I was always a little weirded outĀ by theĀ 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 š
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,Ā I showed the group how to makeĀ super simpleĀ Kickin’Ā 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 fromĀ Running on Real Food
Ingredients
- 2/3Ā cup hazelnuts
- 10 Medjool dates,Ā pittedĀ and soaked in water 10 minutes
- Ā¼ cup raw cacao powder
- Ā½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Ā¼ 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 theĀ coarse kind, but I used fine)
- 18-20 whole hazelnuts, lightly toasted –Ā set aside (do not blend into dough)
- Optional: 1/3 cup hemp seeds, chopped & toasted hazelnuts and/or toasted coconut for rolling/coating
Directions
- Drain water from dates.
- Add all ingredients from the hazelnuts through the sea salt to a food processor.
- ProcessĀ until well mixed together but while thereĀ 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.
- Roll dough into small balls, wrapping each ballĀ around a whole, toasted hazelnut.
- Roll truffles in hemp seeds, chopped hazelnuts, or coconut or just leave them “as is!”
- Place in freezer for aboutĀ 30Ā minutes or untilĀ firm.
Store in an airtight container in the freezer.