Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Name: Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts
Prep time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT4H0M0.000S
Yield: 16 gelato bites
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 pint vanilla gelato or ice cream; 1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips (about 2 cups); 1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts (about 5 ounces); Special equipment: bite-sized ice cream scoop and wooden popsticks

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Level: Easy
Total: 4 hr

Prep: 1 hr
Inactive: 3 hr

Yield: 16 gelato bites

Level: Easy
Total: 4 hr

Prep: 1 hr
Inactive: 3 hr

Yield: 16 gelato bites

Ingredients

1 pint vanilla gelato or ice cream

1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts (about 5 ounces)

Special equipment: bite-sized ice cream scoop and wooden popsticks

Directions

Place a small tray or a plate in the freezer. Remove the gelato from the freezer to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chilled tray from the freezer. Scoop out 16 bite-sized balls of gelato and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and quickly insert a wooden popstick into each gelato ball. Return them to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
When the gelato balls have frozen with their sticks in place, place the chocolate in a double-boiler over very gently simmering water until melted. Next to the pot of chocolate, place the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in a shallow bowl.
Remove the gelato balls from the freezer, 4 at a time. Working quickly, hold the gelato ball by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate, then dredge it in the hazelnuts. Return them to the freezer and continue with 4 more gelato balls, until all the gelato balls are covered in chocolate and nuts. Freeze the chocolate-and-nut-covered gelato for at least 1 hour.
These are very fun, festive, and tasty. The ice cream scoop I used is a number 40 (holds 1 tablespoon, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)