Tim Tam Nutella Balls - or should that be truffles?

Updated December 2019:

What is better than Tim Tams?  Tim Tams AND Nutella of course.   The other day my groceries turned up in my kitchen with a massive 750g jar of the stuff (I had only ordered a small one and this was a substitute).   I had planned to make some Tim Tam balls as gifts this week, so I thought why not add some Nutella to the mix?  And let me tell you readers, it is quite delicious in these balls.  Now I just have to think of some more recipes for the other 700 odd grams left in the jar. I have a feeling these toothsome little truffles (Mr Pickings said I have to call them truffles- he thinks balls is too undignified) are going to be popular, so I may have to make some more soon.  Ooh, I have a recipe for Nutella liqueur too...

Ingredients:

100g hazelnuts

250g Tim Tams ( half original/half dark choc)

250g packet of cream cheese

2 (chubby) tbs Nutella

150g dark chocolate, melted OR 75g. dark chocolate AND 75g. white chocolate
a big handful of pecans, chopped
bling on top

Method:

Roast the hazelnuts in a 180C oven for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. 

Cool them, then blitz in a food processor till they become fine meal. Make sure you don't turn them into paste!

Put aside till you do the rolling. 

Throw the biscuits into the processor and blitz till you have fine crumbs

Add the cream cheese and Nutella and blitz till combined - make sure you blitz this well, as you want it aerated and fluffy!
Add the chopped pecans and give it a quick blitz to combine

Spoon the mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer for 20 minutes

Take it out and form into balls of whatever size you desire 

Place back in the freezer for 15 minutes

Roll them in the hazelnut meal

Into the fridge they go for 15 minutes

Melt the chocolate in a Pyrex jug, (if using both white and dark, melt them in separate jugs) and cool for a few minutes so it is still melted but not too warm - I do this in the microwave
Dip the balls in the melted chocolate with a fork, place into small paper patty pan liners (or spoon the chocolate over the tops of the balls if  you're feeling lazy or rushed)
Throw on as much bling as you like!

Back in the fridge to chill

Wrap in cellophane for gifting

I actually roasted and blitzed 200g of nuts so I have some ready for my next batch!   I had bought one packet of biscuits not knowing they only come in 200 grams now so I had to rush off to the corner store to get more. But disaster, they had none. I bought some other sort of chocolate cream biscuits to make up the other 50 grams and it was fine.  I certainly picked a crazy day to make these, as it was 31C and super humid.  But it all worked out fine, and they are sitting happily in the fridge ready to be wrapped up and given to friends.  I saw a recipe the other day for a Tim Tam layer cake; someone had made the comment that it looked great but what was a Tim Tam?  I feel sad for those other countries that don't have Tim Tams on their shelves:)


Note to self:  use the small food processor for the blitzing!