Mmmm… Peppermint Hazelnut Clusters!

So remember what I said a couple of posts ago about peppermint and chocolate? Yeah, here we go again.

But trust me. These peppermint hazelnut clusters is so worth it.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to stop gobbling these peppermint hazelnut clusters up.

Well, it’s fortunate for my taste buds. Unfortunate for my waistline. That I am still trying to trim a bit more from LMII. You know what I mean.

Eh, but it’s the holidays. Let’s live a little.

There really isn’t too much to say about these bad boys other than that these peppermint hazelnut clusters are amazing.

AH – MAY – ZING!

How a Negative Turned into Awesome Peppermint Hazelnut Clusters

I was trying to make peppermint bark, but I was having some issues with the peppermint candy canes turning into dust in the food processor. Which when used to make peppermint bark tastes great but is very messy. It melts and sticks to everything. Including your fingers.

But boy, oh, boy does it taste good.

So I was on a quest to make the great taste be a little less… sticky.

And I wanted a little bit of a crunch. Just a little something.

I figured the hazelnut often gets overlooked. Unless it’s in a latte.

And me being from Oregon, it seemed like a must.

For those uninitiated, hazelnuts are grown in many Mediterranean climates (mostly Turkey), but in the US, they are grown mostly in Oregon. And lots of people call them filberts, there. (Happy, Mom?)

And, I was right. Oh, so, right! They provide such a perfect counterbalance to the rest of the chocolate and peppermint. Yum!

One last note before I give you the peppermint hazelnut clusters recipe. To break up the candy canes and the hazelnuts to perfect munching perfection, use a hammer.

Yep. Just a plain old hammer. Put them in a plastic ziplock bag, and hammer. But do so delicately. You can control the hammer to get the perfect shards of peppermint. And the perfect size of hazelnut bit. Usually in half for the hazelnuts works great.

Now, go off with your bad self and make these peppermint hazelnut clusters for your holiday enjoyment. And everyone else’s, too. Trust me. You will not be disappointed.

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Peppermint Hazelnut Clusters

Author: Tia
Total Time: 20 mins
Yield: 32 clusters 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 lb. Chocolate
1 cup Hazelnuts
30 Small Candy Canes (divided)

Instructions

Melt chocolate in double boiler.
While it is melting, break up hazelnuts by putting them in a ziplock bag and lightly hit them with a hammer.
Do the same with the candy canes. Lightly hit the with a hammer in the bag to get the consistency you want.
After chocolate is melted, add hazelnuts and 24-25 crushed candy canes. (Keep 5-6 aside for topping, if desired.)
Stir until mixed.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Drop blobs of your mixture on the parchment paper. You should be able to fit 16 since they won’t spread.
Let sit out for about 1-2 hours or pop in the fridge for quicker solidifying.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins