Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Dream Bar

My husband, who grew up in Greece, grew up eating Merenda, which is the Greek version of Nutella. The ever so loved chocolate hazelnut spread, that makes pretty much anything it touches delectable!

One of my favorite sugar free chocolate brands, Choczero, makes the sugar free version! It’s so incredibly delicious! And in our usually sugar free home, it has come to replace the other two classic brands!

Now, the great thing about this dessert is that you can use any one of these brands, and choose whether or not to make your dessert sugar free or the regular way. I found that there was no need for me to add any additional sweeteners to this to make it any more perfect than how it turned out! If you wish to make it a little bit sweeter, then simply add some powdered sweetener a teaspoon at a time.

For your basic hazelnut cream you need only two ingredients. Heavy whipping cream and any chocolate hazelnut spread. Once you have made that combination, it can be used as a filling or a frosting for a cake! So simple.

However, to turn this hazelnut cream into a bar, I needed to help it stabilize, so I added gelatin.

Ingredients:

Filling:

1/2 cup Chocolate Hazelnut spread

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 packet gelatin powder

1/4 cup of water

Ganache to glaze it:

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 package of chocolate chips (milk or dark)

Garnish with 2 tbsp of chopped roasted hazelnuts

For chocolate bar base:

1/2 bag chocolate chips (milk or dark)

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts

Directions:

Prepare a loaf pan by lining it with cling wrap.

In a small pot, let the gelatin bloom in the 1/4 cup of cold water for five minutes. Bring that to a simmer, whisk it to dissolve. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whip your heavy cream until you have formed stiff peaks. Add in the chocolate hazelnut spread. Add a pinch of salt & the vanilla. Taste it for desired sweetness. If you need it to be sweeter, then add a tsp of powdered sweetener at a time.

Stream in the gelatin mixture & mix well. Pour that into the prepared loaf pan (or other mold) and wrap it with cling wrap to set in the refrigerator for an hour.

In the meanwhile chop your roasted hazelnuts. Sprinkle them all over the dessert filling that you have setting in the refrigerator.

In a double boiler, melt 1/2 bag of chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of butter. I use Choczero’s sugar free chocolate chips, but you can use your favorite ones. Let that cool for a couple of minutes and then pour that over the hazelnuts. Let that set for two more hours.

To make the ganache, bring 1/2 cup of heavy cream to a simmer. Turn it off, pour in the rest of the chocolate chips & put on the lid. Allow the heat to melt it & then stir it together until thoroughly combined.

Allow that to cool for around 15 minutes. It’s ready to use when the ganache can coat a spoon.

Unmold your dessert & place it on a wire rack. Pour the ganache over it & then sprinkle with the rest of your hazelnuts.

Allow that to set in the refrigerator for another hour.

Slice & enjoy!

Kali Oreksi!