Chocolate-Coated Nuts
Nuts such as hazelnuts dipped in melted chocolate to make a sweet treat; they can also be dipped in caramel first before being coated in chocolate.
Ingredients
Chocolate for coating
750 g
Regular chocolate (requires added oil)
750 g
Peanut oil or sunflower oil (for regular chocolate)
1 tbsp
Hazelnuts (roasted, shelled)
375 g
Other dried fruits/nuts (e.g., macadamia nuts)
Instructions
1
Melt the chocolate
Melt the coating chocolate (see page 31), or melt regular chocolate with added oil (see page 30). For best results, the coating chocolate should reach a temperature of 31°C–32°C before use for coating.
2
Pipe chocolate dollops
Make a small piping bag (see page 42), fill it with some melted chocolate, trim a small opening at the tip, and pipe 40 dollops the size of half a teaspoon onto a prepared baking sheet.
3
Add hazelnuts
Arrange 3 hazelnuts in a triangle on top of each chocolate dollop, then set aside to set naturally.
4
Coat with chocolate
If necessary, melt the remaining chocolate again. Use a fork to dip each hazelnut cluster into the chocolate, lift it out, and scrape off excess chocolate against the edge of a bowl.
5
Set
Place each chocolate-coated hazelnut cluster on a second prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with all remaining hazelnuts.
6
Caramel dipping method for nuts (optional)
Pour 250g of sugar into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat while stirring constantly until the mixture turns light caramel in color. Remove from heat, dip each nut into the hot caramel one by one using a small fork, then place them on a lightly greased baking sheet to cool and set. If the caramel is too thick, reheat over very low heat. The caramelized nuts must be completely cool before being used in the above steps.
