Chocolate salami
Chocolate salami is a no-bake dessert from Italy and Portugal that looks just like a real salami, thanks to the pieces of cookie and hazelnut speckled through the rich chocolate. It is shaped into a log, rolled in powdered sugar and tied with string like a real cured sausage, and each slice is a fun mix of crunch and melt.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rising or chilling
- 4 hr
- Total time
- 4 hr 30 min
- Method
- Chilled
Ingredients
Chocolate base
Cookies and nuts
Sugar coating
Instructions
Step 1
Put 200 g plain tea biscuits in a sturdy bag and tap them gently with a rolling pin into fingernail-sized pieces, while you toast 60 g hazelnuts in a dry skillet and cut them in half. Pieces that are not too fine create the white specks that look like fat in a slice of salami. The mix-ins are ready when you have both large and small pieces with very little fine crumb.
Step 2
Put 200 g chopped dark chocolate and 100 g unsalted butter in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water on low heat, stirring until melted. The water bath keeps the heat gentle so the chocolate does not burn or split. The mixture is ready when it is glossy and smooth with no bits of chocolate left and flows off the spoon in an unbroken ribbon.
Step 3
Take the bowl off the pan, sift in 50 g powdered sugar, 15 g cocoa powder and a pinch salt, add 20 g dark rum if using, stir well, then mix in the biscuits and hazelnuts and let it sit for about twenty minutes. This rest lets the chocolate thicken just enough to shape without running. The mixture is ready when a handful holds its shape.
Step 4
Divide the chocolate mixture in half, place each portion on a sheet of plastic wrap, shape it by hand into a log about 20 cm long, then roll the wrap tightly and twist the ends like a candy wrapper. Rolling tightly squeezes out any gaps so the slices are solid, not full of holes. The logs are ready when they are evenly round, firm and sealed at both ends.
Step 5
Refrigerate the logs for at least four hours, rolling them gently now and then during the first hour so they do not flatten on one side. A long enough chill lets the butter and chocolate harden and hold the cookie pieces tightly when sliced. The logs are ready when they feel completely firm when pressed with a finger.
Step 6
Unwrap the logs, roll each one in to taste powdered sugar and brush off the excess, tie kitchen string around them if you want them to look like real salami, then cut into slices about 1 cm thick with a sharp knife dipped in hot water. A warm knife glides through the chocolate without breaking the cookie pieces. The slices are ready when the cut surface is flat, with specks of cookie and hazelnut clearly visible against the dark brown.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Plastic wrap
- Kitchen twine
- Refrigerator
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- You can swap the hazelnuts for almonds or pistachios, or add a little chopped dried fruit for more color.
- If you are making it for children, leave out the rum and use a spoonful of orange juice instead to keep the chocolate moist.
- Crisp tea biscuits such as Marie give the best result because they stay crunchy in the chocolate for a long time.
Storage
Wrap the logs tightly and keep them in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to two months. Before slicing, let a log sit at room temperature for about ten minutes so the chocolate is less brittle and the slices do not crack.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The chocolate mixture is too runny to shape into logs.
- The mixture was still too warm when you added the biscuits. Let it rest longer or put it in the fridge for about ten minutes before shaping.
- The slices crumble when cut.
- The log was too cold or the biscuit pieces were too big. Let the log sit out for a little while before slicing, and break the biscuits smaller next time.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
