These no-bake chocolate hazelnut truffles are a delightful and festive chocolate treat for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion. They have a rich and chocolaty center, slightly crispy, and highly addictive!
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We all need a small chocolate treat to make life a little sweeter. I, myself, like to indulge in an original Ferrero rocher truffle once in a while. But let’s be honest here: they are quite expensive and full of unnecessary additives. So I created my own version of a chocolate hazelnut truffle.
For this chocolate confection, I used natural ingredients, and replaced the chocolate hazelnut spread (aka Nutella) with a homemade paste of chocolate and nut butter. It makes them way healthier and also more nutritious too. The balls are then coated in chocolate and covered with crushed hazelnuts or pralines.
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles are…
- An easy no-bake chocolate truffle recipe
- Prepared with nut butter (almond or hazelnut butter)
- Easy to adapt in a gluten-free version
- Festive and perfect for gift-giving!
What goes into chocolate hazelnut truffles?
- Baking chocolate. Prefer high quality baking chocolate, that ranges between 60-70% cocoa, for a great chocolate confection.
- Nut butter (almond or hazelnut). The original recipe would call for hazelnut butter, but I achieved pretty good results with almond butter too.
- Toasted hazelnuts. Place them in the center of each truffle, for a little crunch!
- Waffle cones (or French Gavottes). Crush into a fine powder and add to the chocolate paste to bring a hint of crispiness. Usually half a waffle cone is enough.
- Milk chocolate. Milk chocolate, or alternatively semi-sweet chocolate, is a great option for coating.
- Grape seed oil. It helps stabilizing the milk chocolate coating. If you don’t have any, you can replace it with sunflower oil or coconut oil.
- Crushed hazelnuts. In France, we use something that is called “pralin”, which consists in crushed toasted hazelnuts/almonds. Alternatively, pulse toasted hazelnuts or almonds in a food processor until crushed into tiny pieces.
How to make chocolate hazelnut truffles?
Here are the main steps of the recipe (for the detailed recipe, head over to the recipe card directly):
- Make the chocolate-hazelnut paste, by combining melted chocolate, nut butter, waffle cone crumbs, and a pinch of salt. Place in the refrigerator until firm.
- Scoop the mixture and shape into 12 balls. Place in the refrigerator again.
- Prepare the chocolate coating, by melting the milk chocolate. Stir un the grape seed oil, and the chopped hazelnuts.
- Dip each truffle into the chocolate coating, then place onto a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath to allow the chocolate to drip off. Place in the refrigerator again until firm, and it’s ready!
Pro tips for success
- Use latex gloves. This is optional, but wearing latex gloves helps a lot when making chocolate confections. It prevents from having sticky hands and makes your job easier.
- Chill, chill, chill. Between each step, you need to chill in the refrigerator to set. It’s true for the chocolate-hazelnut paste, again once the balls are shaped, and then after the final coating. Chilling in the refrigerator between each step helps the mixture to solidify, and makes it easier to work with. If at anytime, the mixture softens while you work, place it in the refrigerator, until firm again.
- Use blanched, toasted hazelnuts. Ideally you want to roast and peel the hazelnuts before placing in the center of the chocolate-hazelnut truffle. Not only it helps bringing a nice, nutty flavors, but it also creates a crunchy bite and prevents the nuts from being soft in contact of the wet chocolate mixture.
- Ensure the chocolate for coating is smooth and thin. The last thing you want is a thick chocolate coating, that will make each chocolate truffle heavy. To avoid this, the use of grape seed oil or sunflower oil usually helps stabilizing the melted chocolate.
- Use a fork or long wood skewers to dip the truffles into the chocolate coating. This ensures you coat each truffle all around, without having to handle it with sticky fingers.
Do these truffles taste like Ferrero Rochers?
Yes and no. They are almost like your favorite Ferrero rochers, but not exactly. The original recipe is prepared with chocolate-hazelnut spread (aka Nutella), whereas this recipe calls for a simple mixture of melted chocolate and hazelnut spread, which makes it close but not quite the same either. Also, we added some waffle cones/gavottes in the mixture to replicate the little crispiness, but in our recipe it is spread out in the truffle rather than being a regular sphere all around the truffle, that only industrial productions can create.
If you are looking for a truffle that is even closer to the original recipe, you can replace the chocolate-hazelnut paste with gianduja (a homogeneous blend of chocolate with 30% hazelnut paste), or alternatively with industrial chocolate hazelnut spread. The texture will be even smoother and creamier.
How to make them gluten-free?
The only ingredient that has gluten in this recipe is the waffle cone (or the Gavottes, if this is what you’re using). To make the recipe gluten-free, you can either skip these cookies entirely from the recipe, or replace with gluten-free waffle cones, to ensure you keep the crispy bite in each truffle.
How to store these truffles?
You can store the chocolate-hazelnut truffles in an airtight container placed in the refrigerator for about a week. I do not recommend to keep them at room temperature, as the chocolate can melt easily if in a warm environment.
More holiday treats you’ll love:
- Raffaello Coconut Balls
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate-Dipped Almond Florentines
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- French Almond Tuiles
- Cookie Mix in a Jar
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cooling Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 truffles 1x
- Category: Desserts
These no-bake chocolate hazelnut truffles are a delightful and festive chocolate treat for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion. They have a rich and chocolaty center, slightly crispy, and highly addictive!
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Ingredients
- 5.3 ounces (150g) baking chocolate
- 5.3 ounces (150g) hazelnut or almond butter
- 10g waffle cone (or Gavottes), crushed (optional)*
- A pinch of sea salt
- 12 whole hazelnuts, blanched and roasted**
- 5.3 ounces (150g) milk chocolate
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) grape seed or sunflower oil
- 1.8 ounce (50g) hazelnuts, crushed***
Instructions
- Line a small tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and melt in the microwave, until completely smooth. Add the hazelnut butter (or almond butter), and stir. Add the crushed waffle cone, a pinch a sea salt, and stir until combined. Cover with plastic film and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until set but not too firm.
- When the mixture has hardened, scoop about 12 portions with a melon baller or a Tablespoon. Roll each portion into a ball, using your hands, and press a whole hazelnut in the center, then punch the dough to coat. If the mixture softens while you work, refrigerate or freeze until firm again. Place the balls onto the baking tray, and place it in the refrigerator, while you prepare the coating.
- For the chocolate coating, place the milk chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave until completely smooth. Add 2 Tablespoons grape seed oil, and stir. Add in the chopped hazelnuts.
- Using a fork, dip each chilled truffle in the melted chocolate and place them on a cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath. Allow the chocolate to drip off and harden. Then, transfer to a serving tray, and store in the refrigerator, until ready to serve.
Notes
* If you live in France, you can use Gavotte and mix them with a rolling pin to create crumbs. Another option is to use waffle cones (that you use for ice cream). About half a cone should do, or 10g to be exact. Same, crush with a rolling pin to get crumbs.
** You can buy ready-to-use blanched, toasted hazelnuts, or do it yourself. To roast place the whole nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast in a 350°F (180°C) preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes., stirring regularly. Make sure you check regularly to avoid the nuts to burn. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then rub with a towel to peel out the skin.
*** You can toast hazelnuts and then pulse them in a food processor into very small pieces, or use what we call “pralin” in France to make your job even easier.
Recipe by Del’s cooking twist | Photography by Athina Canevet Studio
Did you make this recipe?
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