Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunchies

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunchies are a decadent topping for all your dessert desires!


Chocolate Hazelnut Crunchies

I hate when items I love are suddenly discontinued. Ones that immediately come to mind are usually things I grew up on but as an adult didn't really use, like Cherry Vanilla Coke and McDonald's pizza. However, my family and I are finding more and more of our staple foods have bit the dust (at least in Canada) and we're left to find alternatives - some are good (President's Choice Louisiana hot sauce, for example), others... really not (non-British baked beans(z)). Luckily, we tend to avoid most processed food as a matter of habit anyway, and I for one revel in making my own ingredients, "mixes" and condiments (obviously).

One of the more recent disappearances was from our local bulk food store - crunchy little balls of chocolate-hazelnut goodness intended for decorating cakes and cupcakes. They tasted like Nutella meeting Rice Krispies, and were awesome for not only cakes, but cookie dough and topping brownies too. We fell in love - and then poof! gone. Not just gone from the bulk store, but everywhere - not even Google can come up with a result for us.

But not all is lost. Due to my love of recreating elements of recipes I see on TV, and pre-made mixes I find in the stores, I decided it was time to make my own version. While definitely not as "perfect" as the storebought ones, these had, IMHO, a better flavour and if your chocolate stays at cool room temperature after mixing and panning, a more defined crunch. I accidentally left one of two trays out overnight (it's warm and - more importantly - humid here right now) and the chocolate soaked into the cereal, taking away some of the character crunch. still delicious, however.

Stay tuned for a recipe using them coming right up - and its perfect for that mid morning snack too.

Bonus Tips: 
  • Sprinkle these on the Chocolate Hazelnut Beet Brownies to make them extra special!
  • Keep these in the freezer, they won't melt and the nuts won't get rancid that way.


Chocolate Hazelnut Crunchies
Makes ~1 cup, 16 (1 tbsp) servings
1/2 cup finely chopped roasted, skinned hazelnuts
1/2 cup crisp rice cereal (I used Brown Rice Krispies)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
pinch sea salt
  1. Combine the hazelnuts and Brown Rice Krispies in a bowl.
  2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and salt together.
  3. Pour over the hazelnut mixture and stir to thoroughly coat.
  4. Spread out onto a parchment or wax-paper lined baking sheet and allow to set. Break up into individual clusters and store in the freezer.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 76.3
Total Fat: 5.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 6.8 mg
Total Carbs: 8.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Protein: 1.0 g

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