Chocolate nuts with the Thermomix® are ready in 20 minutes. What most recipes fail to mention: the difference between sticky chocolate clumps and a clean chocolate coating has nothing to do with the type of nut. It comes down to how the couverture is applied.
We make these chocolate nuts every year in the run-up to Christmas because they are the best last-minute gift we know. Almost everyone has the ingredients at home, the Thermomix® handles the melting at 50°C without any risk of burning, and the result looks far more effort than it was.
Quick Chocolate Nuts with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 3 ✓
- 100 g dark chocolate couverture
- 350 g unsalted nuts e.g. walnuts, cashews
- 100 g white chocolate couverture
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Melt the couverture.
Break the dark chocolate couverture into pieces, place in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 8, push down with the spatula if needed, then melt for 5 min / 50°C / speed 1.
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2
Prepare the nuts.
Meanwhile, arrange nuts and nut halves flat side up, close together in a single layer on a sheet of baking paper.
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3
Coat the nuts.
Pour the melted couverture into a freezer bag, snip a small hole in the corner and drizzle it over the nuts.
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4
Leave the nuts to dry and package them..
Rinse the mixing bowl and repeat the same process with the white chocolate couverture. Leave the nuts to dry, then divide them into small gift bags or wrap in clear gift wrap and decorate.
Tip: If you want the nuts to look really festive, sprinkle a little edible gold glitter over them.
Video
Nutrition per serving
The coating trick: freezer bag instead of bowl
The 350 g of nuts do not go into the chocolate. The chocolate goes onto the nuts. That sounds like a small detail, but it makes all the difference. If you dip the nuts into melted couverture you end up with thick, uneven layers and chocolate puddles on the baking paper. If you drizzle the liquid couverture over nuts lying flat, you get an even coating.
The Thermomix® chops the couverture in 5 seconds at speed 8 and then melts it at 50°C, speed 1. That temperature is chosen deliberately: hot enough to melt, cool enough to keep the couverture fluid without spattering. You pour the melted couverture into a freezer bag, snip a small hole in the corner and draw fine lines over the nuts. That creates a coating, not a bath.
Two couvertures, one mixing bowl
The recipe uses 100 g dark and 100 g white couverture one after the other in the same mixing bowl. We always start with the dark couverture because it dries less sticky and is easier to rinse out. After drizzling, simply rinse the mixing bowl and move straight on to the white couverture before the first layer has dried completely. The lines bond together visually much better that way.
If you want a glossy finish, make sure there is absolutely no moisture in the mixing bowl before the chocolate goes in. Even a few drops of water will turn couverture grey and dull. Wiping dry is not always enough. We either run the mixing bowl briefly on the heating function after rinsing, or blot it with kitchen paper.
Which nuts, which couverture
Walnuts and cashews work best because they have a flat surface on which the couverture sets well. Almonds and hazelnuts work too, but they are rounder, so they hold the chocolate less well. Unsalted nuts are essential if you do not want to counterbalance the sweetness of the couverture. If you enjoy the contrast, you can scatter sea salt flakes over the nuts while the chocolate is still wet.
If you enjoy making more chocolate gifts with the Thermomix®: Chocolate Crispies follow the same principle, using cornflakes as the base. For slightly more involved gifts, Nougat Rum Truffles with the Thermomix® are well worth a look.
2 weeks in a tin, no fridge needed
Goes well with: Coffee and espresso.
Once fully dry, the chocolate nuts keep well for two weeks in an airtight tin in a cool spot. In summer or in warm rooms, store them in the fridge. Leave them at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving so the chocolate snaps cleanly rather than smearing. Freezing works, but slightly changes the texture of the couverture.
If you are looking for more chocolate inspiration after baking: Chocolate Advocaat Liqueur with the Thermomix® makes a great gift to bring along.
