Healthy Ferrero Rocher
Is there anything better than being able to make a sweet treat that tastes amazing, and also has a couple nutritional perks at the same time? One of my favourite parts about the holidays is baking sweets with my family ever since I was little. From sugar cookies, to turtle bars, to peanut butter balls. It's the best.
Although I love making all of the traditional desserts every year, I wanted to try making this iconic holiday inspired dessert with a healthier twist.
The beauty of this recipe is it will fit almost anyone’s dietary needs. With minimal sugar, completely gluten free, and dairy free. I like to try and make my recipes inclusive. If something doesn’t fit your personal wants or needs, try a substitution, don’t doubt yourself.
Anyways … I promise you these are even better than the real deal. Sorry Ferrero Rocher. Except not really.
How to make + Tips
All you are going to need is a food processor and a mixing bowl. And the ingredients. Lol. My number one tip to making this chocolate dessert exquisite, is to roast your hazelnuts before hand. Roasting them for a few minutes will give them an extra little spark of flavour that you don't want to miss out on.
Tip number 2: is to remove the skin off the nuts after roasting, don't try doing it before roasting unless you want to triple the amount of time this recipe takes!
If you want to make these completely vegan, make sure you use vegan dark chocolate, all the other ingredients are vegan. So you're all set to impress all the vegans in your life.
PRO TIP:
If you don’t want to do the top coating of chocolate to keep these simpler and more “energy ball” style, go for it! They are super tasty this way too.
Ferrero Rocher Recipe
Yield: 30
Time: 20 minutes + Freeze
Ingredients
Filling
2/3 Cup rolled oats
3/4 Cup dates packed
3 tbsp of hazelnut butter (or other nut butter)*
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 C whole hazelnuts (in filling)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso*
2 tbsp milk of choice
1/2 tsp salt
25-30 whole hazelnuts (Keep these for assembling, coating the filling around them)
Chocolate hazelnut coating
3/4 C dark chocolate
1/2 C Hazelnuts
*If you do not have hazelnut butter, I recommend using almond butter or cashew butter in replacement as they have a more subtle neutral taste the peanut butter, and the chocolate and hazelnuts are the star of the show here.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet. Place all hazelnuts you will need on the baking sheet.
Roast hazelnuts in oven for 5-10 minutes. This is not required, just highly recommended for extra delicious taste.
Once cooled down, take off the skin from the hazelnuts that will be at the centre of your Ferrero rocher (25-30 hazelnuts)
Add your rolled oats to a food processor and blend to reach a fine oatflour. Then add the rest of the filling ingredients: dates, hazelnut butter, cocoa powder, 1/3 C of the hazelnuts, vanilla, instant espresso, milk, and salt.
Blend until everything is combined and a sticky like consistency is reached.
Take your hazelnuts for the center, and one heaping tablespoons of batter, and shape your batter around the hazelnut.
Once you have used up all of your batter, making around 25 balls, place truffles on a line baking sheet and into the freezer for a couple of hours.
After 2-3 hours, the truffles will be ready for the final touch.
Melt your chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave. I do thirty seconds at a time, mixing in between. It should take 2 or 3 thirty second increments.
Crush hazelnuts and mix in to the melted chocolate.
Take your frozen truffle and dip into the chocolate mixture to coat the surface. Place back on your baking sheet to set.
You can store these at room temperature, in the fridge, or freezer. I highly recommend storing them in the freezer as I love to eat them chilled. (Just my personal preference)
Nutrition
Per 1/30 of recipe
Calories: 75 Protein: 1g Sugar: 4g Fiber: 2g Fat: 5g Carbohydrates: 7g