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Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

This recipe for chocolate hazelnut panna cotta is a light yet rich dessert that any chocolate lover will enjoy!

I’m pretty much always in the mood for dessert, you too? That’s totally why we’re friends. 😉 This dessert is rich and sweet yet light and refreshing. It might be the perfect dessert and if you ask me panna cotta totally needs to be more of a mainstay in the desserts category. Creme brulee’s got a rival and it’s this chocolate hazelnut panna cotta, not to mention an Italian accent is way more fun to imitate than french, si?

So when you make this you must pretend you have an Italian accent and serve it with gusto, channel your inner Italian chef! The good news is that although this may look like a super fancy dessert, it’s so easy to make!

As you know I’m a big fan of AE Dairy, a local midwest dairy brand that I consume religiously. It’s the best time of year because AE’s limited edition flavored milks have hit the grocery store shelves! You may remember my ahhhhmazing chocolate mint pie and after dinner mint hot chocolate recipes made with after dinner mint milk, still some of my favorite treats on the blog and I can guzzle a quart of that milk in no time! Today I’ve used 2 other flavors to create this amazing dessert recipe, dark chocolate milk and the brand new chocolate hazelnut milk.

The base of a great panna cotta is the best quality heavy whipping cream. AE has the very best and it makes this dessert so rich and creamy you’ll be grinning after every bite. Just to make sure other people were in love with this as much as I was I served it up to friends we had over for game night. Everyone agreed it was delightful.

Panna cotta is a cream based gelatin dessert and you can put it into any silicone molds you may have. For the size pictured I used a Texas muffin mold. You can also put it directly into glass cups or white ramekins to serve it in. I like the idea of serving this in a stemless wine glass so you can still see the 2 layers of flavor, so if you don’t have any type of silicone molds that would also be a beautiful presentation.

Make sure to follow AE Dairy on social! Facebook // Pinterest // YouTube  

What are your favorite light desserts? If you make this beautiful recipe please share it with me!! It thrills me to hear from you and see what you’ve made! Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram (@handmadeintheheartland) or facebook!

Layered panna cotta dessert with darker chocolate on bottom and lighter on top sitting on small cake stand

Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

This light and refreshing dessert recipe is a chocolate lover's dream. It's creamy, rich, satisfying and the perfect dessert to serve for guests. The best thing, it's easy to make!

Ingredients

Chocolate Hazelnut Layer

  • 1/2 cup AE Chocolate Hazelnut Milk, divided
  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin, or 2 tsp
  • 1 1/4 cup AE Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella

Dark Chocolate Layer

  • 1/2 cup AE Dark Chocolate Milk, divided
  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin, or 2 tsp
  • 1 1/4 cup AE Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup dark or milk chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. For the Chocolate Hazelnut Layer: Pour 1/4 cup of  AE Chocolate Hazelnut Milk in a bowl and pour the gelatin packet on top of it, set aside.
  2. In a medium sauce pan add all other ingredients: 1/4 cup milk, heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, vanilla & spread. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk as it heats up, the sugar will dissolve and spread should evenly disperse so the mixture is a nice even color and texture. Bring to a low boil and let cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and add in the milk and gelatin mixture. Whisk to combine. Pour into 8 silicone molds or glasses so they are half full. If your molds are smaller than a 1 cup capacity you will be filling more than 8. Make sure to only fill half way to have enough space for the chocolate layer. 
  4. Place in fridge for at least 3-4 hours to set up. Wait to make the dark chocolate layer until this layer is set up and feels like jello to the touch. 
  5. For the Dark Chocolate Layer: Pour 1/4 cup of  AE Dark Chocolate Milk in a bowl and pour the gelatin packet on top of it, set aside.
  6. In a medium sauce pan add all other ingredients: 1/4 cup milk, heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, vanilla & chocolate chips. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk as it heats up, the sugar will dissolve and chocolate chips will melt so the mixture is a nice even color and texture. Bring to a low boil and let cook for 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and add in the milk and gelatin mixture. Whisk to combine. Fill the rest of the silicone molds or glasses with the mixture.  
  8. Place in fridge for at least 3-4 hours to set up. Serve cold with chocolate shavings on top, if desired. 

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 561Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 64mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 7g

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