Chocolate Crumbles

An important note in this portion of the recipe is that the crumbles will continue to crisp up as they cool. If your crumbles seem a bit soft as they come out of the oven, that’s okay. As long as you’ve crumbled the dough into small pieces and cooked them for the proper amount of time, they will continue to crisp up out of the oven, even if they are not entirely crisp as they come out of the oven. Once they are completely cool, they should be crisp and flavorful, and ready to decorate your yule log.

I have a feeling the chocolate may have scorched in the microwave. Remember to stir the chocolate/butter mixture halfway through the melting process when microwaving. Microwaves are not standardized, which means some are stronger than others. Care should be taken during this step to ensure the chocolate melts evenly and doesn’t melt too quickly to the point of burning in one spot. Taking the time to stop and stir the bowl halfway through melting will ensure this does not happen.

Yes, sounds like they went a little long in the food processor. Toasting the pistachios not only brings out their flavor, but also dries them out a bit so that they grind up into a dust rather than clumps. However, the pistachios still contain oil, so it’s important to not overprocess them or they will turn into nut butter (which is delicious but not right for this recipe). Be sure to keep an eye on the pistachios as you are grinding them into dust, stopping and scraping the sides when necessary to get an even dust.