Healthy Ferrero Rocher Balls
These hazelnut chocolate balls taste like a Ferrero Rocher. There's a whole roasted hazelnut in the middle, a fudgy date and cacao filling around it, and a crunchy dark chocolate shell on the outside. If you keep a secret stash of the gold-wrapped ones, this is the version you can keep in the fridge and eat after dinner without thinking twice.
Servings: 16 balls
Ingredients
For the filling
- 8 Medjool dates pitted
- 1/4 cup warm water for soaking the dates
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts divided
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons water for the chia
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
For the chocolate coating
- 3.5 ounces dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped roasted hazelnuts from the 1 cup above
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Cover the pitted dates with the ¼ cup warm water in a small bowl and let them soften for 10 to 15 minutes. In a second small bowl, stir the chia seeds into the 3 tablespoons water and set it aside to gel.
- Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until they smell toasty and look golden. Let them cool for a few minutes, then rub off any loose skins in a kitchen towel if you like.
- Pick out 16 whole hazelnuts for the centers. Finely chop 2 tablespoons of the others for the coating.
- Pulse the rest of the hazelnuts in a food processor into small crumbs. Add the dates along with their soaking water, then the almond meal, coconut, chia gel, and cacao powder. Blend until everything clumps into a sticky dough that holds together when pinched.
- Scoop about 1½ tablespoons of dough, push a whole hazelnut into the middle, and roll it into a smooth ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough to make 16. Freeze the balls for 10 minutes.
- Melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil, if using, in a small saucepan over very low heat or a double boiler, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring until smooth. Stir in the 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts.
- Roll each ball in the chocolate until it's covered, then lift it out with a fork or tongs and let the extra drip back into the pot. Set it on a parchment-lined plate.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until the chocolate shell is firm. For an icy, firmer bite, set them in the freezer instead.
Notes
Storage: Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezing: Freeze in a single layer, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Eat them straight from the freezer or let them sit for 10 minutes first.
Serving: The chocolate softens at warm room temperature, so keep them chilled until you set them out.
Smaller Bites: Two-teaspoon balls make about 24. You'll need 8 more whole hazelnuts for the centers.