Alright guys…. I’ve got a confession to make. Promise you guys won’t judge me? I’ve got a sweet tooth like Buddy the Elf. This past week, I’ve been craving sweets like the bug alien from Men in Black. MORE SUGAR! My craving was specifically for chocolate. I wanted something with more than just chocolate though. So I started tinkering in the kitchen and created what Devin calls a Crownie. A Caramel Hazelnut Crownie (I just had a typo that says Hazelbut, ha!). I feel I need to explain what a Crownie is. In Devin’s words, “It is not quite a cake and not quite a brownie… it’s a crownie!”. It tastes like a brownie but has a gooey, cakey texture.
Growing up, Ferrero Rocher was and will always be one of my favorite chocolates. Nope, it’s not gluten-free or Paleo friendly. But you better believe that my 80/20 quota is used effectively for them. I mean, what’s not to love about them? It’s smooth chocolate, hazelnuts, crispy wafer and NUTELLA! Nutella is pretty much orgasm in a jar. I have to thank my mom for introducing those candies to me at a very young age. Another one of my favorite is the Almond Roca. Come to think of it, they are both my mom’s favorite and she has a major sweet tooth as well. OH MY GOD! I AM my mother’s son! With that said, Ferrero Rocher is definitely part of the inspiration behind the Caramel Hazelnut Crownie. Without further delay, let’s make these babies!
Paleo Caramel Hazelnut Crownie
¾ Cup – Raw Organic Cacao Powder
1 Cup – Coconut Sugar
½ Tsp – Baking Soda
½ Tsp – Salt
½ Cup – Otto’s Natural Cassava Flour
½ Cup – Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips
1 Cup – Chopped Hazelnuts
¾ Cup – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp – Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp – Hazelnut Extract
3 – Vital Farm’s Pasteurized Eggs
¼ Cup – Love Bean Sea Salt Caramel
Let’s speak about our ingredients today before we start making the Caramel Hazelnut Crownie. First on the list is cacao powder. Let’s be very clear. There is a huge difference between Cacao and Cocoa. I’m not going to bore you with all the facts, but here is an article for you food nerds like me. Taste wise, I think Cacao is richer and has a smoother/rounder flavor compare to the highly processed cocoa. They are definitely pricier, but it is much healthier for you. The rest of the ingredients are pretty self explanatory. Most of the products that I prefer to use are Certified Paleo. Why? Because not only do they have high quality ingredients, but for lack of a better term, I know they are not filled with bullshit. The real secret to this recipe is actually the Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil. An oil that stays liquid at room temp.
The instruction for the Caramel Hazelnut Crownie is super simple. Start by preheating your oven and picking out a pan of your choice. Melt the chocolate chips and the olive oil together in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add all of the dry ingredients and ½ a cup of hazelnuts in a stand mixer. Now, add in your chocolate mixture, the eggs, the two extracts and mix until everything is well incorporated. Pour the mixture into your baking pan, top with the remaining chopped hazelnuts (Make sure you slightly press the nuts in or they will just fall off) and pop it in the oven at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean.
After the Caramel Hazelnut Crownie is done baking, allow it to cool. After it has cooled, drizzle LoveBean Sea Salt Caramel all over (Try not to eat the whole jar when you are at it, I definitely wanted to!). I drizzled both melted chocolate and caramel on top as well as some flake sea salt. Let me tell ya, it is freakin’ heavenly! If you want, eat it with some Paleo vanilla ice cream and more caramel drizzeled on top. It is SO good. There you have it, Paleo Caramel Hazelnut Crownie. Until next time, eat up my friends!
Looking forward to making this! Am I somehow overlooking what temp it should be baked at?
So sorry about that. i just revised the post! It should be baked at 350 degrees F 🙂