Equipment
- 1 Large Metal Bowl
- 1 Oven
- 1 Large Egg Mold
Ingredients
- 500 g Chopped Hazelnuts Blanched
- 100 g deZaan Holland True Dark 10/12% Natural Cocoa Powder
- 450 g Granulated Sugar
- 25 g Water
Instructions
Crafting
- Using gloves, massage the 100 g deZaan Holland True Dark 10/12% Natural Cocoa Powder into the Hazelnuts in a large metal bowl until they are coated thoroughly.
- Proceed to roast them in the oven at 180ºC/350ºF for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden (Note: It will be hard to tell the color change due to the cocoa, but you should smell a slight caramelization coming from the oven – not a burning smell).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Next, make a caramel with the Sugar and Water. Pour it over the roasted Hazelnuts from earlier step. (Note: If you wish to replicate the one pictured, reserve a nice handful of the roasted Hazelnuts for assembling the Egg).
- Once the caramel has cooled and solidified around the Hazelnuts, break into pieces and use a food processor to process (in stages) until smooth.
- Store in an airtight container or jar until ready to use.
Assembly
- Begin by preparing your chosen Easter Egg mold – polish, decorate, apply color, etc.
- Create a thin shell in each half of the Easter Egg mold with chosen tempered milk chocolate.
- Allow to set before spreading a layer of Cocoa Hazelnut Praline into the molds, covering the surface area of the first layer of milk chocolate.
- Apply whole cocoa roasted Hazelnuts by sticking them into the Praline.
- Temper additional milk chocolate and pour into each half of the mold once again, this time ensuring you completely cover the layer of Praline and whole Hazelnuts.
- Remove the excess chocolate.
- Once set, remove the two halves of the Egg from the molds and seal the Egg shut.
- This is a very simple recipe but creates an Easter egg like no other.