Chocolate Hazelnut Ginger Kisses

Known as 'Baci di dama' in Italy, or 'lady kisses' these gluten-free little cookies are perfectly appropriate (with a little ginger added of course) seeing as though today is International Kiss a Ginger Day. Instead of going around kissing random (ginger/red-headed) strangers, I think perhaps giving them a 'kiss' ie. a small cute cookie which can be popped whole into the mouth, is a little more... proper. I know this, because I've had some awkward smooches from people today! (Okay, I enjoyed it, just a little bit!)

Traditionally these baci are made with toasted hazelnuts, but toasted almonds would be equally delicious! As would sandwiching them together with melted white chocolate, although the dark bitter kind paired with the ginger is heavenly! If you're going all-out with the ginger, then double the spice. If you aren't a ginger fan then simply leave it out. It's such a versatile dough that you could add whichever flavourings you like - some orange zest, cocoa powder for a chocolate version or even a chai-spiced cookie would be delicious!

Happy baking - and don't forget to give a kiss to a ginger today!

Chocolate hazelnut ginger kisses or 'Baci di Dama'

Makes 40

140g hazelnuts (or almonds), toasted and skinned

140g (1 cup) rice flour or corn starch

1 tsp ground ginger

100g butter, softened

100g sugar

pinch of salt

100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped and melted

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line two baking sheets. Place the nuts in a food process and process until the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Add the flour, spice, butter, sugar and salt and pulse until the mixture comes together to form a soft dough.Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each into 2cm thick logs then refrigerate until firm. Working with one piece of dough at a time, cut off small pieces of dough (about 5g each) then roll into little balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Sandwich together with melted chocolate and allow to set.

Chocolate hazelnut cinnamon twist

Carbs, chocolate AND sugar all wrapped up in a sugary cinnamony (that's totally a word) crust and twisted together with toasted hazelnuts? This, my foodie friends, is surely what heaven tastes like. And smells like, because the aromas that waft from your oven will certainly make you friends! This bread smelled so good, I fanned myself with the oven in the hopes that the spicy chocolatey-ness would cling to me and act as a delicious perfume. I wish I was kidding, but I'm not.  

But back to the bread. It's super easy and versatile. If you want to swop out the Nutella (why on earth would you want to do that?!) then you could spread the dough with thick custard or stick to the simple cinnamon sugar. Go nuts with the nuts and use almonds, pecans, walnuts - whatever your heart desires. And don't be fooled by those intricate-looking twists - this bread is dead easy to make. Almost as easy as eating it!

Chocolate hazelnut twist 

Serves 8-10

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp salt

¼ cup sugar

60g butter or margarine, softened

10 g instant yeast

1 large egg, beaten

½ cup lukewarm water

1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (ie. Nutella)

3 tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

50g hazelnuts, skinned and toasted

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

30-45ml espresso or strong coffee

Preheat the oven to 180C. Combine the flour, salt and sugar then rub in the butter to form rough breadcrumb texture. Add the yeast and mix well. Add the beaten egg and just enough water to form a soft dough. Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes or with an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle about about 1/2cm thick. Spread a thin layer of chocolate spread over the dough and leave a 1cm border around the edges.Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the chocolate along with the toasted hazelnuts, pressing the nuts into the dough. Beginning at the longest side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a long cylinder. Cut the cylinder in half lengthwise down the middle and open it up to expose the layers. Twist the two pieces around each other to create a plait. Form into a ring on a lined baking sheet, folding the ends under each other. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until golden brown and when tapped the bread makes a hollow sound. Mix the icing sugar and coffee together to form a smooth drizzling consistency then dribble the icing over the slightly cooled wreath and serve.

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Chocolate meringue gateau

World Nutella Day is here and personally, I will be keeping it simple by celebrating with a jar and a spoon. But, if you'd rather make more of an occasion out of the day, then decadence is the key. This gateau is a marriage of meringue, shortcrust pastry, chocolate, nuts and of course, Nutella. Meringue is simplicity at its sweetest – soft pillows of marshmallow with a crisp outer crust created out of nothing more than whipped egg whites and sugar. Combine this lightness with layers of rich chocolate and whipped cream and you have a dessert that will get any chocolate-lover’s heart a-flutter! It certainly got mine going!

Photography by Angie Lazaro 

Chocolate meringue gateau

(serves 8-12)

Meringue

8 egg whites, at room temperature

500g castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pecan nuts (or other nuts), finely chopped

Shortcrust pastry

225g Sasko Cake Flour

125g cold Stork Bake, chopped

½ cup icing sugar, sifted

3 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp ice cold water

Gateau

1 cups cream

200g dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup Nutella spread

200g white chocolate, chopped

2 cups cream

2-3T Amaretto liqueur

chocolate curls, to garnish

Place egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until soft peak stage. Gradually add the sugar in small amounts, whisking until stiff peak stage. Whisk in vanilla.

Pipe the meringue in 4 large spirals and sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Preheat the oven to 120°C, turn the oven off, prop the door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let the meringue discs dry for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Photography by Angie Lazaro 

For the pastry, place the Sasko cake flour, Stork bake and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the iced water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick. Cut the pastry into a disc the same size as your meringue spirals. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Photography by Angie Lazaro 

To make the fillings, heat the cream and pour ½ cup over each of the dark chocolate and white chocolate and stir until melted. Allow to cool. Place the pastry disc on a serving plate. Whip the cream with the liqueur. Spread the dark ganache on the pastry disc and spread with whipped cream follow with a meringue disc, the Nutella spread, more whipped cream, another disc, the white chocolate, the final disc and then finish with more cream. Refrigerate for 3 -4 hours before serving. Decorate with chocolate curls or drizzle with melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. 

Photography by Angie Lazaro 

Choux Pastry

It's my friends birthday tomorrow and I'm in a birthday cake mood - but I'm terribly over conventional cake so I dug up this recipe from my chef school days. When we shot this amazing cake for the magazine I work for, the entire office went nuts about it and it has become one of my favourites! And in case you're unsure of just how to make choux pastry, I've added a step-by-step how to as well. Enjoy!

Choux pastry
(makes 20)

1 cup cake flour
pinch of salt
80g butter, cut into small blocks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk (or you can use water)
4 eggs, lightly beaten


1. Sift the flour and salt together. Heat the butter, water and milk until just melted, then bring to a rolling boil.

2. Immediately remove from the heat and add all the flour at once. Mix until a smooth dough forms, place back on the heat and cook for one minute or until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool completely.

3. Beat the eggs into the pastry a little at a time until smooth and shiny.

4. Place in a piping bag with a large fluted nozzle. Pipe round profiteroles or elongated shapes for eclairs onto lined baking trays and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Photography by Angie Lazaro

Chocolate hazelnut choux ring
(serves 6)

1 x 400g store-bought short crust pastry
1 x basic choux pastry recipe (above)
1/2 cup readymade vanilla custard
1 cup cream, whipped
2T hazelnut liqueur
4T chopped hazelnuts
1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
melted dark chocolate, for drizzling
extra chopped hazelnuts, to decorate


Roll out the pastry and cut out a large 20 cm disc. Prick with a fork and bake at 200 degrees celsius for about 15 minutes or until golden. Pipe the choux pastry into a 20 cm ring on a greased baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Turn oven off, remove the choux ring and cut in half horizontally. Return to the oven to dry out for 15 minutes. Fold the custard, whipped cream, liqueur and hazelnuts together and use to fill the ring. Spread the chocolate hazelnut spread on the short crust disc and top with the filled ring. Decorate with melted chocolate and extra chopped hazelnuts.