Chocolate Blini's - CWF

In my quest to try and use the ingredients I have in the house, I wanted to figure out what to substitute for the hazelnut flour. I was searching the internet for substitutions when I had one of those aha moments. There were hazelnuts in with the mixed nuts we had in cabinet. After shelling the hazelnuts, you blanch them. To me blanching has always been in a pan of water. I read you could do it that way but it seemed the recommended way was to bake them in a 325 degree oven for up to 25 minutes. Keep an eye on them, so they don't burn. Remove them from the oven, wrap them in a towel for 5 minutes and then use the towel to rub off the skin. It was really easy and so much less expensive than buying shelled hazelnuts or hazelnut flour.

I was thinking blini's were like crepes or blinzes but they're more like pancakes, only a little smaller. I was excited about making this recipe. The topping possibilites are endless! Also, it looks easy enough maybe this one will be a success? I haven't had the best luck with some of Chef Payard's recipes.

I halved the recipe and ended up with at least 10 blini's. The recipe says you may need to flatten the batter with the back of a spoon after you put it in the pan. Not my batter. My blini's were flat on their own. Something about me and folding in egg whites, I can never seem to keep their height. The instructions were to cook these on low. I turned them up a little because I didn't feel like they were getting done. Other than not being as puffy as pancakes, this recipe turned out great. I topped mine with nutella and sliced strawberries. YUM!!



This delicious recipe was chosen by Linda at Diva Weigh. You can find the links to all of the other Chocolate With Francois bakers here! I can't wait to see what everyone did with their blini's.