Hazelnut Mocha Balls Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and coffee granules; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in pecans. Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 14-16 minutes or until set. Cool on pans 1-2 minutes. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool completely. Combine 1 cup each hazelnuts and sugar and the potato starch in a blender or food processor and pulse until very finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a bowl as a guide, draw three 7-inch circles on the parchment with a pencil (2 circles on 1 piece and 1 circle on the other); flip the parchment so the markings face down.
• Put the egg whites, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff and shiny but not dry, about 2 minutes.
• Fold the milk and one-quarter of the egg white mixture into the nut mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth, then fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined. Divide the batter among the 3 circles on the parchment and spread evenly with an offset spatula to fill the circles. Bake 1 hour, 30 minutes, then switch the position of the pans and continue baking until firm, dry and golden, 1 to 2 more hours. (The layers are done when they easily peel off the parchment.) Let cool slightly on the baking sheets; peel off the parchment and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache: Put 1 cup cream in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave until very hot, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate and espresso powder until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold, thick and spreadable, at least 30 minutes. Make the whipped cream: Combine the remaining 4 cups cream and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until it barely holds soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Finish beating the cream by hand with a whisk until soft peaks form; do not overbeat.
• Put 2 meringue layers on a baking sheet; spread half of the ganache on each, to the edge. Refrigerate until set, 15 minutes. (If the ganache is too firm to spread, microwave in 20-second intervals to soften.) Place one of the ganache-topped meringues on a platter. Spread with 1 cup whipped cream. Stack the other ganache-topped meringue on top; spread with another layer of whipped cream. Top with the last meringue, then cover the top and side of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Chop the remaining 1/3 cup hazelnuts and sprinkle on top of the cake along with the shaved chocolate. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Steps:

• Place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Add sugar and cinnamon; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in liqueur., Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate, covered, until cold. Beat just until soft peaks form, about 15 seconds (do not overbeat). For each serving, spoon 1/4 cup into mugs. Top with 3/4 cup coffee; stir to dissolve. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny., Transfer to a heavy duty resealable plastic bag; cut a 1-in. hole in one corner of bag. Pipe 3-in. strips about 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until golden brown. , Pierce side of each eclair with tip of knife. Cool on wire racks. Split eclairs open. Pull out and discard soft dough from inside tops and bottoms., For filling, dissolve coffee granules in boiling water; cool. In a small bowl, beat cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in coffee mixture and 1/4 cup hazelnuts. Refrigerate., Fill the eclairs just before serving; replace tops. Spread with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. Refrigerate leftovers., ,

Steps:

• Dissolve coffee in vanilla.
• Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add the coffee mixture, flour and cocoa.
• Shape 1 teaspoon of dough into balls.
• Press a hazelnut into center of each ball.
• Bake 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes.
• Cool 1 minute, then move to wire rack to cool completely.
• Microwave chocolate and shortening until melted, about 1 minute. Stir smooth.
• Drizzle over cookies, or roll cookies in chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Grind 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the hazelnuts, and cocoa in a food processor until powdery, about 3 minutes. Sift mixture through a medium mesh strainer onto a piece of parchment paper, then discard any large pieces of nuts that didn't come through the strainer.
• With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until they hold firm but not dry peaks, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar, a tablespoon at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed; this can take up to 3 minutes. Beat for an extra 30 seconds until the peaks are firm and shiny but still not dry. Fold the nut mixture gently into the egg whites with a large rubber spatula. Transfer mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain piping tip. Pipe 32 2-inch by about 1/3-inch thick rounds, evenly spaced, on each of the prepared pans. Set aside to air dry for 30 minutes before baking.
• Meanwhile make the filling: Put chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream, with espresso powder mixed in, to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate and shake bowl gently so cream settles around the chocolate. Set mixture aside until the chocolate is soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too many air bubbles. Cool at room temperature until set up.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Bake macaroons until set and puffed, about 18 to 20 minutes. Take care not to overcook the macaroons or they'll crack. Cool cookies for 5 minutes then gently peel from paper. Let cool completely.
• Spread 1 teaspoon of mocha filling on a cookie and sandwich 2 cookies together.

Steps:

• In a cup, dissolve coffee crystals in milk. Add vanilla and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine or butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 second or until softened.
• Add about half of the flour to the margarine. Then add sugar, cocoa powder, egg yolks, and coffee mixture. Beat until thoroughly combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Then beat or stir in the remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until it is easy to handle.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press a hazelnut or a pecan or walnut half in the center of each ball.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.
• To make icing: In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make an icing of drizzling consistency.
• Drizzly icing over cookies.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter two 20cm cake tins and line the bases, then dust well with flour and tap out the excess. Put the chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir until melted, then set aside to cool.
• Mix the espresso with 250ml boiling water, then leave to cool. Blitz the hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground.
• Combine the ground hazelnuts, sugar, flour, a good pinch of salt and the bicarb in a mixer. Mix the eggs, soured cream, vanilla, butter, hazelnut oil and the cooled espresso in a jug. With the mixer on a low speed, gradually add the egg mixture to the sugar mixture and combine until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat for 15 seconds.
• Divide the batter between the tins (it'll be quite thin at this stage) and bake for 35-40 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then run a knife around the edge and turn the cakes out onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.
• For the buttercream filling, dissolve the espresso powder in 1 tbsp boiling water and leave to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a mixer or by hand in a bowl, gradually adding the cooled coffee. Use a palette knife to spread the buttercream over the top of one sponge.
• To make the topping, gently heat the cream, espresso powder and sugar in a pan, stirring to help the sugar and coffee dissolve. Take off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir to melt until smooth and glossy, then leave to cool until thickened. Toast the whole hazelnuts in a dry frying pan, leave to cool, then chop very roughly (you'll want some halves in the mixture).
• Place the top layer of cake onto the bottom layer and cover with the glaze. Scatter the hazelnuts on top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and Nutella until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup hazelnuts. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts.