Chocolate-Hazelnut Napoleons

Elegant layered dessert featuring crispy puff pastry filled with rich chocolate-hazelnut cream and topped with candied hazelnuts. A sophisticated French-inspired pastry combining the decadent flavors of chocolate and hazelnut.

8 servings

6 hr 8 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
•¾ cup Nutella
•1 cup chilled heavy cream
•1 whole large egg
•2 whole large egg yolks
•⅓ cup sugar
•¼ cup water
•1 tsp light corn syrup
•½ cup sugar
•1 cup hazelnuts
•1 sheet frozen puff pastry
•2 Tbsp light corn syrup
•1½ tsp water
•⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
•1 piece candy thermometer

Cooking Instructions

1.
Melt chocolate with Nutella and keep warm.
10 min
2.
Beat cream with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks, then chill.
5 min
3.
Beat egg and yolks in cleaned mixer bowl with cleaned beaters at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.
5 min
4.
Meanwhile, bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil in a 1-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Continue to boil, undisturbed, until candy thermometer registers 238°F (soft-ball stage; you will need to tilt pan to get temperature), about 4 minutes.
4 min
5.
Reduce mixer speed to medium and add hot sugar mixture to eggs in a slow steam (try to avoid beaters and side of bowl), then beat until mixture is pale, thick, tripled in volume, and completely cool, about 5 minutes.
5 min
6.
Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Fold in one third of whipped cream to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly. Chill at least 4 hours.
240 min
7.
Line a baking pan with foil (shiny side up).
2 min
8.
Heat sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Add hazelnuts, stirring until coated. Transfer to foil and cool completely, then coarsely chop.
15 min
9.
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Line a large heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.
10 min
10.
Roll out puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 17- by 10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Transfer to baking sheet, then cover with a sheet of parchment and top with a heavy baking sheet or sheet pan to weight down. Bake until pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
20 min
11.
Meanwhile, stir together corn syrup and water.
2 min
12.
Remove top baking sheet and parchment. Generously brush pastry with corn syrup mixture and cover with parchment, then invert pastry and brush other side with corn syrup mixture. Replace parchment and baking sheet and bake until deep golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely.
20 min
13.
Using a serrated knife, trim edges of pastry, then halve lengthwise and cut each half into 8 equal rectangles for a total of 16 rectangles.
10 min
14.
Arrange 8 rectangles on a baking sheet and dust with confectioners' sugar to cover. (To mark pastry decoratively, see cooks' note, below.)
5 min
15.
Dab a small amount of hazelnut crème in center of 8 plates, then put an undecorated pastry rectangle on top. Divide remaining hazelnut crème among pastry rectangles. Sprinkle with some of the candied hazelnuts and top with decorated pastry rectangles. Sprinkle with more candied hazelnuts.
15 min
16.
Hazelnut crème can be chilled up to 2 days. Candied hazelnuts keep in an airtight container 3 weeks. Pastry can be baked 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Ingredients

•2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

•¾ cup Nutella

•1 cup chilled heavy cream

•1 whole large egg

•2 whole large egg yolks

•⅓ cup sugar

•¼ cup water

•1 tsp light corn syrup

•½ cup sugar

•1 cup hazelnuts

•1 sheet frozen puff pastry

•2 Tbsp light corn syrup

•1½ tsp water

•⅓ cup confectioners' sugar

•1 piece candy thermometer

Cooking Instructions

Melt chocolate with Nutella and keep warm.

10 min

Beat cream with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks, then chill.

5 min

Beat egg and yolks in cleaned mixer bowl with cleaned beaters at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.

5 min

Meanwhile, bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil in a 1-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Continue to boil, undisturbed, until candy thermometer registers 238°F (soft-ball stage; you will need to tilt pan to get temperature), about 4 minutes.

4 min

Reduce mixer speed to medium and add hot sugar mixture to eggs in a slow steam (try to avoid beaters and side of bowl), then beat until mixture is pale, thick, tripled in volume, and completely cool, about 5 minutes.

5 min

Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Fold in one third of whipped cream to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly. Chill at least 4 hours.

240 min

Line a baking pan with foil (shiny side up).

2 min

Heat sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Add hazelnuts, stirring until coated. Transfer to foil and cool completely, then coarsely chop.

15 min

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Line a large heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.

10 min

10.

Roll out puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 17- by 10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Transfer to baking sheet, then cover with a sheet of parchment and top with a heavy baking sheet or sheet pan to weight down. Bake until pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

20 min

11.

Meanwhile, stir together corn syrup and water.

2 min

12.

Remove top baking sheet and parchment. Generously brush pastry with corn syrup mixture and cover with parchment, then invert pastry and brush other side with corn syrup mixture. Replace parchment and baking sheet and bake until deep golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely.

20 min

13.

Using a serrated knife, trim edges of pastry, then halve lengthwise and cut each half into 8 equal rectangles for a total of 16 rectangles.

10 min

14.

Arrange 8 rectangles on a baking sheet and dust with confectioners' sugar to cover. (To mark pastry decoratively, see cooks' note, below.)

5 min

15.

Dab a small amount of hazelnut crème in center of 8 plates, then put an undecorated pastry rectangle on top. Divide remaining hazelnut crème among pastry rectangles. Sprinkle with some of the candied hazelnuts and top with decorated pastry rectangles. Sprinkle with more candied hazelnuts.

15 min

16.

Hazelnut crème can be chilled up to 2 days. Candied hazelnuts keep in an airtight container 3 weeks. Pastry can be baked 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.