Saturday, August 10, 2013

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

If you’re a dark chocolate lover, you’re in for a treat today.  Okay, basically, you can make these with milk chocolate, or white chocolate, if you like those over dark chocolate.  But I highly recommend that you give the dark chocolate version a try first.  A while ago, I shared a post and a video on how to peel hazelnut easily.  You can read more about that post by clicking here.  Or, simply click here to watch the video.  They will make your life much easier and happier if you’re as crazy about hazelnuts as I am.

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

These Dark Chocolate covered Hazelnuts with Fleur de Sel are simply amazing and super addictive.  Now you’re officially warned.  I keep these little gems in an air tight container in the fridge until I’m ready to pop them, one after another like no one’s business, or when I am watching Sophia the First with my Kids.  Okay, if you’re not sure who Sophia is, it’s perfectly fine.  I just needed something to cheer me up when I watch that same episode of Sophia by the 8945th times since the premier of the show this year.  I use 70% cocoa dark chocolate for dipping.  Please refer to this post, here, for tips and pictorial on how to temper chocolate.  As you can see, I topped these nuts with Fleur de Sel, one of my favorite ingredient to use in desserts to balanced out the sweetness.  


Fleur de Sel

Fleur de Sel ("Flower of salt" in French) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans.  They are a little pricey compared to your daily kosher salt or table salt, but it worth every penny.  Plus, you only use a tiny little bit in a batch.  It adds a subtle crunch on top of the chocolate and the mild and smooth salty flavor is amazing with the smooth and slightly bitter dark chocolate.  Now, you see why they’re so addictive, right?

Note: you can get Fleur de Sel in most specialty bakery supply stores or click here to order yours online.

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

Besides popping them as is, I’ll share a recipe on my next post using these delectable little gems.  But for now, let me show you how to make them so you can start enjoying them as snacks before the next post is ready.

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

1) Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.

2) Then, have one of these chocolate dipping tool ready if you got one.  Click here for more details.  If you don’t have one, have a spoon and a fork ready.

3) Melt your chocolate, and let it cool slightly.  Add the toasted and cooled hazelnuts into the melted chocolate.

4) Give them a quick stir with a spoon to coat them evenly.  Then, use the dipping tool to fish the chocolate covered hazelnuts out.

5) Or use a fork and spoon to fish them out.  It works just as fine.

6) Place the chocolate covered hazelnuts on the prepare baking sheet with a little space between each one.  Sprinkle a little Fleur de Sel on each of them before the chocolate sets.  You can put the baking sheet in the refrigerator to speed up the process.  Usually 15 minutes will do.  Once the chocolate is harden, you can transfer them to an air tight container and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. 

pictorial Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

The toasted hazelnuts are super crunchy and the well tempered chocolate adds another little crunch, then, melt in your mouth in no time.  The sweet, salty, and nutty combination will lead you craving for more.  I hope you enjoy today’s recipe, tips and pictorial.  Stay tuned for the next post to see how I use these little gems besides enjoying them as snacks. 

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel





Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel: (Printable Recipe)

5 ounce dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
a few small pinches of Fleur de Sel

Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.  Take out the chocolate dipping tool or you can use a spoon and a fork if you don’t have one.

Melt your chocolate, and let it cool slightly. Add the toasted and cooled hazelnuts into the melted chocolate.  Give them a quick stir with a spoon to coat them evenly.  Then, use the dipping tool or a fork to fish the chocolate covered hazelnuts out.

Place the chocolate covered hazelnuts on the prepare baking sheet with a little space between each one. Sprinkle a little Fleur de Sel on each of them before the chocolate set. You can put the baking sheet in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Usually 15 minutes will do.  Once the chocolate is harden, you can transfer them to an air tight container and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Note: You can melt chopped chocolate in the microwave on high, stop at every 30 second interval and stir well until all chocolate is melted.  Or, you can use a double boiler to make sure the chocolate is tempered. Please click here for tips and pictorial on how to temper chocolate.

95 comments:

  1. Great snacks can be this simple too!

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    1. Thank you, Angie. Couldn't agree more! ;)

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  2. Wow I loves this as Im a chocoholic....more so with nuts.

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    1. Thank you, Mel. I am the same....crazy about chocolate and love it with the nuts! :) Wish you a wonderful Friday and great weekend ahead.

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  3. I was just looking at your mini briches last night in bed:)

    These look delish too..neat tool!

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    1. Thank you. Oh yeah...I love these treats and the chocolate dipping tool makes it quick and easy to get the job done.

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  4. perfect snack while watching movies. yummy!

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    1. Oh yeah....I can probably finish the whole bowl in one sitting too. :P

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  5. What a great snack these chocolate covered hazelnuts are...I would have devoured the whole bowl before any movie comes to an end. :)

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    1. LOL....I guess we're on the same boat, Denise. I would finish a bowl of these nuts in a sitting too. ;) Wish you a wonderful weekend.

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  6. Oh Amy...Those look so darn good! My favorite chocolate is with whole hazelnuts so this is just perfect..grab a handful and we are good to go! LOVE it! Have a great weekend sweetie and thanks for sharing this awesome idea!

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    1. Thank you, Sandra. Glad you love these little snacks too. I make them quite often and just keep them in the fridge. :) Good for any time snacking. Have a happy Friday and great weekend ahead.

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  7. Wow... I cud just keep munching on that whole bowl!!! Yum...

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    1. Thank you, Rafeeda. You're not alone. I can finish the whole bowl in record time!

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    2. Hehe....I did just that when I made these treats.

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  8. This looks yummy! I love dark chocolate and nuts! xo T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you, Tina. Same here. Dark chocolate and nuts is one of my favorite combo.

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  9. Hi Amy!

    I love fleur del sel! It's perfect for anything! That looks like an amazing vegan-friendly recipe! I absolutely love hazelnuts, especially when sweet and salty!

    www.veganmiam.com

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    1. Oh yeah...the fleur de sel is wonderful with the sweetness from the chocolate. :) Glad you like it too. Have a beautiful weekend ahead.

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  10. Pinning this! actually these would make a decadent hostess gift, they're so gorgeous and packaged in a pretty container would be such a special gift. Uhh I can even send some to my aunt in NY and she can put these out at the big family dinners during the liquor finale...

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    1. Thank you, Alla. Oh yeah, I would be super happy to receive this as a gift myself. Great idea. :) Now, I know what to bring to my next friends gathering.

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  11. Amy, this will be a perfect company for my prunes in chocolate! I posted them quite a long time ago but I prepare them all the time and sometimes bring them in a nice gift bag when I visit a friend. So easy and so rewarding! I am also a dark chocolate fan and of course it gets only better with a bit of good salt (it's funny but this brand is sold in the supermarket I go to very often!). Thank you for this wonderful idea!

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    1. Great to know you're also a dark chocolate fan! :) How nice your supermarket carries this fleur de sel. I had to get this in a specialty shop. :) Your market up be a nice and up scale one, how nice. ;) Wish you a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend ahead.

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  12. A satisfying and tempting treat! I This is my favorite combo too...

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    1. Thank you. Good to know you love the dark chocolate and nuts combo too. :) It's so good I can hardly stop munching!

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  13. Stunning! A perfect hostess gift in a lovely basket! I also love that it is not too heavy and thus perfect for snacking. But I bet it is also great on ice cream...

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    1. Great minds think alike! Yup these are perfect to snack on and awesome in ice cream. I just added some in my nutella swirl ice cream and it was the most luscious ice cream I've ever had. :P

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  14. I am a dark chocolate fan and this is definitely a treat.

    Velva

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    1. Good to know you are a dark chocolate fan too. Hope you'll give this one a try. It's definitely a nice treat.

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  15. These are just lovely! I adore dark chocolate...and hazelnuts are some of my favorites. Wouldn't they make the best gift? Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Oh...now that you mentioned, I think I'll package them as gifts for the upcoming holidays. I love chocolate with nuts....and hazelnuts are my favorite. :) Glad you like them too.

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  16. Oh, this is good stuff! I love, love hazelnuts and, of course, chocolate! I wish I could temper chocolate but I'd be happy just to store them in the fridge and to snack on...constantly!

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    1. Oh...the tempering part is quite simple. Hope you'll give that a try. And this dark chocolate and hazelnut is definitely one of my favorite flavor combo.

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  17. These look wonderful. I can't wait to give them a try. You have me convinced to try the dark chocolate even though I'm a milk chocolate girl.

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    1. Oh....hope you'll give these a try soon. I really love the chocolate and hazelnut combo. But then, they would be just as delicious with the milk chocolate.

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  18. Oh, I love hazelnuts. And I almost bought them today after i saw them for a great price at a Russian grocery. Bummer, now I'm mad because I didn't buy them. I would eat every last one and not share!

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    1. Thanks, Abbe. Hope you'll get that bag of hazelnuts and give this a try. I always have hazelnuts in my pantry, and really, haven't see them ever go on sale. Otherwise I would stock up! hahaha....

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  19. Amy...those hazelnuts look amazing! A perfect blend of sweet and salty and I love that Fleur de Sel....it's the same brand that I use! Good stuff! : )

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    1. Thank you, Anne. Oh yeah, this Fleur de Sel is really amazing. The perfect sprinkle to any dessert. ;)

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  20. That's the same salt we use! These look ridiculously awesome. I'm afraid I wouldn't have any left over to keep anywhere!

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    1. Thank you, Belinda. Yes, I love this salt. hehe...I always double the recipe whenever I make these. Otherwise, there won't be any left over for sure. They are that good.

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  21. Amy, simply amazing photography and what a fantastic treat these chocolate covered hazelnuts must be - they would be perfect as a hostess´ gift too. Hazelnuts are my favorite nuts and since we brought back so much (dark) chocoalte from Belgium a few days ago, I think I found a perfect recipe idea to try out today!
    Have a wonderful Sunday, Amy!

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    1. Wow, envy you for getting the dark chocolate from Belgium! Hope you'll give this a try. I'm sure you've love it as much as my family does. Thanks for your kind words.

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  22. Yummy! It's so simple to make yet it's deliciously wonderful! =)

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    1. Thank you. Yes, these the the most simple yet delicious snack.

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  23. Wow Amy, what a lovely snack! Looks absolutely fantastic!

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    1. Thank you, Ambreen. Yes, these are quite addictive too. :)

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  24. Simply delicious! I love to eat chocolates with nuts in them. Couldn't stop popping them into my mouth.

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    1. I know, Mun. These are quite addictive too. Glad you like chocolate and nuts combo too. :)

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  25. These look utterly delicious. I am inspired to try them. Mmmm....wish all the ingredients were in the house right now.

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like these little treats too. Hope you'll give them a try soon. I'm sure you'll like them a lot.

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  26. Wow Amy...I love making chocolate treats and I brought that very brand of salt back from France! I was so happy to see it. I'm actually looking up one of your other recipes right now.

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    1. How lovely. Hope your trip to France was a wonderful one. :) I'm sure you'll enjoy this treat. Have fun dipping!

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  27. These look wonderful! There is no chocolate but dark chocolate (although milk chocolate is OK sometimes; but white chocolate is an abomination!). These would disappear in a hurry in our house. ;-)

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    1. Thank you. Oh yeah...these little gems disappeared in our house so quickly that I always need to double the recipe. :) Wish you a wonderful week ahead.

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  28. Yummy!! These looks delicious!!! Dont think we could stop eating those

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    1. Thank you. Oh yeah, don't think anyone can stop at one.....bowl! :P Have a great week ahead of you!

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  29. I absolutely love dark chocolate and the thought of Fleur de Sel sprinkled on it over hazelnuts is making my heart beat wildly! This is absolutely a must-do in my recipe book soon. Thanks for sharing and the nice blog visit!

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    1. Thank you so much, Elizabeth. Glad you love this flavor combination too. Have a beautiful week ahead.

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  30. This is a great idea! And such good timing, I just bought a bag full of hazelnuts and was wondering what to do with it. This is perfect!

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    1. Oh nice. Have fun with the hazelnut and hope you'll give this recipe a try soon. ;) Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  31. Yeh, I prefer dark chocs, no particular reason, maybe it could be the little bitter bites. Nice desserts but sad that we don't have the fleur over here. So I will just admire the lovely chocs and ooohhhh!!! tempting.

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    1. Oh yeah, I love the slightly bitterness from the dark chocolate. If you can't find Fleur de Sel, you can substitute with sea salt. :) Hope you'll give this a try.

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  32. Brilliant recipe Amy, fleur de sel makes these chocolaty hazelnuts all the more yum, how beautifully it enhances the sweetness of these crunchy treats, excellent idea :-)

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    1. Thank you, Kumars. Glad you love the flavor combination of this treat. My family adores them.

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  33. those choc hazelnuts look fantastic - never think to cover my nuts with chocolate and the addition of fleur de sel sounds brilliant

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    1. Thank you, Johanna. Chocolate and nuts is one of my favorite combo. :) These are really good and hard to eat just one.

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  34. I can imagine myself chowing down on these - dark chocolate for me, please! ;) I now I wouldn't be able to stop at just one ... or five ... or ten ... ;)

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    1. Thank you, Jessie. I know....these are quite addictive. :) Perfect little snacks and only slightly sweet with the dark chocolate.

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  35. Wow these are my kind of snack. I love dark chocolate and I love hazelnut so these are perfect!

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    1. Great to hear you love this combination too, Natalie. This is one of my favorite things to snack on. :P Have a beautiful week ahead.

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  36. Oh wow...these sound so yummy!!! Hazlenuts are definitely my favorite nut to eat plain. They just have such a distinct flavor :)

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    1. I agree, Amy. I adore hazelnuts. :) I'm sure you would love these little snacks too.

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  37. oh mine they are so yummy..how did you get patience to seperate single nuts dear to keep them dry

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    1. Hehe....with the chocolate dipping tool, it's actually quite fun and easy. My kids help me out fishing the nuts out one by one too. They love the process.

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  38. un aperitivo perfecto muy lindo y delicioso,hugs.hugs.

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    1. ¡Gracias! Sí, estos pequeños bocadillos son tan buenas para masticar. :) Me alegro de que les gusta también.

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  39. Amy! Thank you for your lovely comment on our blog! I love your some of your recipes, I would love to try some of your recipes- they are fabulous! Also, hazelnuts and dark chocolate are my 2 favorite things in the world, especially for snacks- how did you know?

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    1. Thank you Anna and Liz. Glad you love chocolate and hazelnuts combo too. :) Let me know how it goes if you try my recipes. Would love to hear the feedback from you. Have a beautiful week ahead.

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  40. Hi Amy, this is irresistible and hard to stop munching. Very addictive kind of snack. Thanks for sharing... btw, anymore left? :)
    Nice click.

    Have a wonderful week ahead,regards.

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    1. Thank you, Amelia. I know...these are too addictive. I always have to double the recipe to make sure I have some left for topping the ice cream. ;) Have a wonderful week.

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  41. These could be very dangerous in my house. Way too delicious.

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    1. Oh yeah...I agree! These nuts are "dangerous"! They always disappeared mysteriously in my house!

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  42. I am certainly a dark chocolate fan and this treat is something want NOW!!!

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    1. good to know you love dark chocolate too. This treat is a must try! :) Wish you a wonderful week ahead.

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  43. Wow. This is like nutella but better. And that's quite a feat!

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    1. Thank you, Joanne. Yes, this is like Nutella in a crunchy form. :) And I use these in a Nutella Swirl ice cream later on. So good!

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  44. Oh wow! This is one way I will not be able to stop eating hazelnuts!!!
    :)
    Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com

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    1. I agree! That's why I always double the recipe. That way, I have some "left over" for next day for sure. :P

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  45. Wow these would be a nice treat. I love nuts and chocolate covered anything. I've never made these before but they look easy and with the addition of the salt would truly make them addicting.

    Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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    1. Thank you, Vicki. Oh yeah, these are quite addictive. Hope you'll give them a try soon. :) Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  46. These look absolutely awesome! I just love adding fleur de sel to chocolate-y or caramel-y desserts!

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    1. I agree, Koko. Fleur de Sel is so good with sweets! :)

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  47. This is my kind of treat, Amy! I love hazelnuts and dark chocolate is my favorite. And they are both good for you in moderation! I can't wait to try making some for myself :)

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    1. Thank you, dear. Yes, this is such a wonderful treat. Hope you'll give them a try soon. Take care.

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