Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Dip Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Transfer the hazelnuts to a cup and line the baking sheet with wax paper.
• Meanwhile, combine the confectioners' sugar, rice cereal and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 20 times. Add the chocolate-hazelnut spread and melted butter. Pulse until the mixture comes together in clumps, about 15 times; the mixture should be dry to the touch but hold together when pressed.
• Roll the mixture into teaspoon-size balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press a hazelnut into each ball and then press the dough back into a ball shape, leaving part of the hazelnut exposed at the top. Freeze the balls at least 20 minutes to let them firm up.
• Put the chocolate chips, shortening and a pinch of salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the chips on the bottom start to melt, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Gently stick a toothpick into the upper half of a ball, avoiding the hazelnut, and dip into the melted chocolate, leaving the top half uncoated. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off and return the ball to the baking sheet. Smooth over the hole from the toothpick with your fingertip. Repeat with the rest of the balls. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. You can store the balls covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• For the hazelnut ganache: Put the chocolate couverture in a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, scald the heavy cream. Pour the scalded heavy cream over the chocolate couveture and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the scalded milk to melt the chocolate. With a rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and heavy cream until fully blended and smooth. Add the butter and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Add the hazelnut extract and stir to incorporate. Pour the mixture into a large pastry bag and set aside.
• Pre-treat the polycarbonate chocolate mold with red (or any color desired) cocoa butter. Once the cocoa butter is set, brush each mold with a thin layer of tempered chocolate. Fill the entire mold with the fluid tempered chocolate and tap on work surface to release air bubbles. Quickly invert the mold and tap out excess chocolate. With a putty knife, scrape off the rest of the chocolate, let the mold rest upside down for 1 minute, and then scrape off surface of mold again. Let the chocolate set. Fill each mold with hazelnut ganache, 3/4 of the way full. Let the hazelnut ganache set. Pour the fluid tempered chocolate over the mold and spread thin, scraping off any excess. Tap mold on surface to release any air bubbles, and then scrape excess chocolate again. Transfer the finished mold to the freezer and let set for 2 to 3 minutes. Pull out the mold, invert, and tap on clean work surface to release finished bonbon.
• To assemble: Dip the hazelnuts in fluid tempered chocolate and let set. Attach to finished bonbons with a small dab of tempered chocolate. With a small pastry bag, pipe the tempered chocolate on parchment paper in a 1 1/2-inch upside-down V-shape. Repeat to make 80. Once set, lift the piped tempered chocolate and attach to the bonbons with a small dab of tempered chocolate to look like the legs of a spider.
• Over a double boiler, melt 1 pound 4 ounces chocolate to 115 to 120 degrees F. Bring the bowl with the melted chocolate to a flat, clean work surface (preferably marble or stainless steel ), wiping away any access water or steam from the bowl. With a rubber spatula, fully incorporate the remaining 2 ounces chocolate. Bring down the temperature of the chocolate to 80 to 84 degrees F by either stirring constantly in a figure 8 motion, or tabling (see Cook's Note). Once cooled, test the chocolate by dipping a small strip of parchment paper into the melted chocolate, and then lay it down on a clean work surface. If tempered, the chocolate on the parchment paper should be dry, hard, shiny, and without any streaks in 3 to 5 minutes. If any of these occur, keep stirring (agitating) the chocolate, or table it again, until a parchment paper test shows that the chocolate is tempered. When tempered, bring the chocolate back to the double boiler and reheat to NO HIGHER than 89 degrees F. (Bringing the temperature back up aids in a more fluid working consistency.) Transfer the chocolate to a chocolate warmer or set the bowl on top of a heating pad (at medium setting) to keep in temper.

Steps:

• Pulse the chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl. Add the hazelnuts to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped; transfer to the bowl with the chocolate.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture and chocolate and hazelnuts, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until combined.
• Divide the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper; roll each into a 1-by-9-inch log, using the parchment to help you. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the logs and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.