Hazelnut Biscotti Dessert Pizza

Makes 12 serving

Biscotti Ingredients
1 C Husked Toasted Hazelnuts

1 C All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Table Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

8 TBS Unsalted Butter (1 stick), room temperature

1/3 C Sugar

1 Lg Egg

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Parchment Paper

Filling Ingredients

8 oz Mascarpone Cream *

½ C Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

1 C Powdered Sugar

Optional Toppings

Whipped Cream *

¼ -½ C Husked Toasted Hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven for 15 minutes or until they get darker. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. After they have cooled place them in a clean dish towel and rub them vigorously to remove as much of the brown skins as you can.

Lower the oven to 325°F.

Place the hazelnuts into a food processor and pulse until you have course bits.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the butter, egg, vanilla and sugar together until light and smooth making sure you scrape down the sides. Add the flour mixture and turn your mixer on its lowest setting until the flour is incorporated. Beat on medium for an additional 30 seconds. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts until evenly distributed.

Cover a pizza pan with parchment paper. Place the biscotti dough in the center of the pan and spread out to a 12 inch circle using your hands. Make sure you leave a ½ inch lip at the edge to hold the filling.

Bake in the center of your oven for 18 minutes or until firm. Remove from the oven and cool on the pizza pan on a wire rack.

To make the filling place the room temperature mascarpone, Nutella, powdered sugar, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth.

Pour the filling mixture into the cooled biscotti crust and spread evenly to the edges. Top with ¼ to ½ C chopped toasted shelled hazelnuts. Cool at least one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

At this point you can top with whipped cream if desired. Cut into wedges and serve.

Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts, also called filberts, are one of the favorite nuts for Italian cooks. The best hazelnuts are grown in Lazio, in northern Italy. Hazelnuts are extensively used in desserts to make desserts and biscotti. They are also used in combination with chocolate for chocolate truffles and products such as Nutella. Hazelnut oil is strongly flavored and used as cooking oil or in vinaigrettes’.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTES

Hazelnuts- If you can’t find hazelnuts you can substitute almonds.

Mascarpone Cream – You can substitute cream cheese.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Hazelnut Biscotti Dessert Pizza