Chocolate Almond Triangles Recipes

ALMOND TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Line a 10x15 jelly roll pan with foil (shiny side up). In bowl of electric mixer on medium/high speed, beat 2 sticks of butter until creamy (approx. 1 min.). Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beat until light and fluffy (approx. 2 min.). Add egg, extract, and salt, beat until throughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour and mix until just incorporated.
• Press dough evenly into pan and push up sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375. Using a fork, prick dough in several places across pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
• In a large saucepan over med/high heat combine remaining butter, remaining sugar, brown sugar, and honey. Heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat, and allow mixture to boil for about 3 minutes undisturbed (No stirring). Then remove from heat and stir in cream and almonds. Spread mixture evenly across the cooled dough, return to oven and heat until bubbly. Cut into triangles while slightly warm.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the butter with 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool.
• Place the eggs, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and instant coffee in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until pale and thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and cocoa in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Stop the mixer and add the warm melted chocolate and butter. Mix on medium speed until smooth and combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, mix in the almonds and another 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips until combined.
• Dip your hands in cold water to make the dough easier to handle. Divide and shape the dough into two logs; then flatten each to 12 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1 inch tall. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until the logs are firm to the touch and sound hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven but keep the oven on. Let the logs cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then remove to a cutting board and slice crosswise with a serrated knife 3/4 inch thick. You should have about 24 biscotti.
• Return the biscotti to the parchment-lined baking sheet, standing each up (with its longest skinny side down). Bake until the centers feel firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet, then lay the biscotti on their sides.
• Microwave the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 15- to 20-second increments, stirring until smooth and melted. Transfer to a pastry bag (or heavy-duty sandwich bag and snip off a tiny tip); drizzle the chocolate over the cooled biscotti. Enjoy immediately or let set before serving or storing. You can store the biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BARK

Steps:

• Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Put chopped almonds In a skillet. Cook, stirring often over medium high heat, until golden brown. Remove from heat.
• In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips and shortening until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 the toasted almonds. Spread onto the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining almonds, and chill 30 minutes, or until solid. Break into bite-size pieces to serve.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED FILO TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Break up 4 ounces of chocolate into 1/2-ounce pieces. Set aside.
• In a food processor, finely grind the remaining chocolate with the sugar.
• Lay 8 sheets of filo out on top of each other.
• Place one sheet lengthwise on the work surface. Keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel.
• Brush the sheet with some melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Place a second sheet over the sugared sheet. Butter the second sheet and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Add 2 more sheets, buttering and sprinkling between each.Cut the filo horizontally into 4 even strips. Starting at the left side of one of the strips, place a 1/2-ounce piece of chocolate 2 inches from the end. Fold the filo that is to the left of the piece of chocolate over the chocolate toward the back side of the strip, making a 3-inch triangle. The left end of the filo should be even with the back edge. Fold the piece of chocolate to the right, over itself, retaining the triangular shape. Fold the chocolate piece toward the front edge of the strip. Continue wrapping the chocolate, alternating the direction with each fold, until you get to the end. (It is like folding a flag.) Wrap the other strips in the same manner.
• With the remaining sheets, make 4 more chocolate-filled triangles.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the triangles on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Make crust and topping:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat together butter and brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes with a standing mixer or 3 minutes with a handheld. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour and salt just until a dough forms. Pat two thirds of dough evenly over bottom of a buttered 8- by 2-inch square metal baking pan. Bake crust in middle of oven until edge is golden, about 12 minutes. While crust is baking, work almonds into remaining dough with your hands until crumbs form, then reserve for topping. Cool crust in pan on a rack.
• Make filling while crust cools:
• Dissolve espresso powder in vanilla in a small cup. Beat together cream cheese and sugar with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, then add egg and espresso mixture and beat well. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Pour filling onto cooled crust and crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake in middle of oven until edges are golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into 16 bars.

ALMOND AND CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly grease the mini-muffin tins with vegetable oil spray. Place 1 teaspoon of slivered nuts in each of the muffin cups. Unwrap the caramel candies, cut each candy into quarters and place 4 quarters (1 candy) in each of the muffin cups on top of the nuts in a single layer. Bake in the oven until the caramel is just melted and beginning to spread, about 8 minutes. Be careful not to over melt the caramel or it will bubble, burn, and become too hard. Place the mini muffin tins in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to cool. Remove the nut clusters from the tins and set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Wisk 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream into the chocolate to slightly thin the chocolate for coating the clusters. Dip half of the nut clusters in the bittersweet chocolate and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Return the clusters to the refrigerator to harden, about 30 minutes.
• Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Wisk 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream into the chocolate to slightly thin the chocolate for coating the clusters. Dip remaining half of the nut clusters in the white chocolate and place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet with the other chocolate-covered clusters. Return the clusters to the refrigerator to harden, about 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND TRUFFLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Chop fine 12 ounces of the chocolate. In a small saucepan bring the cream just to a boil, remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the chopped chocolate, whisking until the chocolate is melted completely. Whisk in the Amaretto, whisking until the mixture is smooth, and let the truffle mixture cool slightly.
• In a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the remaining 4 ounces chocolate. Line the bottom of an 8-inch-square baking pan with wax paper and spread half of the melted chocolate in a thin layer on the paper.
• Freeze the chocolate layer for 5 minutes and top it with the truffle mixture, smoothing the surface. Drizzle the truffle mixture with the remaining melted chocolate, spreading it lightly, and sprinkle the melted chocolate with the almonds, pressing them lightly. Chill the mixture for 3 hours, or until it is firm. Turn the mixture out onto a cutting board, peel off the wax paper, and with a long sharp knife cut the mixture into 3/4-inch squares. The truffle squares keep, chilled in an airtight container, for 2 weeks.