Actually Healthy Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles
Ferrero Rochers - those festive gold foil-wrapped chocolates used to be one of my all time favorite treats, especially around the holidays. Unfortunately, the list of ingredients of those sold in stores is nothing to feel good about. I wanted to create a real foods version, using all-natural sugar. The end result is five ingredients and free of gluten, dairy, grains, refined sugar. Cheers to that!
Actually Healthy Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles
- 2.5 cups hazelnuts
- 10 Medjool dates, pits removed
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup melted coconut butter
- 2-3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 12-15 minutes until fragrant and slightly golden brown (check after 12 minutes as they can burn quickly!).
Remove from oven and place dish towel over baking sheet to "steam." After nuts have slightly cooled, rub hazelnuts vigorously in towel to remove skins (it's OK if skin isn't removed from every single one). If starting with already roasted hazelnuts, you can skip this step. Set aside about 1/2 cup of hazelnuts, making sure to reserve about 15 individual nuts for the center of the truffle.
Add 2 cups hazelnuts to food processor. Blend well until consistency is like that of course sand. Add dates and process again, slowly adding coconut oil until sticky dough is formed. Roll dough into bite-sized balls, placing an individual hazelnut in the center. Do this until all dough is used up, placing back on baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place 1/2 cup of hazelnuts in food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a shallow dish. Also make raw chocolate coating: place melted coconut butter in a small bowl. Add raw cacao powder and stir until combined.
Dip cooled hazelnut/date balls in melted chocolate mixture and roll in hazelnut pieces. Place back on parchment paper lined baking sheet to set. Enjoy!
