Hazelnut Cream Pie

Hazelnuts. Chocolate. Whipped Cream. What more can you ask for? This recipe creates a perfectly balanced pie that anyone can enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

20 Oreos

1 cup dry roasted hazelnuts

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 teaspoon salt

PIE FILLING

3 oz semisweet chocolate

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup Nutella

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

TOPPING

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons sugar

1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Place the Oreos in a food processor and pulse until cookies are turned into crumbs. Remove the crumbs and place into a medium sized bowl. Add the hazelnuts to the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Empty into bowl with cookies. Stir in melted butter and salt until evenly distributed. Press mixture into springform pan, the crust should come up an inch on the sides. Bake for 15 minutes and set aside.

Place the semisweet chocolate in a saucepan on low heat and stir until melted. This should take about 5 minutes. Set aside so it can cool down to room temperature. Place chocolate, Nutella, butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for at 3-5 minutes until smooth. Place chocolate mixture in a large bowl.

In electric mixer, beat 2 cups of heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks are formed. Take one third of the whipped cream and fold it into the chocolate mixture until incorporated. Repeat with the second and third batches of whipped cream so that it is consistently mixed throughout the chocolate.

Spread the filling into the pie crust evenly so that it is flush with the top of the pie crust.

Place 2 cups of heavy whipping cream in the electric mixer, add vanilla and sugar. Whip until stiff peaks are formed, about 3 minutes. Spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag pre-fitted with a decorating tip. Pipe the whipped cream onto the pie in whatever design you'd like! Top with chopped chocolate.

Enjoy!