chocolate hazelnut bread

Chocolate Hazelnut Bread
2 cups of all-purpose flour
4 tsps of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1/3 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of hazelnut-chocolate spread
1/2 cup of whole hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Pour in the milk and stir until the batter is free of lumps. Add the hazelnut-chocolate spread to the mix and stir until combined. Toss in the nuts and mix.

Pour the batter into a greased or parchment paper-lined loaf pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes. The bread is done when an inserted stick comes out clean.

hazelnut chocolate spread

Hazelnut-Chocolate Spread
(adapted from Su Good Sweets)

2 cups of raw hazelnut
1 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of water

Toast the hazelnuts at 350F for about 15 minutes until the skins are dark and the flesh of the nut is light brown. Remove as much of the skin off the hazelnuts as they have a slightly bitter taste.

Melt the sugar in as little water as possible. Use less water if possible.

Pour the hazelnuts into a food processor and grind until you have a thick paste (the makings of hazelnut butter). Add the cocoa powder, sugar syrup, and vanilla. Continue processing until all is blended.

*For a smoother consistency, slowly add oil (walnut oil) or melted butter to the mixture in the food processor.

Makes about 1 1/2 cup of spread.

[I did not melt the sugar and make the syrup originally, so my spread ended up having the grains of sugar in them. I added water and heated up the spread to get rid of the grains after mixing everything and then poured out the water. My spread may have been less sweet because of this, so use less sugar and taste accordingly.]

chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie
(adapted from David Lebovitz's The Great Book of Chocolate)

1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of salted butter, cut into 1cm blocks
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups (100 grams) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Beat the butter and sugar until smooth.

Add the egg, vanilla extract, and baking soda.

Mix in the flour, and beat until smooth and airy.

Fold in the chocolate, walnuts, and dried cranberries into the batter.

Scoop about a tablespoon of batter (for smaller cookies) onto parchment paper. Space each cookie about 3 inches apart. Bake for 18 minutes, and let cool.

Makes about 20 3-inch cookies.