Coconut cookies, gianduja chocolate cream

Preparation time: 60 min

• Coconut cookies

  Whip the egg whites with the sugar until they form peaks.  Gently incorporate the almond powder, icing sugar and flour with the help of a spatula.  Similar to macarons, fill a piping bag with the mix, and make 4cm diameter circles on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay some graped coconut all over and then place everything in the oven for roughly 12-14 minutes.

• Gianduja ganache

  In a sauce pot bring your cream to a boil.  In a mixing bowl add the gianduja chocolate and then pour the hot cream into it.  Mix well to create your ganache.  Continue to stir until fully cooled down.  Place the ganache in a piping bag.  On half of the cookies, with the help of your piping bag, place a nice ball of ganache in the center.  Next, place a second cookie on top of the ganache, creating a sandwich. Repeat this process for all of the cookies.

  In a steam bath, melt the dark chocolate and once fully melted, let cool slightly.

  Take your cookie sandwiches and dip them a quarterway to halfway into the melted chocolate, then on a baking sheet with parchment paper, place them standing on the chocolate dipped side.  Let cool.

• Caramelized hazelnuts

  In a small sauce pot, combine the hazelnuts and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until the caramel reaches a nice golden brown color. Transfer the nuts to a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside until fully cooled.