These Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Bites are vegan truffles and you definitely need to make them this holiday season! You only need 3 ingredients for these and they're all pantry items! Dates, cacao powder, and hazelnuts. The hazelnuts are roasted and processed to almost hazelnut butter so the result is somewhere between cookie dough and fudge. So incredibly delicious!
The story behind these fudge bites:
What's your favorite nut butter? Mine is definitely hazelnut butter. Whenever I'm creating a recipe with chocolate and some kind of nut butter, I always use hazelnut whenever possible. It's just sooo good. Mostly because it always tastes like Nutella, only healthier because I try not to use processed sugar whenever possible. That's definitely true for these Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Bites! They only need 3 ingredients and contain no processed sugar! All you need are roasted hazelnuts, raw cacao powder (or cocoa), and Medjool dates.
I also add a pinch of sea salt and some cinnamon to this recipe. Cinnamon is optional here but I recommend it if you like it. It adds a little bit of sweetness, some holiday flavor, and it balances all the flavors. I also learned a while ago that when you add cinnamon to recipes with any kind of sugar (natural or added, think both apples and cane sugar), your blood sugar doesn't spike as much. Do you know about this? I've been trying to add a touch of cinnamon to any sweet meals ever since. It's the little things.
These hazelnut bites are so easy to make and one of my favorite snack or dessert. They're made only with hazelnuts, dates, and cacao so you can eat them as an energy snack, not just as a dessert! These bites are actually healthy!
They're the perfect sweet edible gift. The hazelnuts are processed into almost nut butter and when you blend that with the dates, you get fudgy, delicious vegan truffles that make a great gift. Either for Christmas or for Valentine's Day, or Mother's Day. Just use different molds or just roll the dough into balls.
If you want to make these fudge bites more festive, add a teaspoon of the Christmas Spice Blend. It's my favorite holiday blend made with all the warming winter spices.
If you're craving even more chocolate treats you can check out these:
- Raw Chocolate Orange Energy Bars
- Raw Chocolate Covered Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Bites
- Chocolate Truffles
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Bites
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 27 mins
- Yield: 10-20 bites 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Delicious gluten-free and vegan truffle bites.
Ingredients
- 2 cups hazelnuts (or sub almonds, I used 1 cup hazelnuts and 1 cup almonds in the photos)
- 4 tbsp raw cacao powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 10 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tsp Christmas Spice Blend (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170C (338F).
- Spread the nuts on a baking tray and roast for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden.*
- Let them cool until easy to handle. Place the hazelnuts on a clean kitchen towel, cover and rub them with the kitchen towel to remove the skins (it's ok if some of them stay on).
- Process the nuts until they turn to almost nut butter. The time will depend on the strength of your food processor. It should take 5-10 minutes.
- Add cacao, cinnamon (if using), sea salt, and the Christmas spice blend (if using), and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the dates and process until it all comes together and a dough is formed. You may need to scrape the sides a couple of times and move it around if the mixture has a hard time coming together.
- Roll the dough into balls or use Christmas chocolate molds to make these more festive.
- Let them chill in the fridge or the freezer for at least 30 minutes (more if you're using the molds to make sure they don't fall apart when you take them out).
- Coat in chocolate if desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for a month.
Notes
*Make sure not to burn them. They should be slightly golden in the middle when done. You'll also know they're done when the skin easily comes off when you touch it.
The nutritional information for this recipe is just an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information is not guaranteed.
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Maria says
These look amazing and definitely going to try!
thehealthfulideas says
YAY I'm happy you like them, Maria! :)
Annabella I zkbuzybuzz says
I'll definitely be back here on your site to check out for more. These looks yummy.
thehealthfulideas says
Thank you so much Annabella, I appreciate that!<3
Amanda says
These look amazing. They look like a wonderful gift for the vegans and celiacs on your gift list.
thehealthfulideas says
Yesss I'm definitely planning on giving these as homemade gifts this year! :)
suzanne says
These not only look delicious, but they are adorable! So cute.
thehealthfulideas says
Thank you, Suzanne!<3
Molly says
Seriously, these might be the cutest little treats I've ever seen! They sound absolutely delicious. I'm going to have to try these out!
Molly | Hey There Sunshine
thehealthfulideas says
Omg you're too sweet!<3 Hope you love them!
Kathryn says
These are so cute. Chocolate and hazelnut are just a match made in heaven! Thanks for sharing :)
Kathryn | nimblenote.blogspot.com
thehealthfulideas says
I know right? These totally taste like nutella which is a dream come true!<3
Jenn says
These sound so great! I love the cute little shapes, and I love that combination of hazelnut and chocolate. I can't wait to make these!
GiGi Eats says
So adorable and festive!! Definitely want to make these before the holidays are over!!
Cinny says
Those are so adorable and fun sized! I'm sure I'd eat a whole bunch at once.
Ashley T says
These are too cute and they look so delicious.
Heather says
Chocolate hazelnut may be my favorite flavor of all time. I can't wait to make these.
Dominique Walton Brooks says
I love the shapes you used here! These look like great Christmas treats! Perfect for a holiday party.
Natalie says
These are soooo cute. I love the idea of using chocolate molds to make these treats. I must give this a try. Thanks for the idea and the recipe!
Angela Bell says
These are super cute and will go down a treat with my friends this Christmas!
Nikola Roza says
These chocolate hazelnut fudge bites look delicious, a true Christmas snack. I'm gonna try making them, especially since I'm a vegan, so yeah:)
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Lily says
I love hazenuts. This looks so tasty I would love a bite.