Hazelnut Toffee Crunch Recipes

CONTEST-WINNING HAZELNUT TOFFEE

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil; coat the foil with cooking spray and set aside. Butter the sides of a large heavy saucepan with 2 teaspoons butter. Cube remaining butter; place in pan. Add the sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook and stir until mixture turns golden brown and a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in hazelnuts. Pour into prepared pan without scraping; spread evenly. Let stand at room temperature until cool, about 1 hour., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Spread evenly over toffee. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, pressing down gently. Let stand for 1 hour. , Break into bite-sized pieces. Store in the refrigerator.

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.

SALTED HAZELNUT TOFFEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick silicone liner and coat it with cooking spray. Set aside.
• On another baking sheet, roast the hazelnuts until fragrant, 10 minutes. Remove them to a plate.
• Combine the butter, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking until melted. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture registers 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the hazelnuts. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth with an offset spatula. Let dry for about 1 1/2 minutes, then scatter the chocolate chips on top. As they melt, spread the chocolate to the outer edges of the toffee with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with sea salt and freeze until set, about 30 minutes. Peel the toffee away from the silicone liner and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into pieces with a sharp knife. The toffee will keep, tightly covered, up to 1 week.

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 BUTTER BRICKLE CAKE

Steps:

• Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment or silicone paper. On each sheet, trace a 9-inch circle. Turn paper over so that you can see the tracings. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
• Mix together 1 cup sugar, finely chopped nuts, and sifted cornstarch. Place egg whites in bowl of electric mixer. Using the whip attachment, start whipping at slow speed until whites are foamy, add the cream of tartar and salt, continue whipping at fast speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 3 tablespoons of sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla extract. Remove bowl from mixer stand, fold in the nut mixture by hand, a small amount at a time. Divide mixture between 3 circles and spread into even layers. Bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until meringues are lightly coloured and dry.
• Place the 3 meringue layers on work surface, turn 1 layer over to the smooth side (for top layer). Spread a very thin layer of caramel sauce on top layer and chill. Lay 2 remaining meringues on work surface and brush with melted milk chocolate. Chill until set.
• Remove all layers from refrigerator and place the bottom layer on serving plate, spread 1/2 of the toffee cream over the first layer, place next layer on top and spread the remaining 1/2 of the toffee cream over layer. Place top layer gently on top. Fill a piping bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe 8 rosettes around the outside border of the layer, leaving space between the rosettes. Fill the spaces with broken pieces of toffee. Drizzle caramel lightly over the whipped cream rosettes. Chill 4 hours before serving.
• In a small saucepan, scald the cream and set aside. Combine the sugar with 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan. Stir to moisten the sugar. Bring to a simmer, swirling the pan gently to dissolve the sugar. Increase heat and continuing simmering without stirring until syrup begins to color. Once the syrup turns a deep amber or caramel color, remove from heat and add the cream in a steady stream, stirring with a wire whisk. Caramel and cream will bubble up and steam, but keep stirring and continue to whisk until caramel is completely dissolved and combined with the cream. Stir in pieces of butter until melted and combined. Stir in vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool.
• Coat a cookie sheet with vegetable oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place the sugar, water, corn syrup and vanilla in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Cook the mixture over high heat until it reaches a boil. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute. Add the butter, stirring to combine. Continue to boil, stirring often. Scrape the bottom of the pan to keep the mixture from burning. The mixture should reach 290 degrees on a candy thermometer and is a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts. Turn the mixture out onto the oiled tray and let it cool completely.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form, add the icing sugar; continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Set aside 1 cup of cream for decoration. Fold the toffee into the remaining cream.