Tag Archives: hazelnuts

Recipe: Nutella Hazelnut Palmiers

19 Apr

By family decree, certain elements of our Easter Brunch can never be altered: the Breakfast Pizzas; the Pesto-Roasted Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Garlic with Pine Nuts; and the Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing. The ham comes and goes and the potatoes occasionally vary (Hashbrown Casserole has been a favorite for many years, but to the dismay of one of our sons, is being edged out this year by Country-Fried Potatoes with Bacon and Green Onions). Other dishes enter and exit as the urge strikes: this year, one of those “other” items will be Stuffed Mushrooms with Merguez Sausage and Spinach, which I realized I hadn’t made in a while.

The one area of Easter Brunch where more experimentation is allowed is the sweet section, which consists of 2-3 items chosen at whim. Today, I made these Nutella Hazelnut Palmiers while everyone was out hiking; I’ll need to hide them pretty soon, lest the returning teenagers and 20-somethings demolish them before tomorrow’s brunch. And before I “taste test” any more of them myself….

Palmiers

Nutella Hazelnut Palmiers
Makes about 30

1 (17.65 oz. ) pkg. puff pastry dough sheets, thawed
2 tbsp. raw sugar, divided in half
1 c. Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread), divided in half*
1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts, divided in half

Preparation

1. Lightly flour a clean, 12 x 12-inch spot on your counter. Sprinkle the spot with 1 tbsp. raw sugar.
2. The puff pastry dough package should contain two sheets. Unfold one of the sheets and place it on top of the  flour/sugar. Gently roll out the dough to the left and to the right until it is about 15-inches long (don’t worry about the width); you mostly want to embed the sugar into the underside of the dough.
3. Spread 1/2 c. Nutella onto the puff pastry sheet; sprinkle 1/4 c. chopped hazelnuts over the top.
4. Starting at the top long end, roll the dough toward you until you get to the middle of the pastry sheet. Now roll from the bottom end up to the middle. Bring the two rolls together, and place the log of dough seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Repeat with the second puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle the counter with more flour and the remaining tbsp. of sugar, top with the second pastry sheet, and gently roll the dough out. Spread with the remaining Nutella and sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts on top; roll up as indicated in Step 4. Place the second log of dough on the baking sheet, too, and then put the baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up the dough.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Working with one  log of dough at a time, place on a cutting board and slice into 3/4-inch thick slices (or as close as you can get) with a serrated knife. Lay the palmiers flat side down on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, with ample room between palmiers since they will expand.  You will need multiple baking sheets, or will need to bake in batches.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or so, until the palmiers are golden. (Keep an eye on them; baking time will depend on the thickness of the palmiers.)
9. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
10. Enjoy!

* Can add up to 1/2 c. more Nutella ( 1/4 c. on each sheet) for sweeter but slightly messier palmiers.

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Recipe: Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti with Chocolate

29 Oct

So, what do you do when 1) a hurricane is approaching, 2) you are as prepared as you can possibly be (if that’s possible), 3) you still have power but probably won’t have it for long, and 4) family members are getting a bit restless from the enforced confinement? I bake.

In my mind, biscotti are a food that will keep well and provide comfort under any circumstances. And, I happened to have all ingredients on hand, though our supply of dark chocolate chips was suspiciously low and I had to make do with a few sprinkled in mostly for effect. Had I had more, I might have considered melting some and dipping one end of each baked biscotti in chocolate, to get us through the next few days. However, my husband is happy to have a small reprieve from the chocolaty baked goods produced at our house, and is delighted with this pared-down version. Note: I baked these twice, as is traditional for crisp biscotti (biscotti means “twice cooked/baked” in Italian), but these are also lovely soft–just omit the second baking.

Enjoy these with tea or coffee any time–not just when a Frankenstorm is on its way.

Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti
Makes about 32 biscotti

1 c. sugar
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
¼ c. toasted hazelnuts (I used chopped; whole would be nice, too)
¼ c. toasted almonds (I used sliced; whole or slivered would be fine)
¼ c. dark chocolate chips
1/3 c. canola oil
2 tsp. cinnamon (3 tsp. if you really like cinnamon; we do)
2 tsp. water
2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, beaten
2 1/2 c. all-purpose (or unbleached) flour
2  tsp.  baking powder
cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. In a small bowl, stir flour and baking powder together; add to sugar mixture, stirring until well combined and a soft dough forms. Divide dough into four pieces.
3. Using clean hands, shape each piece of dough into a 3/4″ -thick rectangle. Place two rectangles of dough on each baking sheet, pressing into shape as needed.  Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, but do not turn oven off.
4. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 3/4″ slices (cut straight on the baking sheet). Spread the slices out a bit on the baking sheet, and bake again for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
5. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

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