HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE KISSES

Steps:

• Place 6 ounces of the chocolate into a 2-quart mixing bowl. In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream into the bowl with the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute, then stir together using a rubber spatula, whisk, or immersion blender until smooth and thoroughly mixed. Stir in the ground hazelnuts and blend well. Cover, let cool to room temperature, and chill in the refrigerator until thick but not stiff (2 to 3 hours).
• Melt and temper the remaining 12 ounces chocolate (see pages 25-30). Pour the tempered chocolate into a paper pastry cone and cut off a 1/2-inch opening at the pointed end of the cone. Or pour the chocolate into a plastic squeeze bottle. Pipe or squeeze chocolate into each cavity of a 12-space, 1-inch-deep, spiral-topped chocolate mold. Tap the mold on a countertop a few times to eliminate air pockets. Let the chocolate sit in the mold at room temperature for 3 minutes. Turn the mold upside down over a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and let the chocolate run out. This will leave a thin film of chocolate coating each cavity of the mold. With a small flexible-blade spatula, clean off the edges of each cavity of the mold.
• Place a hazelnut in each cavity. Fit a 12-inch pastry bag with a large, plain round pastry tip with a 1/2-inch opening and fill partway with the hazelnut truffle cream. Pipe the truffle cream into each cavity, filling it just below the top edge. Fill up the mold cavity with the remaining tempered chocolate. With a small flexible-blade spatula, clean off the edges of each cavity, if necessary.
• Place the mold in the freezer until the chocolate is set (15 minutes). Remove the mold from the freezer and turn it upside down over a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Hold the mold by opposite corners and gently twist it in opposite directions. The candies should drop out of the mold. If they don't drop out easily, return the mold to the freezer for another 15 minutes and try again. Place the kisses in paper candy cups.
• In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the kisses will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. The kisses taste best at room temperature.
• VARIATION
• White Chocolate Hazelnut Kisses: For the truffle cream, substitute 8 ounces white chocolate for the 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate and use 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream. For the coating, replace the bittersweet chocolate with white.