Chocolate “Rocks” with Hazelnuts, Croutons, and Cornflakes

When I was a child, my after-school treat was always a bar of dark chocolate and a piece of ficelle (a very thin, crunchy baguette), so, for me, the quintessential snack is bread and chocolate. When chocolate is king, Shorey is in heaven! So we made these clumps of chocolate that we call “rocks” by mixing chocolate with croutons, cornflakes, and hazelnuts. We have also prepared this recipe with Rice Krispies instead of cornflakes and used other nuts, but hazelnuts are my favorite. Berries or dried fruits—from cherries to raisins—can also be added. We favor dark chocolate, but you can use milk or white chocolate. We place the rocks in mini-cups or just on a tray lined with nonstick aluminum foil.

Here, we melt the chocolate in the microwave oven, but you can also melt it in a double boiler. The small croutons are baked in the oven with butter, and the hazelnuts are roasted to intensify their taste.

The proportions of chocolate to nuts, bread, and cornflakes can vary, as some people like these with more chocolate and other prefer them with more bread, nuts, or cereal.

Makes about 30 treats

• ¾ cup hazelnuts
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 slice thin white sandwich bread, cut into small (about ¼-inch) dice (about ¾ cup)
• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1½ cups cornflakes

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put the hazelnuts in a small pan and roast for 8 to 10 minutes; remove from the oven. When the nuts are cool enough to handle, rub them together in paper towels to remove most of the skins, discard the skins, and place the nuts in a bowl.

Meanwhile, put the butter on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and heat in the oven for a minute or so to melt the butter. Toss the bread with the melted butter and place in the oven to brown for 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Place the chocolate in a microwavable bowl and place it in the microwave for 1 minute. Wait about 30 seconds, then microwave for another minute. Wait 10 seconds and microwave for another minute. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula; it should be smooth and totally liquefied. If it is not completely melted, process for another 30 seconds at a time, stirring between increments, until it is smooth. (You will have about 1¾ cups melted chocolate.)

Combine about ½ cup of the melted chocolate with the bread and another ½ cup of the melted chocolate with the hazelnuts, mixing well. Place the cornflakes in a bowl and combine with the remaining melted chocolate, mixing well. Spoon about 2 tablespoons each of the mixtures into mini-cups or onto a tray lined with aluminum foil. (You should have a total of about 30 “rocks.”)

Place the rocks in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, until well set. Then transfer to a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid or a zip-lock bag and store in your pantry, if it’s not too hot, the refrigerator, or the freezer.

“My favorite thing to make is always dessert.”

—Shorey