Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Baking tray (30x40cm)
• •Parchment paper
• •Rolling pin
• •Wide saucepan for nut caramel
• •Sharp heavy knife for cutting
• •Heatproof bowl for melting chocolate

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the Mürbteig

   Combine the flour, cold cubed butter, sugar, Vanillezucker, and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Work quickly. The butter needs to stay cold or your dough will be tough instead of sandy. Add the egg and bring everything together into a smooth dough. Don't knead it. Press it together, give it two or three gentle folds, and stop the moment it holds. Wrap it in cling film and rest it in the fridge for thirty minutes.

   If the dough feels greasy or soft, you've overworked it and the butter has warmed up. Put it straight into the fridge for twenty minutes and try again. Mürbteig forgives you once.
2. 2

   Roll and line the tin

   Heat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 30x40cm baking tray with parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough out directly onto the parchment, pressing it into an even layer about half a centimeter thick. Push it right into the corners. If it cracks, press it back together with your fingers. Mürbteig is forgiving this way. Prick the surface all over with a fork. This stops the dough puffing up unevenly under the nut topping.

3. 3

   Spread the jam

   Warm the apricot jam gently in a small saucepan until it loosens. If it's very chunky, press it through a sieve. Spread a thin, even layer over the entire surface of the dough. Thin is the word here. The jam is a bridge between the buttery base and the sticky nut layer, not a thick filling. You want just enough to taste, about two millimeters.

   Use proper Marillenmarmelade if you can get it. Austrian apricot jam has a sharper, more complex flavor than the sweet, candy-like versions you find elsewhere. That tartness is what cuts through all the butter and sugar above it.
4. 4

   Cook the nut topping

   Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, honey, water, and Vanillezucker. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Let it cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. It will turn a pale golden caramel. Take it off the heat and fold in the chopped hazelnuts and almonds. Stir until every piece is coated. The mixture should be sticky and glistening, not dry.

5. 5

   Top and bake

   Spread the hot nut mixture evenly over the jam-covered dough. Use the back ofa spoon or an offset spatula, working quickly before the caramel sets. Press it gently so it bonds with the jam layer. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the nut topping is a deep golden brown and the edges of the pastry are pulling away slightly from the tray. The kitchen will smell like toasted hazelnuts and honey. That's how you know you're close.

   Watch the color carefully in the last five minutes. The nuts can go from golden to burnt faster than you'd expect, and there's no rescuing a burnt nut topping. If the edges are darkening faster than the center, rotate the tray.
6. 6

   Cut while warm

   Remove from the oven and let the slab cool in the tray for exactly ten minutes. Not longer. Cut it while it's still warm, or the caramel will harden and your pieces will shatter instead of slicing cleanly. First, cut the slab into 12 equal rectangles. Then cut each rectangle diagonally to make 24 triangles. Use a sharp, heavy knife and press straight down in one firm motion. Don't saw at it. Let the pieces cool completely in the tray.

7. 7

   Dip in chocolate

   Melt the dark chocolate gently in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Stir until smooth and glossy. Dip two corners of each triangle into the chocolate, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Place them on parchment paper to set. If your kitchen is warm, put the tray in the fridge for ten minutes to firm the chocolate. When the chocolate sets with a clean snap and a slight sheen, you've done it right.

   If a single drop of water gets into the chocolate, it will seize into a grainy mess. Dry your bowl, dry your spoon, and keep the water beneath at a bare simmer. Chocolate is vain. It doesn't like being rushed or getting wet.

Chef Tips

• •Toast the hazelnuts lightly in a dry pan before chopping them. Five minutes over medium heat, shaking the pan, until they smell fragrant and the skins start to loosen. This deepens the flavor and makes the finished Nussecken taste like they came from a Konditorei, not a home kitchen.
• •Chop the nuts by hand with a heavy knife, not in a food processor. You want irregular pieces, some coarse, some fine. The variety gives you texture. A food processor turns half of them to dust before the other half is chopped.
• •These keep beautifully in a tin for two weeks, which makes them perfect for Advent baking. Layer them between sheets of parchment paper. The flavors actually improve after a day or two as the jam softens into the base and the caramel mellows.
• •Use the best dark chocolate you can find for dipping. At least 60% cocoa. Austrian brands like Zotter are ideal if you can get them. The chocolate is the first thing your teeth hit, so it sets the tone for the whole bite.

Advance Preparation

• •The Mürbteig can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Let it sit at room temperature for ten minutes before rolling, or it will crack.
• •The fully assembled Nussecken keep in an airtight tin for up to two weeks at room temperature. They're ideal for making well in advance of Christmas.
• •Undipped Nussecken can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw completely before dipping in chocolate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)