This was actually my first attempt at making fudge, and I must say – I hope I didn’t set the standard too high with this one. I can’t thank Annie enough for sharing it last week. When I saw it, I knew I had to make it pronto. I mean, what’s not to love? Nutella. Cherries. Hazelnuts. Chocolate. Then, a sprinkling of salt to finish it all off?
It was everything that I thought it would be. Rich and decadent, with a toastiness from the hazelnuts, and a wonderful tart bite from the cherries. And smooth! If you’ve never made fudge before, this is a great recipe to try. I think the addition of the Nutella really makes the smoothness part of the equation foolproof. I know this one will definitely be going in my goodie gift baskets this year!
Nutella Cherry Hazelnut Fudge
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup Nutella
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt flakes, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
Preheat the oven to 250? F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly toasted. Transfer the hazelnuts to a clean kitchen towel. Fold half of the towel over the top of the hazelnuts and roll them around gently to help remove the loosened skins. Transfer the skinned hazelnuts to a cutting board and chop coarsely.
Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and grease lightly with butter. Set a heatproof bowl over a pot with a few inches of simmering water to make a double-boiler. In the bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, chocolate, Nutella, butter, and salt. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fully melted and smooth.
Remove the bowl from the heat. Add the toasted hazelnuts and dried cherries to the bowl and fold in until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. After cooling for a few minutes, sprinkle the top lightly with additional sea salt. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 3-4 hours.
Use the foil to lift the fudge from the pan. Remove and discard the foil. Use a large chef’s knife (warming the blade helps to get clean slices) to slice the fudge into 64 1-inch squares. Store in an airtight container.
Source: Annie’s Eats
