Hazlenut, Nutella and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches

Last year my dessert discovery of the year were these marshmallow crunch brownies. So far this year it is a simplified take on a hazelnut dacquoise. A Portland bakery makes the full-on fancy version and I love it so much that when I saw this recipe in Food and Wine magazine I knew I had to make it! It's deceptively simple and tastes so similar to the original but in an ice cream sandwich.

To start out, roast the hazelnuts. Place in a kitchen towel and rub them together and the skins will start to fall off. They seem to fall off better while the nuts are warm so don't wait for them to cool completely.

Dump the peeled nuts, confectioners' sugar and flour into a food processor and blend.

Blend until the nuts are finely ground. You don't want any big nut pieces as you will get texture elsewhere.

In a large glass bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Soft peaks will flop over or lose their shape after a few seconds of waiting. Add in granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time (1/4 c. = 4 T). Beat until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks with retain their shape even when jiggled.

Fold in the nut mixture and spread onto the parchment. Bake until golden and let rest in the oven for at least 1 hour, propping open the oven door.

Melt white chocolate in the microwave in 1-minute intervals. Stir after each interval.

Stir in the Nutella and crushed ice cream cones. I couldn't help it and tried this concoction...wow. I might have to mix this up sometime as a snack. (Don't judge me)

Flip the dacquoise onto a surface and peel of the parchment. Smear the Nutella mixture onto the dacquoise. Cut in half and put into the freezer until chocolate mixture is set.

Now smooth the softened caramel ice ceam onto one of the halves. I used Haagen-
Dazs' Dulce de Leche flavor.

Flip the other half of the dacquoise on top of the ice cream to complete the sandwich. Press down gently to ensure there are no air bubbles. Return sandwich to the freezer to set. It takes approximately 4 hours but is well worth the wait! Check this out:

Yum. I wanted to leave it cut in half and eat one half by myself. The hubby reminded me that there would be a bevy of other desserts at Easter so I held my self back. Barely.

We sliced the pieces into long dainty slices instead of squares. It seemed to show off the layers better. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! Here is the full recipe:

Hazelnut, Nutella and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 c. hazelnuts (4 oz)
1 c. confectioners' sugar
2 T. flour
4 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/4 c.granulated sugar
4 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1 c. Nutella
6 sugar ice cream cones, crushed
1 pint caramel ice cream, softened

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Spread the nuts in a pie pate and roast for 12 minutes, until the skins split. Transfer the nuts to a clean kitchen towel and let cool. Rub them together to remove the skins and transfer to a food processor. Add the confectioners' sugar and flour; process until the nuts are finely ground.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt at high speed until soft peaks form Beat in the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the whites are stiff. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the ground nuts. Spread the batter on the parchment in a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Prop the oven door open and let the dacquoise sit for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a microwafe-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave at high power in 1-minute intervals. Stir in the Nutella and crushed ice cream cones.

Invert the dacquoise onto a surface and peel off the paper. Spread evenly with the Nutella filling. Cut the dacquoise in half to make two 9-by-6-inch rectangles. Freeze until the filling is set. Spread the ice cream over one half. Close the sandwich and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Slice and serve.