Attention health conscious cooks! Say goodbye to sacrificing your health for a sweet treat and hello to guilt-free indulgence with these Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles. No refined sugar here - just the perfect balance of sweetness from dates and a touch of maple syrup.
Get ready to learn about a delicious and guilt-free way to enjoy the sweeter things in life.
These Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles taste like Nutella with a whole lot less sugar. Technically they aren't sugar free, because dates and maple syrup contain natural sugars. But, they are refined sugar free. Plus the dates give them plenty of fiber and other nutrients not found in sugar so they are a healthy little treat.
As long as you don't eat the entire batch in one sitting.
Medjool Dates versus Pitted Dates
This recipe calls for Medjool dates. They are not the same as regular pitted dates found with the dried fruit in your grocery store.
- fresh not dried: Medjool dates are harvested and sold fresh and should be in the produce aisle and are better stored in the fridge.
- consistency: because they are fresh they are softer than the dried varieties
- taste: Medjool are sweeter and taste almost like caramel
- size: Medjool dates are significantly larger
You can use other dates if that is what you can find (or afford). Dried dates should probably soak a longer until they become very soft.
Ingredients for Hazelnut Truffles
The ingredients should be easy to find in most grocery stores. The coconut or almond flour should be in the gluten free baking aisle.
- raw hazelnuts - or almonds
- Medjool dates - or Noor or pitted dates
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- coconut flour - or almond flour
- coconut oil
- pure maple syrup - or honey or agave syrup
- vanilla extract
- coarse salt
coatings
You can use any or all of the coatings below. Yes, you read the last one correctly, a pinch of cayenne and coarse salt does amazing things with chocolate. The touch of heat and salt adds some great contrast to the sweet.
- ground hazelnuts or almonds
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- unsweetened cocoa powder, plus cayenne pepper and coarse salt
More Recipes from #OurFamilyTable
Chocolate Lovers UNITE! There are chocolate recipes that need to be made and tasted soon:
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- Biscoff Chocolate Cheesecake from Creative Cynchronicity
- Chocolate Cherry Brownies with Ruby Port Ganache from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Chocolate Crockpot Cake from Jen Around the World
- Chocolate Delight Dessert from Art of Natural Living
- Copycat Wendy's Frosty from Hezzi-D's Recipe Box
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
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Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw hazelnuts
- 8 ounce Medjool dates (pitted)
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
- 1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
Optional Coatings
- ¼ cup hazelnuts or almonds (ground or finely chopped)
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, finely shredded (pulse a few times in a food processor or chop)
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder + ¼ t. each cayenne pepper and coarse salt
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
- Place pitted dates in a small bowl filled with warm water. Set aside to soak for 10-15 minutes.8 ounce Medjool dates
- If using coconut flakes for coating, pulse a few times in a food processor and pour into a shallow bowl. If using spiced cocoa powder, combine 2 tablespoons cocoa powder plus cayenne and salt in a shallow bowl.¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, finely shredded, 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder + ¼ t. each cayenne pepper and coarse salt
- If using hazelnuts for coating, add ¾ cup hazelnuts to a food processor and process until finely ground. Pour ¼ cup into a shallow bowl and set aside. Otherwise process ½ cup only.½ cup raw hazelnuts, ¼ cup hazelnuts or almonds
- Remove the softened dates from bowl and drain off any excess water. Add dates and cocoa powder to food processor with the ground hazelnuts. Blend until smooth, approximately 3-4 minutes. Scrape the sides, as necessary, to ensure mixture is thoroughly combined.Tip: Add a few drops of water at a time, if necessary, to achieve a smooth consistency, but don’t add too much.
- Add coconut flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt to the mixture and process until combined.2 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoon coconut flour, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- Remove the dough from the food processor and divide into 15-18 equal-sized portions. Roll each section of dough into a ball before rolling in the selected coatings.
- Place on prepared baking tray and chill in the fridge for at least 5 minutes before serving. Best kept in an air tight container in the fridge to keep them firm.
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more truffle recipes
Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
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