Hazelnut Crunchers Recipes

HAZELNUT CRUNCH

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.

HAZELNUT TOFFEE CRUNCH

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.

HAZELNUT CRUNCH (NOCI CROCCANTE)

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.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CRUNCHIES

Steps:

• Combine the hazelnuts and Brown Rice Krispies in a bowl.
• In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and salt together.
• Pour over the hazelnut mixture and stir to thoroughly coat.
• Spread out onto a parchment or wax-paper lined baking sheet and allow to set.

HAZELNUT CRUNCH CAKE WITH MASCARPONE AND CHOCOLATE

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.