Step 1

Finely chop the 8oz of chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl.

Step 2

In a small pot bring the hazelnut milk, sugar, and salt to a simmer. Whisk a couple of times as it heats to dissolve the sugar.

Step 3

Once simmering, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Rotate the bowl to swirl the milk and submerge the chocolate. Cover the bowl with a plate or lid and let sit undisturbed for 4-5 minutes.

Step 4

At this point the chocolate should be warm and melty. Add the vanilla extract and the olive oil, then whisk the chocolate, until the mixture is smooth. Start in the center and work out towards the edges as the chocolate melts and the ganache forms.

Step 5

Test the ganache for texture by dipping a small spoon into the melty ganache, then placing it in the fridge on a small plate. After 15 minutes the ganache should be firm and creamy. If it is too hard, you can whisk in an additional couple teaspoons of hazelnut milk.

Step 6

Pour the ganache into a 9" baking dish or pyrex storage container (line the bottom with parchment or plastic wrap if you want to make rectangular truffles). Let the ganache cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge uncovered. Let the ganache chill until the top is firm to the touch, then cover with plastic wrap or parchment so that it is touching the top of the ganache. Let the ganache firm up in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight. It can last in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Step 7

When ready to shape the truffle centers, prepare a rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking dish by lining with parchment paper. Use a small 1/2-tablespoon scoop to make uniform truffles, or use a heaping teaspoon or eyeball 3/4" rounds and scoop with a small spoon. If desired, place a single toasted hazelnut inside the ganache, pushing it in, then manipulating the soft ganache to cover the hazelnut. Regardless, roll each scoop between the palms of your hand to form a sphere. Don't worry about it being perfectly round. Wash the chocolate off your palms as necessary to prevent sticking. Shape the ganache with dry hands. If the ganache gets to warm to shape, stick it in the refrigerator or freezer until it's firmed up again.

Step 8

If shaping into rectangles, remove the ganache from the container and place on a cutting board. Put a mug filled with hot water next to your work station, and a paper towel or kitchen towel next to you. Warm a sharp knife in the hot water, then dry with the towel. Cut the ganache into your desired shapes, warming the knife as needed between cuts.

Step 9

Set each truffle center on the parchment paper, covering with parchment paper and adding layers of truffles as necessary until all centers are shaped. Place in the fridge to firm up for at least 20 minutes before coating with your choice of chocolate finish, or up to overnight. You can also freeze them for longer, but move to the refrigerator at least 4 hours before dipping in the chocolate finish.

Step 10

Melt the chocolate using a water bath technique or in the microwave. To use a water bath, bring a small pot of water to a low simmer and place a heat proof bowl over top the pot. The bottom of the bowl should NOT be touching the water or the chocolate can burn. Let the chocolate start to look melty, then stir with a silicon spatula. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted. Remove from the heat and set up your work station.

Step 11

Have the chocolate centers on the parchment paper next to the bowl of melted chocolate. On a plate spread a layer of ground hazelnuts for coating.

Step 12

Using a chocolate dipping tool or a fork, dip each ganache center into the melted chocolate, rolling around to fully coat, then place on plate and roll in ground hazelnuts to coat. Place the truffle back onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with each center until you've finished all of them. Place in the fridge to firm up. Keep these truffles stored in a sealed container in the fridge, but you can remove them an hour before serving so they are not cold.

Step 13

Remove your ganache centers from the refrigerator and temper the chocolate.

Step 14

First, reserve one good-sized chunk (~1 1/2 - 2") of chocolate from your 12oz of chocolate. Finely chop the remaining chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl.

Step 15

Bring a small amount of water to a simmer over low heat and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot. The bowl of chocolate should NOT touch the water or the chocolate can burn.*IMPORTANT: make sure that no water touches the melted chocolate or the chocolate will seize and you will NOT be able to temper it.

Step 16

Warm the chocolate over the water bath, whisking occasionally, until melted. It should be 100-110 ºF. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and let cool to the low 80-degrees F, whisking regularly to encourage crystallization. When the temperature reaches the low 80s F, add the reserved chunk of chocolate and bring the melted chocolate back up to 88-90 ºF. To do this, place it over the barely simmering pot of water for a few seconds, then remove and whisk vigorously. Check the temperature and repeat as necessary until you've reached the 88 ºF. Be very careful and slow here so you do not jump back up to over 91 ºF and lose your tempering. If that happens, let the mixture cool back down, re-seed with another chunk of chocolate and try again.

Step 17

Once you've reached that 88-90 ºF, check that the chocolate is tempered. Smear a small amount of the chocolate on a plate and it should harden and turn shiny within a few minutes.

Step 18

Keep the chocolate between this 88-90 ºF range and dip the truffle centers in the chocolate. It's easiest to work with the chocolate dipping forks. Dip the ganache center in, rolling to fully coat, then pull up and let some chocolate drip down, then wipe off the bottom of the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate before transferring to the parchment lined tray. Immediately sprinkle with ground nuts or a couple of flakes of salt for garnish. Alternatively, you can use a piping bag with a tiny hole to drizzle a little tempered chocolate over top all of them once finished.

Step 19

Keep the tempered chocolate off the heat while you continue to dip the truffles. Check the temperature as you go, and if it starts to cool off much under 88ºF, place it back on the warm bowl of water just for a few seconds, whisk and recheck the temperature. If you leave the bowl of chocolate over the hot water, it may get too hot and you will need to re-temper.

Step 20

Any extra tempered chocolate can be spread into a mold, or poured over a piece of parchment paper and allowed to harden. It can just be enjoyed as you would a chocolate bar!

Step 21

Let the chocolate truffles set at room temperature, or speed the process by putting in the fridge for a few minutes. These truffles can be stored at room temperature. Note that if you used the flaked salt to decorate the truffles, over the course of a couple of days, the salt may pull moisture from the air and chocolate and the salt can look melty. This is especially true if it is very humid out.