| Yield: | Yield: about 50 |
| Yield: | Yield: about 50 |
Ingredients
- 6 ounces whole hazelnuts
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto or other nut liqueur, or dark rum (optional)
- 1 pound tempered chocolate for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Drop in the hazelnuts, bring back to a boil, and blanch 10 seconds. Drain hazelnuts in a colander, then spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place in oven and roast 8 to 10 minutes until light brown. Remove from oven, place a kitchen towel over the pan, and allow to cool completely.
- Rub cooled hazelnuts between your palms; the skins should slip right off. Set aside 50 whole hazelnuts. Grind the rest very fine in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and set aside.
- Place sugar and heavy cream in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the chopped chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter. Pour the ganache into the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to cool until set. Fit the machine with a paddle and beat the set ganache on medium speed until aerated and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the reserved ground hazelnuts and the liqueur if using. Beat well to thoroughly combine.
- Load mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Pipe out 1/2-inch balls. On top of each ball, press in one of the reserved whole toasted hazelnuts until it is halfway buried. Place pan in refrigerator to chill completely.
- To coat, place tempered chocolate in a medium bowl. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Get yourself 2 forks. Place one nut-topped ball on the prongs of one fork, nut up. Lower the fork into the melted chocolate, covering completely. Lift fork up, pause 3 seconds to allow excess chocolate to drip off, then run bottom of fork along top of bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place fork on paperlined pan and use second fork to push off the candy while you withdraw the first fork (it’s easier than it sounds). Keep the nut up at all times. Repeat with remaining centers. If it’s warm out, place the finished candies in the refrigerator to set; otherwise they will set at cool room temperature (65 degrees).
- Both of these candies make great Christmas presents packed into little boxes or baskets. They are involved but can be done easily in large batches. One day of work can yield many gifts. You can make a double of triple batch of truffle ganache and divide it, beating different flavorings into different parts.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 118 calorie |
| Total Fat | 5 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 13 milligrams |
| Sodium | 27 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 16 grams |
| Protein | 1 grams |
| Sugar | 12 grams |
| Calories | 118 calorie |
| Total Fat | 5 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 13 milligrams |
| Sodium | 27 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 16 grams |
| Protein | 1 grams |
| Sugar | 12 grams |
Reviews
Agree with all. This recipe makes delicious candy items. I also used this recipe on whole almonds and whole macademia nuts.
Again…delicious!
Annie, Fremont, CA
Again…delicious!
Annie, Fremont, CA
I make these every year for my students and they all think i bought them because they are so good and look professional. I’m not so good with dipping them in chocolate, so I just drizzle it on the top and they are still fantastic!
These were absolutely amazing! The ganache filling just melts in your mouth! We had a surplus of filling, so it’s a good idea to have extra toasted hazelnuts on hand… Ferrer Rocher has nothin on these!
These lucious little bonbons were very good, but they were very labor intensive. Instead of dipping the centers in the chocolate to coat, next time I will spoon melted chocolate over the centers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them cool. Then I’ll dip the bottom in melted chocolate to finish. Rolling them in chocolate was difficult and the centers melted before I could finish. Also, the warm chocolate cooled quickly and the finished product wasn’t very pretty once some of the center got mixed into the coating.
But, if you have some time, they are well worth it. Everyone raved about them.
But, if you have some time, they are well worth it. Everyone raved about them.