Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts
Written by joythebaker on November 16, 2009 – 2:27 am -
I’ve got a case of the lazy bones. Serious and impervious to negotiation, lazy bones.
These lazy bones have coerced me into watching a solid five hour block of television last Friday night. These lazy bones strong armed me into excessive Saturday and Sunday napping. I also did that thing where you get up and make breakfast, eat it, hold you belly with the sheer joy of your accomplishment… then get back in bed… back in bed (!) for a nap.
I’ve had the best of intentions, but I learned early on this weekend (about halfway through watching my third bridal show on Friday night) that my to-do list was just going to have to sit tight and have some patience. That’s how it goes some weekends. Who am I to disrupt the flow?
Nuts. I somehow roasted and fancied up hazelnuts. This must have been done in one of the hazes between naps. I have no real recollection, but I do have photographic evidence. Thank heavens. I may not fully remember making them, but I sure do remember the dream where I was shoving them into my face by the fistful. True.
Ok…. maybe they’re not the prettiest nuts you’ve ever seen. Delicious? Oh. So. Yes.
These fancy roasted hazelnuts are part of a larger idea. I’m thinking that these nuts are going to be a part of my holiday survival plan. They’re great to give as hostess gifts, or to have on hand when guests arrive, or when you have a last minute invitation to a friend’s holiday sing along. Always be prepared for the sing along… always.
I made this recipe with all hazelnuts. Next time, I’ll use a mixture of hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts. I think a mixture is best. They’re sweet, somehow fluffy and lightly crisp with a touch of salt. Now you know.
Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts
adapted from Essence of Chocolate
3 cups nuts ( a mixture of hazelnuts, pecan halves and walnut halves would be best)
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in the center. Spread nuts out on a half sheet pan (17×12x1-inch) or a 9×13-inch baking pan works in a pinch. Toast nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the sheet pan and set aside. Note: If your hazelnuts still have skins like mine, the may loosen and begin to peel. Just go through the nuts with your hands and loosen and remove any peels that might be ready to come off. I left a lot of mine with skins on.. no biggie!
Scatter the butter pieces over sheet pan and place in the oven to melt. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the pan as soon as the butter is melted.
Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites. When the whites just start to hold their shape, gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk on medium-high for two minutes. The mixture will be sticky and shiny, but may be a bit thinner than meringue.
Sift the cocoa over the top of the beaten eggs and fold in. Pour the chocolate mixture over the toasted nuts and fold in.
Spoon the coated nuts on top of the butter on the baking sheet. Spread out into an even layer. Not all of the butter may be covered by nuts, that’s ok!
Bake nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir a bit. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir once again. The meringue will look like it’s drying out a bit. This is when you add the salt. Sprinkle it on top of the meringue and nuts. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, remove and give it one final stir, breaking the nuts up a bit as you stir them.
When done, the butter should be absorbed and the nuts and coating crisp. Let cool completely before handling. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Tags: easy, gift, hazelnut, Holiday, meringue, nuts, recipe
Posted in Holiday, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Snacks, Sweets | 65 Comments »
it looks good to me!
That sounds absolutely delicious. May try it nearer Christmas time and give some out in little bags!
Ah, these look absolutely delicious. Definitely a great Christmas recipe!
These sound amazing, And perfect for holiday parties!
What is a baking sheep?
Think I’ll try these for Christmas gifts!
yes…. i left a few typos in the post. forgive me.
These nuts sound heavenly! Just in time for the holidays.
I seriously can’t make these, because I will eat them all. No restraint whatsoever for stuff like this. Any tips on where to get hazelnuts in bulk?
I had a case of the laziness this weekend too…sometimes you just need a little rest and relaxation. Can’t wait to try this recipe, sounds delicious!
These sound like a great treat for all my work buddies. They sound too easy to be true? I will give them a shot.
On a lighter note, I finally got around to making your apple cake and I have never seen food disappear so fast in my house. Yummy Yummy
awesome! that apple cake sure is a winner!
oooo and yummmmm!
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try it. I have a question though – maybe I missed it (it’s entirely possible) but where do you add the salt? Do you whip/fold it into the egg mixture or sprinkle over the nuts when baking?
Thanks!
Sounds yummy! I just had to comment to say this,instead of baking sheet in the recipe directions it says baking sheep. This is somehow just so funny to me. Great blog, keep up the good work
Mmmmm. I cannot wait to make these! I bet they’d be good with a tiny pinch of cinnamon in them too.
This is yet another one of your recipes I will be making for my husband in Iraq. He LOVES hazelnuts, and loves a good sweet/salty combination. I’m glad you will able to come up with something yummy during your lazy bone daze!
I can totally see why you would shove those in your mouth by the fist full. I did the same thing with a bag of cappuccino roasted almonds I picked up at the market in SF.
Those look delicious! I’ve never tried hazelnuts that way before!
They do look perfect for holiday gifts
Those look SO TASTY. I can’t wait to make them. Nuts (and in particular, candied ones) are pretty much my favorite thing ever. I cannot wait to make them.
YUMMM yum yum
I think they are lovely!
I think they’d be cool to tie in little bags and give out at a party.
Um, am I crazy? Don’t see any mention of what you do with the *salt*…and without it the recipe title sort of doesn’t work.
thanks emmy jay. that little typo should be all fixed up now.
I was just wondering the same as emmy jay about the salt?
Thanks for the recipe!
I am making these for my mom’s christmas stocking! (as soon as I know when to add the salt) Yum!
Your nuts do look like a wonderful gift and I know just who would love them.
I would love to get up, eat a nice breakfast and go back to bed! Oh my, that sounds so decadent.
I’ve been looking for the perfect spiced nut recipe to give as presents and I knew I would try this the MINUTE I saw your title! And low and behold you claim great for party hosts! DONE!
Krista:)
yes! i just did this over at incrediblecrunchyflavor and it was fabulous!! egg whites are the way to go – no pounds of butter or tons of caro syrup.
That is some serious nutty snacks. I like how the egg whites add that extra dimension. I think that the X Brute Barry cocoa would be best for this recipe, as it packs a nice, chocolaty punch!
These look dangerously delicious. Did you use Scharffenberger chocolate or something else? Also, it looks like there’s no need to peel the hazelnuts (always a bonus). Is that right?
Wow, Joy, that’s impressive that you can make something so yummy while in a daze. Your weekend sounds wonderful, actually. I like being a pile of lazy bones sometimes.
I shall have to try this recipe someday!
I just made this recipe. It’s a hit. I recommend it…highly! Thanks!
Yum! This looks great, and perfect for little gift bags around the holidays. I’ll definitely be giving this a try, thanks!
OH MAN! I just bought a bagful of hazelnuts. Such a timely post, Joy!
OMG!! These sound absolutely amazing! I have to try them!
wow – they look great! I’ll be adding these to my holiday baskets for sure!
Oh my FREAKING DELICIOUSNESS!!!
Wow. That looks soooo yummy!!
These look wonderful! I’ve been looking for something new to add to my normal Christmas baking!
Joy, have you ever had an environmental induced lazy? They’re crazy. I have this completely weird thing where I love my boyfriends parents to bits but whenever I am at their house the life is completely sucked out of me, it’s like the scene in the wizard of oz with the poppies.
You must have needed the sugar hit if you made these babies while in nap mode!
These look ridiculously delicious – might have to make them for my next book club meeting!
Oh wow this looks amazing! I like trying new spiced nut recipes every Christmas. What’s not to love about cocoa and chocolate?
Wow…yum!!
After an extemely stressful day at work I drove directly to the supermarket, bought nuts and a brand new shiny can of really good cocoa and headed home. I mixed up a batch of these nuts,(which look just like gooey balls of marshmallow before you cook them)and lovingly tended to them every 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the last ten minutes proved to be my downfall as they became slightly burnt. Probably two minutes less and they would have been perfect. The few nuts I salvaged were really good though.
Beautiful! I can’t wait to try these out they look scrumptious!
mmmm. These are going to make a great Christmas gift! — if I don’t eat them all first. But I’ll try to be a good giver…
sounds delicious..I think I will try them for Thanksgiving.
Beautiful nuts!! (tee hee). Seriously, these look gooooood.
Oh these look so good! Perfect for the holidays!
wow these look so great. This is going to sound insane but whenever we get a giant tub of mixed nuts from Sam’s Club the hazelnuts never get eaten so I have been hoarding them in the freezer- guess I was just waiting for you to post this lovely recipe!
Those look so good–a perfect treat for people to snack on during holiday get-togethers!
Whoa! Thank you! I’ve been nosing around for some good roasted nut recipes – they definitely make great hostess gifts and are great to have on hand when friends come for drinks, book club, glass of wine with the neighbors, etc. This is definitely going into the mix. Have a good recipe for nuts with honey, soy sauce and cayenne (or something of the like?) I had these at a party YEARS ago, and have tried to recreate them, but have never quite gotten there.
Fully aware this statement is ridiculous, but I want to eat the raw photo. And i’ve never ever wanted to eat any kind of raw egg preparation, but those whites look dreamy.
[...] Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts by Joy the Baker – Hazelnuts are coming in. I love them to death, and I cannot wait to see this item go out for our VIP amenities. I thank Joy for the inspiration! [...]