Hazelnut Panforte
A luxurious Italian confection made with hazelnuts, pecans, dried fruits, and warm spices, held together with honey and sugar. This traditional dessert combines the rich flavors of nuts, cocoa, and candied fruits with aromatic spices for a dense, chewy treat.
Ingredients
- •1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
- •1 cup pecan halves, toasted, coarsely chopped
- •¾ cup pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
- •½ cup coarsely chopped candied orange peel
- •½ cup dried tart cherries
- •½ cup all purpose flour
- •¼ cup stemmed dried Mission figs, coarsely chopped
- •2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- •1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
- •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- •¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- •¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- •¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- •⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- •¾ cup honey
- •¾ cup sugar
- •2 tablespoons butter
- •1 piece cardboard cake round
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 300°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom and sides with parchment paper; butter paper.
10 min
- 2.
Mix first 16 ingredients in large bowl, tossing to separate fruit pieces. Bring honey, sugar, and butter to boil in small saucepan, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low. Place candy thermometer in mixture, tilting to submerge bulb, and cook until thermometer registers 242°F to 248°F, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Pour syrup over nut mixture; stir to blend. Immediately transfer mixture to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until bubbling slightly at edges and top appears dry, about 55 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cover; let stand overnight at room temperature.
75 min
- 3.
Release pan sides. Remove paper from sides and bottom of panforte. Place panforte on cardboard round. (Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
10 min
