, and that’s when you add the hazelnuts. Immediately pour the hazelnut pralines onto prepared baking sheet.
- To make the praline butter, break the caramel into pieces that will fit into your food processor. Start running your food processor, and add the pieces of broken caramel one or two at a time, and process until they’re ground. The ground mixture will look like graham cracker crumbs, but keep processing. It will start to get smooth, like thick peanut butter. At this point add a teaspoon of kosher salt, and keep processing. Start adding oil. Add a tablespoon at a time, and process until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.
Source: Savour Fare
Nutella Chunk Cookies
Not only is today the Superbowl, but it is also World Nutella Day! We have Sarah from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso to thank for declaring today as a day to celebrate and eat Nutella. For my part of the celebration, along with all the other grand foods to be eaten today, I decided to attempt to make Nutella chocolate chips to be mixed into a cookie.
I first saw homemade Nutella chunks baked into cookies on Recipe Boy, which made me wonder if anyone else had tried to do the same thing. After a quick Google search I only found one other – The Ivory Hut. Here the Nutella was combined with butter and resulted in hardening more when placed in the freezer.
In addition, the cookie dough recipe uses browned butter and chopped hazelnuts to add to the nutty flavor of the Nutella. So yummy! But the Nutella chunks could easily be used in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. But next I am dreaming of pancakes, or banana bread. And don’t forget to check out my Nutella Recipe Roundup!
Side note – I considered using coconut oil to make the chips instead of butter. Since it is firmer at room temperature I thought maybe they would hold their form better in the freezer/refrigerator, but worried that once they were in the oven they would melt more than using butter. If anyone has any comments on this idea or has tried it, let me know!
One year ago: Nutella Rice Krispies Treats
NUTELLA CHUNKS
Makes approximately 2 cups
Ingredients:
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Directions:
- In a double boiler or a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering hot water, melt all the ingredients until you have a smooth, glossy chocolate mixture, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Take the mixture off heat.
- To make chunks, spread in a 1/8-inch thick layer on silicone mat, parchment paper or foil and freeze for at least 2 hours. When frozen solid, break into chunks with a knife (try not to handle the chocolate too much or the heat of your hands will start to melt it). Store in the freezer until ready to use.
NUTELLA CHUNK COOKIES
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-3/4 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1-1/4 cups homemade Nutella chunks
3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
Directions:
- Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.
- Melt 1-1/4 sticks butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl constantly and continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at the bottom of pan, about 5 minutes. Will have a dark golden brown color and a nutty aroma. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the remaining butter until melted.
- Add the sugars, salt, and vanilla to the butter and mix well. Add the egg and the extra yolk; whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let it rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for about 30 seconds, before letting it rest again. You’ll want to whisk this about 4 times, until you have a thick, glossy, and smooth mixture.
- Gently stir in the flour and baking soda just until combined. Make sure dough is cool before stirring in the Nutella chips and nuts, if using.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough balls about 2 tablespoons in size (I use a cookie dough scoop) and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until golden on the edges. Put the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the sheets.
Source: Adapted slightly from The Ivory Hut.
Pumpkin Nutella Mini Cheesecake Bites
It may be fall, but apparently that still means Memphis can have hail and tornado warnings. Thankfully nothing terrorizing dropped down other than some rain, thunder and lightning. But canned pumpkin made up for it by being a terror in my kitchen. Well maybe not a terror, but stupendously delicious. What else could a combination of pumpkin and Nutella be?
Look at them all swirled up and happy together, ready to bake. Then they got blanketed with a cozy layer of chocolate ganache. Don’t you want one? No? Oh you want eight, okay that’s more like it. They certainly are in danger of being popped into your mouth one after another. And you thought “mini” meant easier portion control. That’s only assuming you have self control O:-).
PUMPKIN NUTELLA MINI CHEESECAKE BITES
Makes 12 mini cheesecakes
Ingredients:
8 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor
1-1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, melted in 2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp chopped hazelnuts
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined. Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.
- In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Remove approximately a fourth of the cream cheese mixture into a separate bowl. Add the pumpkin to larger, and Nutella to the small half and mix until incorporated.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture evenly into the 12 cups filling about 2/3 way full. Spoon about half a tablespoon of the Nutella mixture into the tops of each filled cup and swirl with a toothpick gently. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through. Let cool completely.
- Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of chocolate ganache and hazelnuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Source: Adapted from Picky Palate
Posted in Cheesecake, Desserts | Tags: chocolate, cream cheese, hazelnuts, Nutella, oreo, pumpkin | 27 Comments »
Peanut Butter, Banana & Nutella Bars
When it comes to baked goods, my taste test begins before it ever makes it into the oven. Sometimes, I’m lucky if any of it actually makes it into the oven to be baked! These bars fall under that category. I would’ve been more than happy to sit on my couch catching up on my DVRed shows with a bowl full of this batter and a large spoon. Alas, I fear I would end up with a very upset stomach if I ever did that. But thankfully these babies retain their wonderfulness after being subjected to the oven.
I managed to only eat one piece after it was cooked. But I am sure that will change as my willpower to resist breaks down.
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8×8 pan, set aside.
- Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
- Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in bananas, peanut butter, and hazelnuts. Pour into prepared pan.
- Melt the Nutella briefly in the microwave (10-15 seconds). Drop by spoonfuls over the batter, and swirl in with a knife.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting.
Source: Inspired by Buns in My Oven. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen & Bake at 350.
Posted in Brownies & Bars, Desserts | Tags: bananas, hazelnuts, Nutella, peanut butter | 6 Comments »
Nutella Mousse
Took a break from Funfetti-inspired desserts and decided to make something with Nutella instead. It had been a little too long. As a result, I ended up eating this slowly, savoring every bite. Let me tell you something – I do not savor anything. If I love a food, I devour it as fast as possible because I cannot wait for the next bite. But for some reason I tried to lengthen this experience as much as possible. You need to make this, and make it often because it vanishes very quickly!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
1 small container heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese (I used Neufchatel)
2-3 tsp honey
1/2 cup sugar, divided
Raspberries, chopped hazelnuts, and Pirouette cookies, far garnish
Directions:
- In your stand mixer with your whisk attachment attached, add whipping cream & 1/4 cup sugar. Mix until it becomes whipped cream, this will take a few minutes. Move whipped cream to a separate bowl.
- Into the mixing bowl, add cream cheese & 1/4 cup sugar. Mix together with the paddle attachment until creamy. While it’s mixing add in a few tbsps of honey. Taste and check for sweetness, if you like it sweeter add more.
- Place your Nutella into a microwave proof container and heat it for about 30 seconds until it’s warmed through. Add the Nutella to your cream cheese mixture and mix until combined well. Remove bowl from mixer & with a spatula gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into individual ramekins, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until mixture is set up.
- Top with raspberries, chopped hazelnuts and a Pirouette cookie before serving.
Source: bell’alimento
Posted in Desserts, Pudding | Tags: cream cheese, hazelnuts, honey, Nutella, whipping cream | No Comments »
Nutella Rice Krispies Treats
Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso solemnly declare Saturday, February 5th “World Nutella Day 2011″ – a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.
And I do not object! There are so many ways to enjoy Nutella, it seems only fair to have a day to celebrate it’s tastiness. I’ve even used it as war paint/makeup while in Italy with friends – yea, I’m not even gonna try to explain that… Nutella truly is a wonderful thing. One quick Google search will bring up tons of recipes that incorporate this treat, and after today there will be even more.
I decided to bust out an oldie for the occasion: Rice Krispies Treats. Oh man did I forget how sticky and messy these things are to make. You really need to butter every utensil and bowl you plan on using. But it’s well worth it, especially since it’s topped with Nutella O:-).
Ingredients:
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 bag (10.5-oz) miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
12 oz milk chocolate hazelnut candy bar, chopped
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions:
- Butter a 9 × 13-inch pan and set aside.
- Measure the cereal into a large buttered mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal and mix well so the cereal is coated. Pour into the prepared pan and use a buttered piece of wax paper to press evenly into pan.
- In the microwave, melt the Nutella until thin, about 1 minute. Gently stir in the chopped chocolate and then pour over the treats. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the mixture evenly across the top.
- Again in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips most of the way and then stir until completely melted. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate across the top. Cover and place the pan in the refrigerator to set before cutting and serving. Store in an airtight container.
Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Picky Palate
You may also enjoy:
Posted in Brownies & Bars, Desserts | Tags: chocolate, hazelnuts, marshmallows, Nutella | 2 Comments »
Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread (Nutella)
In recent years I have ran across several people (including Brent) who not only have never tried Nutella, but haven’t even heard of it before! How is this possible!? These people must have lived such deprived lives before meeting me. It so wonderful, yet for some reason I rarely use it in anything I bake, although I use the crap out of it on toast, etc. This needs to change.
In preparation for World Nutella Day tomorrow, I decided to whip up a homemade version. I was running low of my latest jar of Nutella, so why not? Gotta have the right ingredients for the holiday! I originally found a recipe from In Jennie’s Kitchen, but decided to change it up a bit. First of all, I could only find chopped hazelnuts at my grocery store, but that probably just made things easier on my food processor. The rest of my changes just came out of my head: more milk chocolate in place of some cocoa, and less sugar. It just sounded right to me. And side-by-side comparison with the little Nutella remaining in the cupboard validated my intuition – it’s perfection!
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped hazelnuts
6 oz milk chocolate, melted
1/2 vanilla bean, split
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa
canola oil, if needed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast the chopped hazelnuts spread on a rimmed baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned and fragrant. Allow to cool.
- Grind hazelnuts in a small food processor until it resembles peanut butter. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, powdered sugar and cocoa. Pulse until well-mixed. If necessary add a drop or two of oil, while pulsing, until smooth.
- Pour into a tightly-sealing glass jar and let cool (it will thicken slightly). Seal for storage.
Source: Adapted from In Jennie’s Kitchen
P.S. I got my jar from Beanilla = <3.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast, Desserts, Dressing Sauces & Condiments, Gift Ideas | Tags: chocolate, hazelnuts, Nutella | 2 Comments »
