Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Makes 32 Servings (1 truffle per serving)

1. Line a 5 X 9-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap; spray with nonstick spray. 
2. Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan and set over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the half-and-half until well blended. 
3. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. 
4. Put the hazelnuts and cocoa powder on 2 separate plates. Invert the loaf pan onto a cutting board; remove the plastic wrap. With a sharp knife, cut the chocolate mixture into 32 equal squares. Lightly coat half of the squares in the hazelnuts and half in the cocoa powder. Place the truffles in a covered container, separating the layers with sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate up to 1 week. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt. 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Best-Ever Desserts Cookbook. You can have your truffles and eat them too. These sweet truffles are sugar-free and are chocolatey and addictive. I highly recommend using bittersweet or dark chocolate for a richer flavor. I also highly recommend putting the chopped hazelnuts into the truffles for more of a crunch. These sweet treats literally melt in your mouth they are that delicious. 

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Makes 32 Servings (1 truffle per serving)

1. Line a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap; spray with nonstick spray.
2. Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan and set over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the half-and-half until well blended.
3. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
4. Put the hazelnuts and cocoa powder on 2 separate plates. Inver the loaf pan onto a cutting board; remove the plastic wrap. With a sharp knife, cut the chocolate mixture into 32 equal squares. Lightly coat half of the squares in the hazelnuts and half in the cocoa powder. Place the truffles in a covered container, separating the layers with sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Best-Ever Desserts Cookbook. How can you not love chocolate truffles? Chocolate truffles are delicious when they are done right. You can have your truffles and eat them too. There is no sugar in these truffles and they are absolutely delicious. I highly recommend mixing the nuts and cocoa powder together to make the truffles more flavorful with a crunch. You can use almonds, walnuts or any kind of nut in this recipe and they will still be good. I also highly recommend adding a touch of vanilla extract when combining the chocolate and butter for more flavor.

Double Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
• 1 tbsp. espresso or coffee powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Makes 80 Servings (1 biscotti per serving)

1. Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil; spray with nonstick spray.
2. Spread hazelnuts in jelly-roll pan; bake, shaking pan once or twice, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Wrap hot nuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub nuts together to remove as much of the skins as possible. Let cool.
3. Combine 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, the flour, 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips, the cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt in food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely ground; transfer to large bowl.
4. Combine sugar, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla in food processor (no need to clean bowl); process until lightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add flour to mixture, stirring until blended well. Stir in remaining hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Spoon one-fourth of batter (about 3/4 cup) along one side of prepared baking sheet to form a log about 14 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide; repeat with remaining batter, forming 2 logs on each baking sheet.
5. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of log comes out clean, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets after 8 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks 10 minutes.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F. With two spatulas, transfer 1 log to cutting board. With long serrated knife, cut log on diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Repeat with remaining logs, making total of 80 biscotti. Stand slices, about 1 inch apart, on prepared baking sheets. Bake until dry to touch, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. (Biscotti will continue to crisp as they cool.)

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. Biscotti are twice-baked cookies that hail from Italy. The combination of hazelnut and chocolate is so heavenly delicious. These biscotti are delicious and they taste better than what you would buy at the store. If you don't have hazelnuts on hand, use almonds, walnuts or even macadamia nuts and the biscotti will taste just as good. These biscotti are best enjoyed with a cup of tea.

Nectarine and Plum Fans with Blue Cheese and Toasted Hazelnuts

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 medium nectarines, thinly sliced
• 2 medium plums, thinly sliced
• 2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (1/4 cup)

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat the oven to 275 F. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast, stirring once, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool.
2. Divide nectarine and plum slices among 4 dessert plates, alternating slices in a fan shape. Sprinkle fruit evenly with blue cheese and hazelnuts. Serve ar room temperature.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. If you ever want to serve an elegant dessert that is simple, quick and easy, this is for you. This dessert puts a new twist on a  fruit and cheese platter. Plus, it makes a nice bite in your mouth in this heat wave. Plums and nectarines have a sweet flavor and they go pretty well with blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts. The blue cheese gives this dish a unique bite and the hazelnuts give it a nice crunch.

My

Mocha-Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, skinned
• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup whole grain pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1/2 cup trans-fat-free margarine
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup granular sugar substitute
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, roughly chopped

Makes 32 brownies

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Loghtly coat an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until  fragrant and lightly golden, 8-10 minutes. Cool briefly, then roughly chop.
2. Heat chocolate in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.
3. Sift flour, cinnamon and coffee powder into a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at high speed, beat margarine and vanilla until creamy. Add sugar substitute and continue to beat on high until well mixed. Add eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat to combine. Add melted chocolate and flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into the baking pan and bake unitl a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely, cut into 32 (1-by 2-inch) pieces and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. If coffee and chocolate are 2 of your favorite after-dinner treats, this treat is for you. Who knew that the combination of hazelnuts, chocolate and espresso would taste so devilshly delicious. These homemade brownies put all the other brand name brownies to shame because they are chewy, moist and it's like eating a piece of fudge. You can serve these brownies with ice cream and a glass of Iced Vanilla Coffee Milk for dessert when you're having company for dinner because they're a guilty pleasure and people will love them so much they will be talking about them for days and be coming back for more.