I recently bought some hazelnut flour to use in a recipe for gluten free muffins, it’s the recipe in the October issue of Whole Living Magazine and it’s really good, here’s the link. However that meant I still had the rest of the package of hazelnut flour to use up and nut flours don’t last very long.  Considering that chocolate and hazelnuts are old friends it wasn’t too much of leap for me to start thinking down the lines of a chocolate hazelnut dessert.  I wanted something deeply chocolate with hint of the hazelnut flavor, more than a cookie, less than a pie so I came up with this tart.  The crust is a cookie crust and the filling is a brownie filling.  Usually I am all for guiding the lilly but in this case I enjoyed my wedge straight up.  No cream, no ice cream, just a demure dusting of powdered sugar.  I bet it will taste even better tomorrow since the flavors will have had some time to “settle in”.

Crust

1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C flour
1/2 C hazelnut flour
1/4 C cocoa
1/2 C palm coconut sugar
1 t vanilla extract
pinch salt

Heat the oven to 350.  Lightly butter a 9 inch fluted tart pan.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Press into thee bottom of the tart pan, place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  While the crust is baking make the filling.

Filling

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
6 T butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 C flour (you could use more hazelnut flour here if you want)
1/2 t salt
1/4 C chopped toasted hazelnuts

To make the filling melt the chocolate and butter together and let cool slightly.  In the same bowl you made the crust in combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, with a whisk.  Add the melted chocolate, butter mixture and whisk to combine.  Stir in the flour, salt and nuts.

Once the crust has cooked, gently spoon the batter over the crust, smooth out the top and bake for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool about 30 minutes before serving.  You can simply dust with powdered sugar or serve with softly whipped cream flavored with Angelico.

Serves 12