Prep. time: 20 minutes or more
Waiting time: 8 hours + overnight
Cooking time: A few minutes

Recipe created by Lesley Chesterman, culinary critic for The Montreal Gazette.

Did you know that…
First made in 1946, Nutella was a smart solution to a tricky problem – the shortage of cocoa supplies following World War 2. Nutella’s creator, PietroFerrero, ingeniously created a sweet paste made from hazelnuts, sugar and a little of the rare cocoa. He shaped it into a loaf, which could be sliced and eaten with bread, calling it Giandujot. Five years later, Ferrero came out with SuperCrema, a spreadable version of Giandujot, the precursor to Nutella.

In 1964, Michele Ferrero improved the hazelnut spread, creating the Nutella that we know today. Since then, the iconic Nutella jar spreads across the planet.

February 5 marks World Nutella Day. You did not know it or you forgot it? It's never too late to make Nutella truffles.

1. Chop semi-sweet chocolat. Place in a medium-sized bowl along with the Nutella.
2. Bring the cream to a boil then pour over the chocolate and Nutella. Wait thirty seconds then slowly begin to stir the mixture until all the chocolate is melted and you have a silky, shiny mixture.
3. Cover and set aside at room temperature until firm. Overnight is ideal but 8 hours should be fine.

Second step

1. Using a large melon baller, scoop out the mixture into balls and place of a cookie sheet. You can dip the melon baller in hot water every so often to get it from getting clogged up. If you are handy with a pastry bag, you can also pipe pout 70 truffles on a sheet of parchment paper as well.
2. Press a hazelnut into each truffle and then let sit at room temperature overnight.

Finishing

1. Roll the truffles into balls, doing your best to keep the hazelnuts inside the ball, then refrigerate.
2. Melt the milk chocolate over medium heat in a bowl over a water bath (bain-marie). Remove from heat when it’s just warm to the touch but before it’s all completely melted, and stir until smooth.
3. Sift the cocoa powder into a small pan.
4. Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and using the palms of your hands dipped in the chocolate, coat each ball with a thin layer of chocolate. Place back on the original cookie sheet and refrigerate again.
5. Repeat the operation, but this time, drop the truffles while the chocolate is still liquid onto the sifted cocoa powder and roll to completely coat the surface of each ball.
6. Place the truffles in a plate in several layers on top of each other to serve right away or keep them in the container (covered) and refrigerate.