Posts Tagged ‘hazelnut’

A couple of weekends ago, Emily, and our friend Stephanie, and I went down to Austin for a food blogging/techie conference called TECHmunch.  I went last year and really learned a lot, so I was seriously pumped about going again.  Plus, it was an awesome excuse to head to Austin and visit one of my favorite Aunts!

The conference was hosted at the downtown Whole Foods, and let me tell you that if you are ever in Austin, you must visit this store.  I’ve driven by it about a million times, but this was the first time I’ve actually gone in.  I mean, Dallas has tons of Whole Foods stores; why would I need to visit one in another city?  Um, because it’s AWESOME!  The WF team was incredibly generous.  We had more food and drinks than a group could possibly manage.  Plus, we had very comfortable chairs to sit our booties in all day and well, we all just had a great time.    They also put together some wonderful swag bags.  As foodie people, we all love trying new products and finding new local companies.  One of the items was a jar of chocolate hazelnut spread, similar to Nutella.

I knew the second I took the jar out of the bag that I would use it first.  I don’t buy chocolate hazelnut spread because of the consequences.  I just have this picture of Craig finding me in a corner of the house surrounded by jars of the stuff, cackling away as I shovel spoonfuls of it into my mouth.  I know we vowed “in sickness and in health,” but I’m pretty sure Craig didn’t sign up for that!

So as I stared at the jar, I knew I would need a recipe that used up the whole thing, so I didn’t  end up in the chocolate hazelnut loony bin!  And then it hit me.  I would make this spread into ICE CREAM!!  Oh, how I love ice cream!  It’s another item I don’t keep in the house because of…well, you get the idea…

After consulting multiple recipes, I chose the one below because I was very intrigued that it only had two ingredients.  I was skeptical, but after reading reviews and seeing the same recipe over and over again, I figured I would give it a shot.  The taste is phenomenal.  The ice cream came out so rich and creamy.  In fact, I really only needed two smallish scoops to send me into ice cream bliss.

So…what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

*Recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini 

Recipe Card

I have a confession to make.  I hate eggs.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them in say a chocolate cake, but cooked alone or in some sort of casserole, they make my stomach turn.  I’ve never been able to eat them and I really don’t know why.  I’m not sure if it’s the smell or the texture or what, but I just can’t do it.  It’s actually annoying because breakfast and brunch foods are all about the eggs.  So when we make a big breakfast at home or hit a cafe in the morning I’m all about the pancakes! 

I love making pancakes from scratch.  You will never find a box mix in my house.  Wow, I guess that makes me a pancake snob.  That’s pretty dorky, but whatever…my pancakes rock!  I sometimes fill them with blueberries, pecans or oatmeal, but lately I’ve been looking for a whole grain-based pancake.  These definitely fit the bill.  How they can feel hearty and light at the same time is pretty mind-blowing.  Plus, they are filled with flaxseed which is good for your heart, lowers cholesterol, and is chocked full of fiber.  And as Emily has dubbed me, I am the fiber girl!  

   

Maple, Hazelnut & Flaxseed Pancakes
Adapted from Bon Apetit, January 2004

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds)
1/4 cup finely ground hazelnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup raw maple syrup
1 large egg

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, flaxseed meal, hazelnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In another bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, maple syrup, and egg together.  Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated.

Brush or spray a large nonstick skillet lightly with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add batter to skillet in 1/4 cup amounts.  When bubbles appear on surface of pancakes (after about 2 minutes) turn pancakes over and cook until golden brown.  Brush skillet lightly with vegetable oil as needed before cooking each batch.  Serve with additional maple syrup.  Yields 8-10.

We were recently approached by Oh! Nuts to try out some of their products and feature them in recipes on our blog.*  After looking at their website, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try some of their great products.  Emily and I both love the bulk food aisle at the grocery store, but sometimes the dried fruits and nuts have sat in the bins a little long.  It can be a difficult task to cook up fruit that is beyond a little dry!  Well, what a nice surprise it was to open up the Oh! Nuts packages and have our nostrils fill with fresh dried fruit and nutty scents.  Yum.  Thanks Oh! Nuts!!

We received ground hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and medjool dates from Oh! Nuts.  We decided right away that we would make three different kinds of cookies incorporating these great flavors.  Emily and I love cooking together and have an amazing flow when we’re in the kitchen.  We might make a huge mess, but we always have a great time laughing and tasting our creations.  Although I’m sure our husbands would like a little less giggling and little more dinner-making.  We didn’t feed them until 9:30 p.m. the night we baked up all these cookies.  I guess we’re sort of over-acheivers trying to prepare dinner AND dessert on a work night!  Next time we’ll stick to ordering a pizza when we bake.

Hazelnut Meringue Cookies
Adapted from Oregon Hazelnuts

4 eggs whites
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups toasted ground hazelnuts
food coloring (whatever color you want!)

Beat the egg whites until white peaks form.  The stiffer the peaks are the more fluffy your cookies will be.  I recommend using a stand mixer or hand mixer for this or your arm will want to fall off by the time you get those peaks!  Very slowly add in the sugar with the mixer still running until all of the sugar has been added.  Add in a little bit of food coloring until you achieve the color you are looking for.  Fold in the ground hazelnuts until the mixture is even.  These cookies will flatten into a puffy circle very easily so don’t worry about getting all fancy with the batter and the pan.  Just scoop the batter on to the pan keeping each cookie about 2” apart.  They really don’t spread very much so you can put them pretty close together.  Bake at 300 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  This recipe make 25-30 cookies.

Macadamia Nut Shortbread
Adapted from Kauai Menu

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 cups macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1/8 cup raw sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together until light and fluffy.   Add both flours, and beat until smooth.  In a shallow dish, stir together macadamia nuts and raw sugar.  Using a 1-inch scoop, form dough into balls and roll in macadamia nut mixture.  Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula.  Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes about 30 cookies.

Coconut Date Cookies
Adapted from Carrots ‘N Cake

This batter is very sticky.  It will be too difficult to flatten the cookies before baking, so allow them to cool and then lightly press down to flatten a bit.  The inside may be slightly gooey, but they will be delicious all the same.

2 cups pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/2 cup oats
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until there are no large pieces.  Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and then using your hands or the back of a spatula press down lightly on cookie to flatten.  Makes 2 dozen. 

*Full disclosure:  we received these products free from Oh! Nuts