CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TOFFEE

It has been a busy cookbook season! I spent last night reading through the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Cookbook and am revisiting everything I have bookmarked in Aran’s Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple while it is rainy this week and we can work on some baking projects. If you eat gluten free, by need or choice, Aran is your gal. You may know her from her gf sourdough tutorials on instagram.

Aran is one of my favorite food people. Most importantly, she is a lovely and generous person. Just as humble and charming as her photos lead you to believe. Her photos are romantic, the recipes are clear and uncomplicated and she offers subs for all sorts of dietary issues. She is the gluten free baking master, and always where I go for reference. The book does call for some specialty flours, but if you cook gluten free and make a few things from her book, they won’t go to waste. My favorites have been the Lemon Curd, Lemon Pound Cake, Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies and this toffee! I love how short the list of ingredients is, you may even have everything to make a batch today.

Congrats, Aran!

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TOFFEE

Makes one 9x13 pan

This makes an excellent gift around the holidays. We kept it in the fridge for when you just need a sweet nibble after a meal. If you are nut free, you can sub in some candied pepitas or some crushed candy canes and cocoa nibs on top.

Ingredients: 

¾ cup (100 g ) raw hazelnuts

1 cup unsalted butter (or dairy free butter) cut into cubes

¾ cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup water, room temperature

½ tsp. Kosher salt

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

¼ tsp baking soda

4 ounces 70% chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 325’ and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

On a second sheet, spread the hazelnuts and roast for 15-20 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a large kitchen towel and rub together to loosen their skins. Once they’re mostly peeled (a bit of skin is ok), transfer them to a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, stir together the butter, both sugar, water and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, undisturbed, until it registers at 300’, about 15 minutes. The mixture will be dark brown and smell caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the vanilla, it will splatter. Stir in the baking soda until it is distributed - do not overmix. You want to preserve some of that gas. 

Pour the toffee onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with the chopped chocolate. The heat of the toffee will melt it. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Distribute the chopped hazelnuts across the top and press down so they stick into the chocolate. 

Let the toffee cool completely for a few hours, or speed up this process in the fridge. Break the toffee into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a month.

©2021 by Aran Goyoaga. Excerpted from Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple by permission of Sasquatch Books.

DARK CHOCOLATE + GINGER FLATBREADS

My intention this year was to give edible gifts and charity donations in peoples' names for Christmas. Everyone starts talking about lists and ideas and I worry that my idea won't go over so well - that my gift will look chintzy regardless of the cost. It's going to be on my new years resolutions to really follow through with that next holiday, if that is what I WANT to give. Because the season is about giving joyfully, not fulfilling a list. And yes, I am aware it isn't too late to do that this year, but the ship has sailed on committing to that for this year.

I got the idea for these treats from a Food & Wine magazine and thought they'd be nice to have around this time of year for when people stop over (which actually doesn't happen too often come to think of it, which is why I end up eating them). They're kind of like the ever popular "bark", except there is a whole grain cracker standing in for some of the chocolate thickness, making them lighter. They have a nice snap to them, a perfect sweetness and wrap up beautifully for a gift. The sturdiness makes them ideal to send in the mail too! So whether you need a treat around for you or someone else, it doesn't get much easier than dipping crackers in chocolate.

We are sharing this recipe with our lady friends over at Wedding Chicks so be sure to check out their other great edible treats!

DARK CHOCOLATE + GINGER FLATBREADS // Makes 16

Inspired by Grace Parisi at Food + Wine magazine

Get creative with your toppings. I added a dribble of peppermint extract to some extra chocolate and sprinkled crushed mint candies on top, sort of like a cracker peppermint bark. Some chopped pistachios and dried cherries would be great too, you could gift a variety pack!

6 oz. Dark Chocolate (I used Valrohna 71%)

16 Flatbread Crackers such as Ak Mak or Finn Crisp

1/4 Cup Crystallized Ginger, minced

3 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame Seeds

Maldon Flaked Sea Salt

Break up the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler (set a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, being sure the water doesn't touch the bowl). Stir it every so often until the chocolate is completely melted, about 4 minutes.

Lay your crackers on a baking rack with some parchment paper underneath for easy clean up.

Coat the top of each flatbread with a generous layer of the melted chocolate (I use a spoon and a silicone pastry brush, an offset spatula or butter knife will work as well). Set them on the baking rack.

Sprinkle the chopped ginger and sesame seeds on top, no need for perfection, just go ahead and sprinkle. Add more if you please.

Finish them with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and put the tray in the fridge to set.

They will last about two weeks in an airtight container.