Hazelnut and Cinnamon Chocolate Coulant with a Caramel Heart

Only a few hours separate us from the new year, and if you are celebrating at home with family and friends, I suggest an easy dessert that is guaranteed to satisfy everyone, especially chocolate lovers. 

As you probably have little time on your hands and would rather spend it with your loved ones instead of in the kitchen, any dessert you prepare should be quick, easy and of course tasty! This is exactly what this coulant recipe delivers as you'll need few ingredients, a couple of bowls and a whisk. If you want to save more time on new year's eve, you can prepare everything the night before and bake when you're ready to serve.  

For 4 servings you need:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 150 g dark chocolate
• 30 g toasted and chopped hazelnut
• 15 g hazelnut paste (optional but preferable if you can find it)
• 50 g sugar
• 30 g flour
• 50 g butter 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 to 1 tsp of cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 60 g caramel, you can use store bought or make your own.

First start by melting your chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave. Once melted add the butter and the hazelnut paste and let them melt with the heat of chocolate. 
Whisk the eggs, vanilla, salt  and cinnamon then add the sugar and beat well until is combined.

Slowly add the chocolate to the egg mixture and mix well, then add the flour and the chopped hazelnuts and mix again until all is well combined.

Grease your ramequins and cover them with cocoa powder, pour some of the batter then put about a tablespoon of caramel then cover it with more batter. Fill only two thirds of the ramequin.

Heat your oven to 240 C, and place the ramequins in the fridge for at least 15 min. Bake the coulant for 10 min, take out and leave it to cool for 5 min then serve it with a sprinkle of sea salt. 

You can make the batter days ahead and freeze it. The day before serving, remove from the freezer and put in the fridge. On the day of serving, all you need to do is bake as instructed previously. 

I wish you a wonderful and sweet end of the year and a bright and delicious start of 2018! Happy New Year!

For caramel sauce recipes click: here, here, here and here

Rugelach, Delicate Festive Cookies.

December is undoubtedly one of the busiest months of the year. The holidays and their anticipation take a toll on us but they definitely bring unparalleled joy and warmth!

Though this year I did not have much time to think of an elaborate Christmas menu as my energy level is a bit down, I managed to determine one of the menu's sweet items.

I recently tried and really loved a sweet cookie called rugelach. I was not really sure how the cookies' name should be pronounced but I was certain that I found cookies that are worth featuring on my Christmas table or any other festive table.

These crescent shaped cookies were brought to America by the Asheknazi immigrants. The original recipe was leavened with yeast and sour cream was added for flavor and moisture. However, in the last century, the sour cream was dropped and replaced with cream cheese and the dough was no longer fermented.

The cream cheese adds an incredible softness to the dough and the butter makes it flaky and crumbly. The dough is usually stuffed with jam, chocolate and nuts all dusted with cinnamon. The filling can be customized to your liking; as longer as you like the ingredient, use it!

These cookies will captivate you with their aromatic, flaky and satisfyingly rich flavor.

Let´s make some rugelach.

 For the dough you need: (enough for 24 small pieces)

• 170 g all purpose flour 
• 160 g cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 140 g cold cream cheese
• pinch of salt
• 20 g sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of salt

In a big bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, zest, cinnamon and butter and mix with the paddle attachment until you get a sandy mixture. You can also use your pastry blender. Add the cream cheese and mix until well combined.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the filling:

• 150 g orange jam
• 70 g chopped pecans or walnuts
• 60 g sugar
• about 50 g dark chocolate
• 1 and half  tsp cinnamon.

Assembly:

On a generously floured surface, roll the dough (keep the other 2 parts in the fridge while you roll the first one) to about 20 to 22 cm disk of 2-3 mm thick.

Spread about 50 g of the jam, leaving 1 cm away from the edge. Cut the disk in 4 parts, then each part into 2 triangles. Sprinkle 20 g of the sugar, half tsp of the cinnamon, a generous sprinkle of pecans and the grated chocolate.

Roll each triangle into a crescent shape and tuck the edge on the bottom side to prevent the rugelach from opening while baking. Once you finish rolling you need to put the rugelach again in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Brush each cookie with milk, cream or egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake for 20 to 25 min or until golden brown.

As they bake, the cookies will fill your home with an irresistible Christmas aroma wafting from the cinnamon, the orange, the nuts, the chocolate and the dough itself. A heavenly mix!   I am sure you won't be able to wait for the cookies to cool completely before eating one or two.

With this recipe, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Keep on baking!