Chocolate Hazelnut Sticks

Preheat the oven to 190 °C (top/bottom heat) and prepare a baking sheet (do not grease).

Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.

Beat the soft butter, powdered sugar, vanilla seeds and egg in a bowl until smooth but not fluffy.

Melt the couverture in a warm bain-marie and stir it into the butter mixture while still warm.

Sift the flour and mix it with the finely ground hazelnuts.

Fold the flour–nut mixture in by spoonfuls until an even piping dough forms.

Immediately fill the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Pipe sticks onto the baking sheet with enough space between them.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let them rest briefly on the sheet, then cool completely.

Decorate as desired, for example with melted couverture or chopped nuts.