By Chef: Natalia KW
Posted: January 27, 2011
Difficulty/Moderate
Deep, dark cacao caresses a sweet hazelnut filling for a rich, dreamy indulgence.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate:
- ½ cup cold-pressed coconut oil, in liquid form *
- 6 tablespoons raw agave nectar
- Seeds from ½ vanilla bean**
- 1 cup raw cacao powder***
For the Hazelnut Filling:
- ¾ cup raw hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons raw agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons cold-pressed coconut oil
- Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
- pinch of Himalayan crystal salt
Instructions
Chocolate Preparation:
1) Pour your coconut oil into a medium sized bowl.
2) Add agave and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
3) Slowly add your cacao powder while whisking to ensure there are no lumps. Whisk until you have a very smooth, shiny chocolate.
Hazelnut Filling Preparation:
1) Place your hazelnuts in a food processor. Process into a fine powder. Remove 2 tablespoons to be used for decoration later.
2) Add agave, coconut oil, vanilla and salt to your food processor.
3) Process again until the mixture is smooth and sticks together.
To Assemble:
1) Select a mold. I like silicone for it’s easy release. I used heart shaped cupcake molds.
2) For a cupcake sized chocolate, fill the bottom of each with 1 tablespoon of chocolate.
3) Spread up the sides so that the chocolate covers ½» in height on the sides and is about ¼» deep on the bottom. Continue until 2/3 of the chocolate has been used.
4) Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until completely firm. Remove from the refrigerator.
5) For each chocolate, place 2 tsp hazelnut mixture in the center of the heart. Press down to flatten, but leave ¼ of empty space all the way around the edges.
6) Pour ½ tablespoon of chocolate over the hazelnut filling, making sure to fill the empty edge.
7) Sprinkle the tops with your reserved hazelnuts for decoration.
8) Return to the refrigerator for another 1-2 hours to set completely. Remove from the refrigerator and pop out of molds. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Alternately, if you don’t have silicone molds available:
1) divide your chocolate into two equal portions.
2) Spread half of the chocolate into an 8″ square baking dish lined with parchment paper for easy removal.
3) Refrigerate to set as above.
4) Cover with your hazelnut mixture and press downs evenly. Cover with remaining chocolate and refrigerate to set completely.
5) Remove from the dish and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares, triangles, or use a cookie cutter for some fun shapes.
Notes
Chocolate making tips:
*To melt your coconut oil, either place in your dehydrator at 100° or use a double boiler over very warm (not boiling) water. Coconut oil only needs to reach 76° to melt, so treat it gently, being careful not to overheat.
**To remove the seeds from your vanilla bean, cut a slit in the bean down the length, being careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. Peel open and use the back of a knife to scrape out the seeds. Divide into two equal portions for this recipe.
***Make sure that all ingredients for the chocolate are at room temperature when adding to the coconut oil. You do not want your coconut oil to cool and become firm while whisking.
