This lovely recipe is from a book I picked up recently on sale. It’s called ‘The Afternoon Tea collection’, and features recipes that go perfectly well for hosting the perfect tea party – finger sandwiches, scones, friands, tarts and cakes, biscuits and these lovely slices.
I am visiting my friends in Philly this week, and I wanted to take something ‘nice’ for them. Nice and simple, that is. Because 1. I am stumped this week and 2. I need to get this through airport security and boy do they have a lot of rules and 3. It’s chocolate. Yumm!
These slices are best served slightly cold, and it is quite simple to make. They keep well refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for about a couple of months. But let’s be honest here – these babies will be gone before they see any freezer!
Note:
1. While slicing, lift the chocolate from the pan, and remove the baking paper lining. Turn it over, and slice through the biscuit base to minimize cracks in the top chocolate layer. I wish the book had told me that.
2. Dip/rinse the knife in hot water, and wipe it dry between slicing. The warm knife will ensure a smooth cut.
3. Wrap each slice in baking paper to prevent them from sticking to each other. The middle layer with the condensed milk is kinda chewy in consistency. Like the center of a snickers bar. Or the inside of a Cadbury’s chocolate eclairs.
Chocolate Hazelnut Slices
- Prep Time:20m
- Cook Time:5m
- Total Time:1h 25m
- Serves: 32
- Yield: 32 slices
Ingredients
- 250 g (8 oz) plain chocolate biscuits – I used graham chocolate crackers.
- 3/4 c (110 gms) roasted hazelnuts, chopped coarsely (you can substitute with any other nuts you may have)
- 155 g ( 5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 395 g (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 375 g (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 315 g (10 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
- 15 g (1/2 oz) unsalted butter (extra)
- 30 g (1 oz) white chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Grease and line a 9×9 inch square baking pan with baking paper. Make sure that the paper extends out of the pan, so you can ‘lift’ the chocolate out of the pan once it’s been refrigerated solid.
- In a blender, process the chocolate biscuits and 1/4 cup of the nuts till fine. Then add the melted butter and process till it forms a dough.
- Press the biscuit mixture into the base of a pan to a smooth finish. Tip: Use a small piece of baking paper to smooth the surface and to get a nice sharp edge.
- Refrigerate for about 20 minutes till firm.
- In the meantime, prepare the chocolate filling. Melt the condensed milk and semi-sweet chocolate in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over low-medium heat until completely melted. Do not let it boil. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Alternatively, you can microwave it for a minute. Stir. And microwave in 10 second intervals. Remember to stir between each interval.
- Stir in the remaining nuts.
- Pour over the base, and spread it, covering the base fully. Work quickly as the condensed milk firms up rather fast. Refrigerate until the dark chocolate topping is ready.
- Melt the dark chocolate and the butter until smooth. You can either melt over a stove, or in the microwave.
- Pour this mixture on top of the existing semi-sweet chocolate mixture. Spread it out and smooth the top.
- Quickly melt the white chocolate, and using a piping bag, pipe it over the dark chocolate.
- Refrigerate until firm. Slice and serve.
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