Crispy Nutella Truffles

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Crispy Nutella Truffles taste just like Ferrero Rocher chocolates! A smooth Nutella filling is studded with whole toasted hazelnuts and crisp wafer cookies. A coating of chopped toasted hazelnuts and chocolate completes the truffles.

Yield: 32 small truffles

Ingredients:

• 4.5 oz (125 g) cream-filled wafer cookies, chocolate or vanilla flavor
• 7 oz (half of a small jar) chocolate-hazelnut spread, like Nutella
• 1/2 cup whole toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 12 oz chocolate candy coating

Preparation:

1. Place the cream-filled wafers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it until they are coarsely chopped. They should be in small pieces, but still have some texture—stop before they turn to dust. Alternately, you can chop the wafers with a knife or put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin.

2. Mix the wafer pieces and Nutella together in a bowl, and stir until they're well-combined. Press a layer of cling wrap on top of the mixture and refrigerate it until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Once the Nutella mixture is firm enough to scoop, use a teaspoon or a candy scoop to form small 1-inch balls. Press a whole hazelnut into the center of each chocolate, and roll them briefly between your palms to make them round.

4.Roll the balls in the chopped hazelnuts until they're coated with nuts, and roll them once more in your hands to embed the nuts in the chocolate. Refrigerate the nut-coated truffles until very firm.

5. Melt the chocolate candy coating in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. When it is fluid and free of lumps, use forks or dipping tools to dip the nut-covered truffles in the candy coating. If you have extra chopped nuts left over from the previous step, you can sprinkle the tops of the truffles with chopped nuts while the coating is still wet.

6. Once the chocolate coating is completely set, your Crispy Nutella Truffles are ready to be enjoyed! They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a week, or in the refrigerator for two weeks. Crispy Nutella Truffles should be served at room temperature for the best taste and texture.

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Nutella Crispy Treats: In Which I Learn That I Am Not A Beautiful and Unique Snowflake

I had a whole blog post written about my new and exciting recipe for rice crispy treats made with Nutella. It included phrases like "never before tasted!" "world premiere!" "absolutely one of a kind!" and "sheer genius!" Well, fortunately I did a little exploratory googling before hitting "post," and found out that I am not the first person to have the idea to make rice crispy treats with Nutella. I'm not even the second. Or the third. Maybe more like the tenth...or hundredth.

I can't lie--I'm a little disappointed! I was picturing receiving giant trophies made out of rice crispy treats and a medal for "Most Delicious Recipe Inventor." I do take comfort in the fact that my recipe is a little different from others, in the proportions and in the mix-ins, which I think makes for a really tasty final product. My Nutella Crispy Treats have a high gooey-stuff-to-cereal ratio, so the bars are nice and chewy, not dry and painfully crunchy. I also like to add miniature chocolate chips and toasted hazelnuts, to give little bursts of flavor throughout the bar. And of course I recommend cutting them into small squares, the better to eat by the handful. So it's not the first of its kind, but it is absolutely delicious, and I can promise you won't be sorry if you try my version of Nutella rice crispy treats.

Get the recipe: Nutella Crispy Treats

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Nutella Crispy Treats Photo c2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Crispy Mint Chocolates

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Rich ganache is studded with bits of crunchy mint candies in these Crispy Mint Chocolates. The light mint pieces contrast nicely with the dark, smooth chocolate and make for a refreshing and indulgent candy. If you want to simplify the recipe, you can use purchased peppermint hard candy in place of the homemade hard candy, and crush it finely in a food processor or blender.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 8 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Line a 9x5 loaf pan or 8x8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside for now.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup, and place over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush and insert a candy thermometer.

3. Continue to cook the candy, without stirring, until it reaches 300 degrees on the thermometer. As soon as the proper temperature is reached, remove the pan from the heat, take out the thermometer and stir in the mint extract, stirring just until it is mixed in. Pour the candy onto the prepared baking sheet. Carefully hold the sheet at an angle to cause the candy to spread out into a very thin layer. Allow it to cool until completely hard and set.

4. While the mint candy is cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heat-safe bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan and heat over medium until the cream simmers, but do not let it boil.

5. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and shiny.

6. Take the hardened mint candy and peel it off the foil backing. Use a rolling pin to crush it into small pieces, or chop it with a large knife until it is fairly finely chopped. It doesn’t need to be crumb-sized, but the pieces should be small enough to bite manageably.

7. Mix the chopped mint candy into the chocolate ganache and stir until well-mixed. Pour the candy into the loaf pan and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 2 hours.

8. Once set, remove the candy from the pan using the foil as handles. Use a large sharp knife to cut it into small squares. Allow to come to room temperature before serving for best taste and texture. Store Crispy Mint Chocolates in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The crispy mint candy tends to get softer and stickier as time goes on, so these candies are really best within a few days of being made, but they will last up to a week.

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Crispy Hazelnut Bark

I'll tell you right now that I'm a little bit obsessed with Ferrero Rocher candies--you know, the ones that are like Nutella in disguise? They're large balls of hazelnut paste surrounded by a crispy wafer shell and they are ridiculously good. I've attempted taste-alike recipes before (these Crispy Nutella Truffles come quite close, if I do say so myself) but there's a fair amount of time involved. The mixing! The rolling! The dipping! Sometimes a girl just wants instant gratification.

So I bark-ified the concept of Ferrero Rochers, and created this Crispy Hazelnut Bark. It uses hazelnut-flavored chocolate to give it bold hazelnut flavor, and crisped rice in the chocolate mimics the crunchiness of the wafers. The bark is topped with toasted hazelnuts for an extra hazelnut boost. It's ready in 10 minutes (five if you stick it in the freezer to harden!) and has all the hazelnut flavor and crispity-crunchityness you could ask for.
Crispy Hazelnut Bark Photo c2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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