Best Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Bonbon Spiders Recipes

CHOCOLATE BONBON WITH HAZELNUT

Steps:

• Clean your chocolate mould to get rid of any potential residue
• Melt and temper chocolate. Use a thermometer, eg. Infrared thermometer gun to measure the chocolate temp while tempering
• For the tempering: In case of Callebaut Dark Chocolate (callets), melt chocolate to 45-50°C then allow the chocolate to cool at room temperature to 34-35°C
• When chocolate reached 34-35C add 1% cocoa butter powder to your melted chocolate, i.e. 2 g (1 teaspoon) for 200g of chocolate. I am using a product from Callebaut called Mycryo, use any cocoa butter powder you can access. Mix well cocoa butter powder with chocolate
• Pipe chocolate into the mould, place one hazelnut into each
• Carefully tap the mould onto the kitchen counter a few times to release potential small air bubbles
• Smooth the top with an offset spatula
• Leave the chocolate set either on room temp (30-60 minutes) or in the fridge (15-30 minutes) or in the freezer (5-10 minutes). If chocolate is tempered correctly the Bonbons should be easily removed from the mould. Tip: Use gloves when unmoulding the Bonbons

DARK CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUT CANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Transfer the hazelnuts to a cup and line the baking sheet with wax paper.
• Meanwhile, combine the confectioners' sugar, rice cereal and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 20 times. Add the chocolate-hazelnut spread and melted butter. Pulse until the mixture comes together in clumps, about 15 times; the mixture should be dry to the touch but hold together when pressed.
• Roll the mixture into teaspoon-size balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press a hazelnut into each ball and then press the dough back into a ball shape, leaving part of the hazelnut exposed at the top. Freeze the balls at least 20 minutes to let them firm up.
• Put the chocolate chips, shortening and a pinch of salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the chips on the bottom start to melt, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Gently stick a toothpick into the upper half of a ball, avoiding the hazelnut, and dip into the melted chocolate, leaving the top half uncoated. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off and return the ball to the baking sheet. Smooth over the hole from the toothpick with your fingertip. Repeat with the rest of the balls. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. You can store the balls covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

DARK CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT SABLES

Steps:

• Pulse the chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl. Add the hazelnuts to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped; transfer to the bowl with the chocolate.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture and chocolate and hazelnuts, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until combined.
• Divide the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper; roll each into a 1-by-9-inch log, using the parchment to help you. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the logs and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

TRUFFLE SPIDERS

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Alternatively, you can do this in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring at each interval.)
• To assemble the spiders: Using the tip of a paring knife, make 3 holes on each side of the truffles, big enough to inset a pretzel into. Break off the curved portions of the pretzels (so you have shapes that look like the letter "J"). You should have 6 J-shaped pretzel pieces per truffle; these will be the legs. (The legs do not have to perfectly even, but try to get them close to the same size.)
• Line a plate with parchment paper. Dip the curved end of a pretzel piece into the melted chocolate and then insert into a hole in a truffle with the curve going down towards the bottom of the truffle; repeat with 5 more pretzel pieces and the melted chocolate. Lay the spider on the prepared plate with the legs up. Repeat with the remaining truffles, melted chocolate and pretzels. Refrigerate or freeze until set, about 10 minutes.
• Flip the spiders over so they are standing on their pretzel legs. Using the melted chocolate, make 2 dots on each truffle for eyes. Stick the desired candies on the melted chocolate. Serve the spiders arranged on a bed of cotton candy.

PECAN-CARAMEL SPIDERS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
• Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
• Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
• Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
• Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.