Hazelnut Chocolate Kisses
- 1 1/8 pounds bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup toasted, skinned, finely ground hazelnuts, plus 12 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
- Place 6 ounces of the chocolate into a 2-quart mixing bowl.
- In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.
- Pour the cream into the bowl with the chocolate.
- Let the mixture stand for 1 minute, then stir together using a rubber spatula, whisk, or immersion blender until smooth and thoroughly mixed.
- Stir in the ground hazelnuts and blend well.
- Cover, let cool to room temperature, and chill in the refrigerator until thick but not stiff (2 to 3 hours).
- Melt and temper the remaining 12 ounces chocolate (see pages 2530).
- Pour the tempered chocolate into a paper pastry cone and cut off a 1/2-inch opening at the pointed end of the cone.
- Or pour the chocolate into a plastic squeeze bottle.
- Pipe or squeeze chocolate into each cavity of a 12-space, 1-inch-deep, spiral-topped chocolate mold.
- Tap the mold on a countertop a few times to eliminate air pockets.
- Let the chocolate sit in the mold at room temperature for 3 minutes.
- Turn the mold upside down over a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and let the chocolate run out.
- This will leave a thin film of chocolate coating each cavity of the mold.
- With a small flexible-blade spatula, clean off the edges of each cavity of the mold.
- Place a hazelnut in each cavity.
- Fit a 12-inch pastry bag with a large, plain round pastry tip with a 1/2-inch opening and fill partway with the hazelnut truffle cream.
- Pipe the truffle cream into each cavity, filling it just below the top edge.
- Fill up the mold cavity with the remaining tempered chocolate.
- With a small flexible-blade spatula, clean off the edges of each cavity, if necessary.
- Place the mold in the freezer until the chocolate is set (15 minutes).
- Remove the mold from the freezer and turn it upside down over a piece of parchment or waxed paper.
- Hold the mold by opposite corners and gently twist it in opposite directions.
- The candies should drop out of the mold.
- If they dont drop out easily, return the mold to the freezer for another 15 minutes and try again.
- Place the kisses in paper candy cups.
- In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the kisses will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
- The kisses taste best at room temperature.
- White Chocolate Hazelnut Kisses: For the truffle cream, substitute 8 ounces white chocolate for the 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate and use 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream.
- For the coating, replace the bittersweet chocolate with white.
bittersweet chocolate, heavy whipping cream, ground hazelnuts
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/hazelnut-chocolate-kisses-393447 (may not work)