Tag: Hazelnut

Homemade Nutella Ice Cream

Well, I’m sure this comes as no surprise but now that I know how easy it is to make homemade ice cream, I’m trying out more and more flavors. This recipe for Homemade Nutella Ice Cream was one of my husband’s first requests.

(He’s a HUGE Nutella fan, which is why I have quite a few Nutella-filled recipes on my blog.)

This recipe is actually even easier than the pistachio one, so I was happy to make this for him. It does not have any egg yolks in the recipe, and you don’t even have to heat the cream mixture! With just five ingredients, it comes together in no time as well!

You will still need some equipment to help make this recipe (paid links):

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup Nutella
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon coffee extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Continue reading Homemade Nutella Ice Cream

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SplendaHoliday #CollectiveBias

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week?? This year has just flown by!

 

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. It’s a day spent with family and friends over good food, just enjoying each other’s company.

 

We spend Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle’s house. Every year, I bring a little something up to contribute to the meal. For the past few years, I’ve done desserts. My sister put in a request for a chocolate cake this year because in her words, “there’s not enough chocolate at Thanksgiving.”

 

 

We usually have quite a few desserts for the taking, so I decided to make the cake with less added sugar with the help of SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend.

 

SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend works just like regular brown sugar, but with half the calories. I picked up a bag at Walmart (it can be found in the baking aisle with the other sweeteners, or on Walmart.com).

 

I love the flavors of Hazelnut and Chocolate together, so I tested out a recipe for chocolate hazelnut cake with chocolate frosting this past weekend.

 

The cake uses ground hazelnut in the batter to add a nutty, buttery flavor as well as a really nice texture to the cake.

 

Ingredients:

Hazelnut Cake:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup ground hazelnut (hazelnut meal)
  • 1 cup SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend
  • 3/4 cups cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon hazelnut extract
  • 1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature

Chocolate Frosting:

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
  • 5 tablespoons milk

Continue reading Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies #OXOGoodCookies

Each year in the fall, OXO adds a little sticker to select baking items to help spread the word and raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. A portion of the proceeds from each product sold with the sticker is donated to the cause.

 

Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.

 

 

In addition to the proceeds from sold stickered products, OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blog post dedicated to this campaign in October (up to our $100,000 commitment*.)

*In 2015, OXO will donate up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer through product proceeds, bake sale matches and other fundraising efforts

 

I’ve done posts the past couple of years, including a recipe for Spritz Butter Cookies and Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

OXO was kind enough to send me a “cookie kit” to help me make another batch of cookies for this cause. The kit included:

 

So, here is this year’s blog post for #OXOGoodCookies! I have been in a chocolatey mood since participating in #Choctoberfest last week, so why not add a bit more chocolate to our lives?

 

These cookies really bring the chocolate: dark chocolate cocoa powder gives the cookies their dark color, espresso granules enhance the chocolate flavor, and chopped hazelnuts add some crunch!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses added)
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used mini)

Continue reading Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies #OXOGoodCookies

Lemon-Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf

Have you ever made an Armenian-style pilaf? This style of pilaf adds toasted spaghetti or other noodles to the rice. This recipe for a Browned Butter Hazelnut Pilaf is really stellar. The cod recipe that goes along with it is also tasty, but the real star is the pilaf. The recipe, from the latest Cooking Light, is a quick meal, so it’s great for something a little different for a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 2 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
  • 4 (6-ounce) cod fillets
  • the juice of one lemon
  • 4 lemon wedges (optional)

Continue reading Lemon-Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf

Hazelnut-Mocha Banana Smoothie

I am trying to get into the habit of making (and wanting) smoothies for breakfast. They are so simple to make and work great for meals on the go. My boyfriend is a huge fan of green smoothies, where he adds various fruits to the blender along with some kale. I don’t mind them, but I thought I’d baby step my way into the smoothie world with something a little more my speed: an oatmeal banana smoothie with espresso and chocolate hazelnut. Mmmmm.

This recipe is adapted from Foxes Loves Lemons, a fellow food blogger as well as a recipe developer. Her recipes are mouthwatering and her pictures are just amazing! She also manages to post daily which just blows my mind. How she manages to deliver such amazing posts daily is beyond me!

My recipe below is a touch different than Foxes Loves Lemons because I wanted to incorporate Nocciolata, a dark chocolate and hazelnut spread, into my smoothie. To see the original version, check out her blog post here.

Nocciolata is made with no chemicals, artificial flavors, GMOs, or palm oil. What it is made with is certified organic ingredients including dark chocolate from the Antillean Islands, Italian hazelnuts (16%), brown sugar, skim milk and Bourbon vanilla extract. Yum! Nocciolata can be found in many stores including Wegmans, King’s, and Whole Foods to name some in the Philly area. For a list of stores that carry Nocciolata, check out their webpage.  

source: https://www.nocciolatausa.com/

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk
  • 1 banana, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon Nocciolata spread
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 cup ice

Disclaimer: I was sent a free sample jar of Nocciolata to try. My opinions are my own. 

Continue reading Hazelnut-Mocha Banana Smoothie

Grilled Hazelnut Strawberry Shortcake Bites #SLSweetTreats

I love pound cake.  I mean, honestly, who doesn’t? It’s so stinking delicious! So I’m excited to be doing another post with Sara Lee Desserts! (You can check out my last post with Sara Lee here — Mini Berry Trifles with Lemon Whipped Cream)

This time around, I wanted to try out grilling the pound cake. I’ve seen a few recipes using grilled pound cake and I was intrigued. (Like this recipe for Mini Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Skewers or this one for Grilled Pound Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream).

Strawberries are in season so a Strawberry Shortcake recipe was in order… but I upped the flavor by adding Nutella Whipped Cream.  Oh yes.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 family sized Sara Lee Pound Cake
  • 1 16 oz pack of strawberries
  • 1/2 cup nutella
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • cooking spray

 

 #spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Sara Lee. This could include the Sara Lee providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Continue reading Grilled Hazelnut Strawberry Shortcake Bites #SLSweetTreats

Slow Cooker Nutella French Toast Casserole

As most of the U.S. has been dealing with seriously cold weather and snow, I thought it was time to share another French Toast recipe. Without fail, people always go out before a storm and stock up on bread, milk, and eggs so French Toast is the perfect meal on a snow day. This recipe for Slow Cooker Nutella French Toast Casserole with Caramelized Bananas is sure to become a favorite snow day meal for you!

This recipe is based off my Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole, but incorporates Nutella and tops it off with caramelized bananas for good measure. I love using my slow cooker for French Toast because it makes a bunch of servings to either share with a group or pack up and enjoy all week!

Ingredients (get all ingredients here):

  • 1 loaf challah bread (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups vanilla almond milk (or normal milk)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 heaping tablespoons Nutella, plus more for topping
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 bananas, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Continue reading Slow Cooker Nutella French Toast Casserole

Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Toasted Hazelnut Cream Sauce

What is it about nuts that go so wonderfully with pumpkin and butternut squash dishes? Walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts just pair so nicely with the flavors of squash. When I first received Buitoni’s Butternut Squash Agnolotti, I knew I wanted to make a hazelnut cream sauce with it. Hazelnuts, like most nuts, taste significantly better when toasted. I have no idea why this is, but I feel the need to always heat nuts for a little while to increase the flavor.
Ingredients:
  • 1 package of Buitoni’s Butternut Squash Agnolotti
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, blanched
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/4 cup sweet vermouth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • a pinch each of ginger, allspice, and nutmeg (1/8 teaspoon or less)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Sage leaves, for garnish

Continue reading Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Toasted Hazelnut Cream Sauce

Individual Tiramisu

I love tiramisu. Honestly, what’s not to like? I’ve never tried to make a traditional tiramisu, but it might be a terrible idea. I’d probably eat the entire thing in one sitting. So to save me from that embarrassing end, I decided to try a recipe from the Walkers Shortbread website for Individual Tiramisu. The recipe makes two servings of tiramisu so that I can’t be a complete piggy. I came across it while trying to find a recipe to photograph (I made their raspberry creme brulee instead) and knew I’d have to make it. Luckily, I still had some Walkers Shortbread leftover!
1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon hazelnut flavored liqueur
2 ounces boiled water
1 heaping teaspoon espresso granules
8 shortbread cookies (I used Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 container (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

So before I go into the recipe, I just wanted to talk about one of the small businesses near me, Wedge + Fig in Philadelphia. They are an amazing cheese shop, brunch location, and also serve some of the best and most creative paninis in the city. When I had a hankering for this tiramisu recipe, I was excited to find that I had all of the ingredients on hand. Except the mascarpone cheese. Blast.
I thought I’d take a gamble and went to two corner stores near me. No mascarpone. So I went over to Wedge + Fig, assuming they wouldn’t have it either, but thought they might know where to get some. I asked, expecting a no, and was ready to leave. They told me they did not sell it, but they had some on hand because they used it in some recipes and would be willing to sell me some. How awesome! So thank you SO much to Wedge + Fig for saving the day. My tummy thanks you!
On to the recipe: Begin by combining the espresso granules with the boiling water. Stir to combine.
Take 1 tablespoon of the espresso and combine it with the coffee and hazelnut liqueurs.
Take 6 of the shortbread cookies and brush them with the coffee mixture on both sides.
Cut each cookie in half. (Note: I decided later that I kind of preferred them crumbled so after allowing them to soak, I just chopped them up a bit. The halves didn’t fit in my glasses nicely.)
In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese and 1/4 cup sugar.
Fold in the whipped cream. (I could just eat this mixture allll day. Mmm.)
 Take two wine goblets or Irish coffee glasses and place three cookie halves in the bottom. (I just put two teaspoons of the crumbs in the bottom of mine.) Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over the cookies and repeat the layers.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so that the cookies/crumbs can soften.
Add the chocolate mini chips to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring until melted. Use a fork to drizzle the melted chocolate over the 2 remaining cookies. (Place the cookies on wax paper before drizzling).
Just before serving, lightly sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa using a fine sieve. Add a chocolate-drizzled cookie to each glass.
How easy was that?
I love how fancy this dessert seems to be with minimal effort.
The whipped cream and mascarpone is so fluffy and flavorful.
The shortbread really soaked up all that coffee-hazelnut flavor, but maintained just enough crunch to keep it satisfying.
 The presentation of this dessert is really nice too. The chocolate drizzled cookie is great to dip into the tiramisu to get some of the mascarpone mixture.
I’m aware I should share the second one of these. But um. I think I like it too much! We will see…

Review of Routin 1883 Gourmet Syrups & Cocktails

One of my favorite parts of blogging is when I’m given the opportunity to sample products and give my honest review of them. I love the chance to try something new and to incorporate it into recipes. So when Routin 1883 contacted me to sample some of their gourmet syrups, I was excited to dust off my bartending kit and concoct some tasty beverages. The company produces gourmet flavors for use in cocktails, specialty coffees, Italian sodas, etc. The syrups, manufactured in the French Alps, have no preservatives, GMO’s, or high fructose corn syrup (they are even gluten free). Routin 1883 was kind enough to send me a bunch of different samples so I tried to highlight each of them to review.
 

To try the vanilla, I added the syrup to a traditional White Russian (I thought it sounded like it would be delicious, I was right!)
Ingredients:
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce Kahlua
1/2 ounce vanilla syrup
Top with cream
To make, add ice cubes to a glass. Pour vodka and Kahlua over the ice. Add the vanilla syrup and stir. Fill with light cream and serve.
The vanilla syrup held up nicely to the strong coffee flavor of Kahlua and was an awesome complement to this already delicious drink. After a sniff of the syrup I decided to go with a 1/2 ounce instead of an ounce because it seems to be quite strong.
The coconut syrup meant I could pretend it is summer. I added it to rum and pineapple juice for a taste of the islands.
Ingredients:
2 ounces light rum
1 ounce coconut syrup
fresh pineapple juice
Add ice cubes to a tall glass. Pour rum and syrup over the ice. Fill with pineapple juice and serve.
This is so refreshing. It’s a perfect escape from the winter weather and would also be perfect as a pitcher in the summer months. Coconut and pineapple just go so well together.
I decided to use the raspberry syrup to make a raspberry rickey: a gin rickey with raspberry flavoring.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounce gin
the juice of 1/2 a lime
club soda
1 ounce raspberry syrup
Add ice to a short glass. Add gin, lime juice , and raspberry syrup and top with club soda.
This was another really refreshing drink. The syrup wasn’t sugary so it didn’t take away from the bite you’d normally get in the original version of this drink. You could also serve it straight up (no ice) if you’d like. Just mix it in a shaker and pour into a glass.
For the caramel syrup, I thought it might be fun to try a flavored martini. I happened to have sour apple liqueur in my apartment (I have no idea why) so a Caramel Apple Martini immediately popped into my mind.
Ingredients:
2 ounces sour apple liqueur
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce caramel syrup
Add ice to a shaker. Pour in apple liqueur, vodka, and caramel syrup and shake. Strain into a martini glass rimmed with a cinnamon-sugar mixture.
This tasted exactly like a candied apple. The caramel’s sweetness really helped tone down the sour apple flavor of the liqueur.
Next up, a frozen strawberry-champagne daiquiri. I had some champagne left over from New Years Eve that I just put into an ice cube tray. I thought this would be a perfect use of those champagne ice cubes.
Ingredients:
2 ounces light rum
1/2 ounce triple sec
1 ounce strawberry syrup
6 strawberries
juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 champagne ice cubes
5 normal ice cubes
You’ll need normal ice in there too because champagne doesn’t freeze entirely. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until frothy. The champagne might bubble a bit. Pour into a glass and serve.
I think champagne should be the base of every strawberry daiquiri from now on. The strawberry syrup added a much bolder flavor to the daiquiri than strawberries alone would without adding a typically syrupy, sugary taste to it. It really enhanced the daiquiri!
Last but not least, I made what I’ve dubbed a Toasted Martini.
Ingredients:
2 ounces chocolate liqueur
1 ounce espresso (cooled)
1 ounce roasted hazelnut syrup
Add ice to a shaker. Add the chocolate liqueur, espresso, and syrup and shake. Strain into a martini glass rimmed with cocoa powder.
Do I even have to mention how amazing this was? I could drink this all day. It was like a grown up chocolate milk, definitely my favorite. The hazelnut flavor was amazing!
Overall I think I gravitated more to the syrups that would go nicely in coffees (which is next on my list to try): Roasted Hazelnut, Vanilla, Caramel, and Coconut. But the fruit flavors were really nice as well! They are actually flavored with real fruit juice which is very noticeable. They don’t have that normal “syrupy” taste at all. Routin 1883 has tons of different flavors on their site so be sure to check them all out. They also have plenty of recipes if you’re looking for inspiration!
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