Nussecken: crisp German hazelnut triangles with chocolate-dipped corners

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Make the dough

   40 min

   Mix the flour with the baking powder, sugar, and vanilla sugar. Add the eggs and cold butter cut into pieces, and quickly work into a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the crust and jam layer

   10 min

   Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Roll out the dough to fit a 30 × 40 cm baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick it with a fork and spread with the apricot jam.

3. Make the nut topping

   10 min

   In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the sugar, vanilla sugar, and 4 tbsp water. Remove from the heat, stir in both the ground and chopped hazelnuts, and spread the warm mixture evenly over the jam.

4. Bake

   30 min

   Bake at 175 °C (350 °F) for about 25–30 minutes, until the nut topping is golden. Let cool on the baking sheet.

5. Cut and dip

   30 min

   Cut into 20 squares (4 × 5), then cut each square diagonally into two triangles. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, dip two corners of each triangle into it, and let set on parchment paper.

Tip: Spread the nut mixture while it is still warm, as it firms up when cool. You can also use ground walnuts instead of hazelnuts.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Chrumkavé orechové trojuholníky Nussecken: nemecký koláčik s lieskovcami a rohmi v čokoláde