A big part of Valentine’s Day celebrations is chocolate. With good reason, since it is soo delicious! The sale of chocolate contributes $83 billion to the global economy, with $400 million of it for this holiday. The United States consumes 20% of the world’s chocolate supply. As wealth increases in a developing economy, chocolate is one of the first luxury items people want.

The other very important ingredient in this dessert for Valentine’s Day is hazelnuts. Hazelnuts are originally from Turkey, but additionally grow in other countries  like Spain and Italy and in the United States now. The hazel tree (hazelnuts are the fruit of the tree) does not produce flowers in the spring, as do other nut trees and it thrives in a cool and moist summer environment. Hazelnuts were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who ate the nuts for its exceptional flavor. The nuts, bark, and leaves of the tree have all been used as medication for various ailments. The hazel tree was the symbol of marriage, abundance of wealth, and family happiness in former civilizations and the hazelnut was seen as a symbol of peace and health, and a source of wealth and power.

Together, a combination of chocolate & hazelnuts makes a perfect dessert for celebrating the holiday of Love!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes (adapted from foodandwine.com) Active Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 45 minutes + chilling time, Makes 12 tartlets

Ingredients:

• 15 Oreo sandwich cookies
• 2 tablespoons roasted hazelnuts, skinned
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup Nutella
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine the cookies, hazelnuts, and butter then process them until they are very fine crumbs.

Process the crust ingredients.

Divide the crumbs among the 12 cups. With a flat-bottomed glass, press on the crumbs to compact them. Bake the crusts for 5 minutes.

Divide the crust crumbs between the 12 cups.

Clean the processor bowl of the crumbs. Add the cream cheese, Nutella, sour cream, eggs, and sugar to the bowl and process the mixture until it is smooth.

Make the filling.

Spoon the filling into the baked cups, filling them close to the top. (Some batter may be leftover.)

Pour the filling into the cooked crusts.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of each cake.

Add the mini chips to the cakes.

Bake them for about 20 minutes, until the cheesecakes have risen and the surfaces are lightly cracked.

Cool, then chill the cheesecakes.

Let the cheesecakes cool slightly, then transfer the muffin tin to the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for an hour, until the cheesecakes are cooled. Serve them chilled or at room temperature, and keep any leftovers chilled.

Chocolate & hazelnut make a great combination for cheesecake!

These are wonderful anytime, but especially for Valentine’s Day!  ~Linda

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes (adapted from foodandwine.com) Active Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 45 minutes + chilling time, Makes 12 tartlets

Ingredients:

• 15 Oreo sandwich cookies
• 2 tablespoons roasted hazelnuts, skinned
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup Nutella
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine the cookies, hazelnuts, and butter then process them until they are very fine crumbs. Divide the crumbs among the 12 cups. With a flat-bottomed glass, press on the crumbs to compact them. Bake the crusts for 5 minutes.

Clean the processor bowl of the crumbs. Add the cream cheese, Nutella, sour cream, eggs, and sugar to the bowl and process the mixture until it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the baked cups, filling them close to the top. (Some batter may be leftover.) Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of each cake. Bake them for about 20 minutes, until the cheesecakes have risen and the surfaces are lightly cracked. Let the cheesecakes cool slightly, then transfer the muffin tin to the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for an hour, until the cheesecakes are cooled. Serve them chilled or at room temperature, and keep any leftovers chilled.