These very sweet, softly crunchy bars combine hazelnuts with just a touch of chocolate for a delectable treat. A 6-ounce bag of hazelnuts will give you the perfect amount.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: bars, chocolate, hazelnuts
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
13x9 pan
food processor
small saucepan
Ingredients
Crust
1/2cuphazelnuts
1cupbrown sugar packed
3/4cupunsalted butter softened, 1 1/2 sticks
2cupsall-purpose flour
Nut Layer
1cuphazelnuts
13Tablespoonsunsalted butter
1/2cupbrown sugar packed
Topping
1/2cupmilk chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
Place the 1/2 cup hazelnuts in a food processor. Process until finely ground.
In a medium bowl, beat together the next two crust ingredients, the brown sugar and butter. Add the flour and ground hazelnuts. Press crust into pan; a piece of wax paper and a heavy glass makes it easy to form an evenly compressed layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, put the remaining hazelnuts in the food processor and give them a quick pulse, just to coarsely chop them.
As soon as the crust comes out, sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top. In a small saucepan, warm the butter and brown sugar to boiling at medium heat. Boil for a minute. Pour over hazelnuts.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until edges are bubbling and center is set. Cool completely.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, zap the chocolate in 25 second bursts, stirring well between each pass, until it can be stirred smooth. Use a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the bars.
Chill in fridge for 30 minutes, or until chocolate is set. Use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board and slice into bars.
Store in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge with waxed paper or parchment between the layers.