Chocolate Hazelnut Bars

Chocolate Hazelnut Bars

Do you ever have those moments when you open the cupboard and just will something good to happen?  That’s sort of what happened with these chocolate hazelnut bars.  I needed chocolate. I also needed to use up some ground hazelnuts that I sacrificed in coming up with the Linzer thumbprints. I also wanted to put something else up for you guys and I needed to do it all with limited kitchen gadgets/pans/implements (a lot of them are already packed) and without needing to buy extraneous groceries (I’m moving, after all).

That a lot of need, and I’m not a needy person, as a rule. Anyway, I had literally zero expectations for these bits and you know, had I, they would have been blown away.

I mean, they are a little bit Nutella, a little bit Ferrero Rocher, so there was not much of a chance that they’d be bad however these fell.  After all, I sort of completely winged it. 

These are SO easy. And have literally 5 ingredients, in various forms. That’s it!

They were meant to be easy, but I did bake the crust a little. Since I’m not super well versed in crusts and such (since I don’t make a lot of pies and tarts), I wasn’t sure if a pre-bake was necessary. I figured it wouldn’t hurt, so in the oven for 10 minutes with that.  Three ingredients for the ganache on top, and coarsely chopped hazelnuts for crunch. 

That’s it! I speak the truth!

You may be asking why I’ve been stingy and cut these bars so thin, but what I’m saying to you is that these are rich. So rich that even I could only handle a normal-size, not super-sized  bite.

These bars meet all my needs and wants and I hope they do the same for you.  

Chocolate Hazelnut Bars
Rich, chocolate hazelnut bars with a pure nut crust and chocolate ganache top, sprinkled with crunchy, coarsely chopped hazelnuts
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For the crust
  1. 1 cup ground hazelnuts
  2. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  3. 3 TB unsalted butter, melted
For the ganache
  1. 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  2. 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  3. 2 TB unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
For the topping
  1. 1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
  2. In the bottom of an ungreased 8 x 8 square pan, add the sugar and ground hazelnuts. Mix well and pour over the melted butter. Using a fork, mix it all together until the sugar and nuts and dampened by the butter, and press into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
  3. To make the topping, in a small bowl, add the chopped chocolate. In a small saucepan, add the cream and bring to temperature, just under a boil. Once it's hot, pour over the chocolate and leave for one minute. Using a whisk, mix until melted, adding the butter bit by bit until the whole mixture is combined and smooth.
  4. Pour the ganache over the cooled crust evenly. Sprinkle with the coarsely chopped hazelnuts and let settle in the refrigerator until solid, about 2-3 hours. Slice into bars and serve with a tall glass of milk.
The Hungary Buddha Eats the World https://thehungarybuddha.com/
Written after the First Bites Bash. Chicago Restaurant Week is here!

Chocolate Hazelnut Bars

January 27, 2017
: 9-12
: 10 min
: 10 min
: 3 hr
: Easy

Rich, chocolate hazelnut bars with a pure nut crust and chocolate ganache top, sprinkled with crunchy, coarsely chopped hazelnuts

By:

Ingredients
  • For the crust:
  • 1 cup ground hazelnuts
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 TB unsalted butter, melted
  • For the ganache:
  • 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 TB unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • For the topping:
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
Directions
  • Step 1 Preheat the oven to 325F.
  • Step 2 In the bottom of an ungreased 8 x 8 square pan, add the sugar and ground hazelnuts. Mix well and pour over the melted butter. Using a fork, mix it all together until the sugar and nuts and dampened by the butter, and press into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
  • Step 3 To make the topping, in a small bowl, add the chopped chocolate. In a small saucepan, add the cream and bring to temperature, just under a boil. Once it’s hot, pour over the chocolate and leave for one minute. Using a whisk, mix until melted, adding the butter bit by bit until the whole mixture is combined and smooth.
  • Step 4 Pour the ganache over the cooled crust evenly. Sprinkle with the coarsely chopped hazelnuts and let settle in the refrigerator until solid, about 2-3 hours. Slice into bars and serve with a tall glass of milk.

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