Hazelnut Torronfetta – Bar with Tonda Gentile hazelnuts

Torronfetta alle Nocciole, the crumbly nougat bar from Piedmont

D.Barbero’s Torronfetta alle Nocciole is a 50 g nougat bar of classic Piedmontese Torrone with whole Tonda Gentile delle Langhe hazelnuts. Crumbly, crunchy, and packaged in a slim bar format just like a small chocolate bar.

Torronfetta alle Nocciole is the bar version of Piedmontese Torrone from the Cioccolateria & Torroneria D.Barbero in Asti. With a high hazelnut content, the Torronfetta showcases the nut in full concentration. Fresh egg whites, honey, and sugar are cooked for seven hours, with the whole Tonda Gentile hazelnuts and Madagascar vanilla added at the end. 50 g, in a flat bar package.

More hazelnut than honey

The Torronfetta is a true hazelnut bar with a Torrone framework—the nut clearly predominates. In Italian, "friabile" means crisp and firm, and this is exactly the consistency that defines the bar. With the first bite, the whole, mildly roasted nuts crunch, then the crumbly honey mass dissolves into fine crystals.

At D.Barbero, there are no artificial flavors. More sugar than honey creates the crumbly consistency, while fresh egg white binds the mass—the hazelnut remains at the center.

Packaged like a chocolate bar

The Torronfetta is crafted using the original method for classic Torrone: seven hours of cooking time in historic steam kettles, scooped out with beechwood paddles, pressed into beechwood molds, and cooled overnight on cool marble tables. The next day, the Torrone is cut by hand.

The Torronfetta comes in a slim 50 g bar format, packaged like a chocolate bar—a practical size for on-the-go snacking or for trying it out for the first time without having to open a 100 g metal tin.

This type of artisanal production of "friabile," or intentionally crumbly, Torrone is maintained by only a few manufacturers in Piedmont—it requires time, patience, and a delicate touch for breaking it.

Seven generations of confectionery from Asti

In 1883, Melchiorre Barbero received the license to commercially produce "Torroni e Noasetti" in Asti. Today, in the hands of the family for seven generations, Giovanni Barbero and his nephew Davide Maddaleno continue to run the workshop at Via Brofferio 84. The house remains consistent in its choice of raw materials: hazelnuts are always of the Tonda Gentile delle Langhe variety.

The address has a lovely backstory: the building on Via Brofferio was once the Gerbi bicycle factory and belonged to Davide Barbero’s wife. The Torroneria moved in in 1953, and the Torrone slabs have been cooling on the same marble tables ever since. The nuts come from the Langhe, hand-selected in caliber thirteen to fourteen—small enough for a uniform bite, large enough that you can still recognize them as whole nuts.

You can find more specialties from D.Barbero with us – the Gianduiotti pralines with Tonda Gentile hazelnut nougat, the Torrone Morbido alle Mandorle as a soft nougat with Avola almonds, or the Torrone al Rum e Cioccolato as a bar with rum ganache.

The fifty grams is a deliberate size. Torrone in a metal tin is a pantry staple for the holidays that you open and then have sitting around for three weeks—the bar, however, is meant to be eaten. That is the difference between a gift and a little treat for yourself.

There is also a practical advantage: crumbly Torrone absorbs moisture, and the longer a large slab is open, the softer it becomes. In the slim bar, the mass remains as crystalline as it was when it left the marble table. It can slip into a coat pocket when it gets cold without softening up on the way.

It crumbles at the first break

Nutty, crunchy, and savory, the bar crumbles at the first break. An espresso or a small glass of Moscato d'Asti complements the nutty sweetness of the Torronfetta alle Nocciole. Serve at room temperature, as it crumbles particularly nicely when broken. The bar enjoys company—an espresso, a glass of dessert wine, a handful of people at the table. 50 g, in a slim bar package, perfect for trying or for on the go.