Why spend your hard earned money on chocolate desserts that are full of preservatives and other additives that are nothing but empty calories and sugar? You can make your own desserts right in the comfort of your kitchen with the right ingredients and the right recipe.
That is what is going to be looked at today – how to make the most decadent, delicious, and sinful toasted hazelnut chocolate dessert. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s ready quicker than you can say “get in my belly”.
How to Roast Hazelnuts
Roasting hazelnuts at home is actually simpler than most people realized as all you need is a baking sheet and an oven.
You simply place your raw and whole hazelnuts on the baking tray (parchment paper is optional) and lay them in a preheated oven (400°F). Leave them for about 5 minutes before checking on the status. You want a golden brown visual, not a deep dark brown as this means they are burning.
Let the roasted hazelnuts cool before attempting to peel off the outer skin. Some people chose to place them in the refrigerator to decrease the wait time from 10 minutes to about 6 minutes.
Can You Use Other Types of Chocolate Instead of Dark?
Ultimately, the choice of chocolate chips that are used in this dessert is your choice but the dark chocolate is not only the healthier option, it also pairs nicely with roasted hazelnuts. If you want to use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, you can decrease the amount needed to avoid a clash of sugary flavours. This is not what you are going for!
You can also combine different types of chocolate chips if preferred.
Ingredients for Hazelnuts Chocolate Dessert:
Base
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- ½ cup soaked dates
- ¼ shredded coconut
Filling
- 1 ½ cup soaked cashews
- ½ cup maple syrup or liquid sweetener of choice
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup of cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
How to make the Hazelnuts Chocolate Dessert:
Step 1: Roast hazelnuts – how to roast
Before starting to prepare the ingredients for the dessert, save yourself time by preheating the oven to 360°F.
Once the oven has been preheated, it is time to prepare the hazelnuts. Using a baking sheet, place the raw hazelnuts in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until they are a slightly toasted golden brown.
Make sure to spread the hazelnuts out on the baking sheet so they don’t stick together.
Allow the toasted hazelnuts to cool before peeling off the outer skin from the nut. If you are struggling to remove the skin, you can use a sharp knife to slightly split the skin but don’t cut into the actual hazelnut.
Step 2: blend
Using a food processor, grind and blend the nuts until they have a flour-like consistency. Use medium to high speeds but avoid crushing them completely into a paste.
Once the desired consistency has been achieved, add in your soaked dates and shredded coconut. Use the pulse function on the blender to blend it all together until you have a sticky paste. It has to be sticky in order for the dessert to result in deliciousness.
Set aside your mixture to be used further ahead in the preparation of your dessert.
Step 3: blend other ingredients
Using another container for your food processer, throw in the soaked cashews, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend this together until you have a sticky paste formed again. This is the filling for your dessert.
Set it aside until later in the recipe.
Step 4: melt chocolate
Now it’s time to melt the chocolate. This can be done in one of two ways – the microwave or the stove.
Microwave Melted Chocolate
To melt the chocolate chips in the microwave:
- Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Place in the microwave and melt on high power for approximately 30 seconds.
- Remove the bowl and give the semi-melted chocolate a vigorous stir.
- Microwave the chocolate chips for another 30 seconds.
- Remove, stir, and repeat for 10 second increments. Remember to stir the chocolate between each microwaving cycle for the best results.
- Once chocolate is fully melted and smooth, it is ready to use.
Stovetop Melted Chocolate
To melt the chocolate chips on the stove:
- You will first need a double boiler (two pots stacked together).
- Place chocolate chips in the top pot.
- Fill the bottom pot with water and bring to a simmer.
- Continuously stir the melting chocolate to prevent it from burning and going lumpy.
- Once melted, remove from the heat source and the simmering water.
Step 5: assemble and enjoy
Using a medium sized mixing bowl, combine melted chocolate, cashew filling, and cocoa powder. Gently stir to combine and blend all mixtures together.
Using your fingers, press 3 tbsp. of the base mixture previously made into the bottom of a glass dish or wide-mouth drinking glass.
You want your base to be approximately one finger width.
Spoon in the chocolate filling until you are satisfied.
Remember to leave room at the top of the glass for any additional toppers you want to add to your dessert. Some great examples are whipped cream, berries, coconut, ice-cream, etc.
