5-Minute Chocolate Hazelnut “Nutella” Truffles {Vegan, Paleo}

I was always a little weirded out by the Ferrero Rocher candy, each piece individually wrapped in gold foil.

As a kid and teenager, I was more interested in things like Sour Patch Kids, Twix, and Peanut Butter M&Ms than some mysterious, fancy, gold-wrapped chocolates.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t know what a hazelnut was either.

I never knew if I was pronouncing it correctly either.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Over 20,000 people have watched the YouTube video for how to pronounce “Ferrero Rocher.”

Including me 🙂

Inspired by the concept of a hazelnut truffle and a recipe I found on the blog Running on Real Food, I decided to make my own chocolate hazelnut truffles.

I made these treats today for a group of a dozen of my co-workers as part of an “Upgrade Your Holiday Party Dishes” cooking demonstration at our office. They were a HIT!

In the demo, I showed the group how to make super simple Kickin’ Buffalo Hummus, an immune-boosting “Taste the Rainbow” Kale Salad (recipe to come!), and these fudgy Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles.

They take about 5 minutes to whip up, too. Try these at home, and bring them to an upcoming holiday party or event. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Adapted from Running on Real Food

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup hazelnuts
• 10 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked in water 10 minutes
• ¼ cup raw cacao powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2-3 teaspoons 100% pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (I’m sure it’ll work with the coarse kind, but I used fine)
• 18-20 whole hazelnuts, lightly toasted – set aside (do not blend into dough)
• Optional: 1/3 cup hemp seeds, chopped & toasted hazelnuts and/or toasted coconut for rolling/coating

Directions

1. Drain water from dates.
2. Add all ingredients from the hazelnuts through the sea salt to a food processor.
3. Process until well mixed together but while there are still small pieces of hazelnuts. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula or break up the ball that forms, so everything is blended.
4. Roll dough into small balls, wrapping each ball around a whole, toasted hazelnut.
5. Roll truffles in hemp seeds, chopped hazelnuts, or coconut or just leave them “as is!”
6. Place in freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Store in an airtight container in the freezer.