Homemade chocolate hazelnut balls made with only six real-food ingredients. They taste like Ferrero Rocher candies but are healthier, gluten-free, vegan and paleo-friendly.
Ohh man. I don’t know if you’re ready for these chocolate hazelnut balls. They’re my take on homemade Ferrero Rocher (aka one of my favorite candies growing up). They’re such an easy dessert to make and are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.
Ferrero Rocher Made Healthier
Store-bought Ferrero Rocher are delicious, but they’re made with some not-so-healthy-for-you ingredients like milk chocolate, white sugar and palm oil. In true EBF fashion, I decided to make a homemade version that’s sweetened with just a touch of pure maple syrup (and chocolate chips if you use them) and made with only SIX real-food ingredients. They taste just like the real deal… some taste-testers have even said that they like them better than the original candies. Go figure! 🙂
Chocolate Hazelnut Balls Ingredients:
You only need six simple ingredients to make this tasty treat:
hazelnuts
cacao or cocoa powder
maple syrup – you can swap in honey if you don’t need these balls to be vegan.
Chop hazelnuts – add 1 cup hazelnuts into a food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until hazelnuts are chopped into small pieces.
Combine ingredients – add cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt and chocolate (if using) into the processor and pulse a few more times, until the ingredients start to stick together. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture holds together well enough to be formed into balls. Be sure not to add too much water.
Form into balls – roll mixture into bite-size balls and insert one hazelnut into the center of each, forming the ball around it. This step is totally optional, but makes the bites more like the traditional Ferrero Rocher.
Coat balls with hazelnuts – chop remaining 4 hazelnuts into tiny pieces. Roll each ball in the mixture to coat the outside. Enjoy energy bites right away and/or store remaining bites in the fridge for later.
How to Store Chocolate Hazelnut Balls
Store chocolate hazelnut balls in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you store them in the freezer, make sure to let them thaw a bit before eating otherwise they’ll probably be too hard.
If you make these chocolate hazelnut balls please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers.
Chocolate hazelnut balls made with only six real food ingredients. They taste like Ferrero Rocher candies but are healthier, gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
1 cup + 12 individual hazelnuts, raw or toasted
2 Tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon diary-free mini chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks (optional)
Instructions
Add 1 cup hazelnuts into a food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until hazelnuts are chopped into small pieces.
Add cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt and chocolate (if using) into the processor and pulse a few more times, until the ingredients start to stick together. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture holds together well enough to be formed into balls. Be sure not to add too much water.
Roll mixture into bite-size balls and insert one hazelnut into the center of each, forming the ball around it. This step is totally optional, but makes the bites more like the traditional Ferrero Rocher.
Chop remaining 4 hazelnuts into tiny pieces. Roll each ball in the mixture to coat the outside. Enjoy energy bites right away and/or store remaining bites in the fridge for later.
These are delicious! The chocolate flavor came through very well (I did use the optional mini chocolate chips). I also loved the nut bits and the whole nut in the center–I would recommend toasting them, as they add to the nutty flavor. I did not coat the balls in nut pieces this time, and they were still wonderful without them!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Shirley!! Thanks for sharing your note about toasting the hazelnut and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It’s super helpful to other readers, so I appreciate it. <3
I haven’t ever tried them without the maple syrup and I’m not sure it’s the best idea because the syrup does help the balls stick together. Let me know if you experiment and try it!
subscribe
Buy Now →
Leave a Comment
It looks so yummy… thanks for sharing the recipe
★★★★★
Hi! I made these truffles, they turned out amazing but why are my truffle balls leaving oil?
★★★★
These are delicious! The chocolate flavor came through very well (I did use the optional mini chocolate chips). I also loved the nut bits and the whole nut in the center–I would recommend toasting them, as they add to the nutty flavor. I did not coat the balls in nut pieces this time, and they were still wonderful without them!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Shirley!! Thanks for sharing your note about toasting the hazelnut and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It’s super helpful to other readers, so I appreciate it. <3
Can this be made sugar free with either Splenda or stevia
I haven’t ever tried them without the maple syrup and I’m not sure it’s the best idea because the syrup does help the balls stick together. Let me know if you experiment and try it!
These look great! I’m doing the Whole 30 & wondering if I were to sub dates how many would you suggest?
Sounds yummy. If I use dates, how many would I need?
Hi Rosalie. I think I’d start with 1-2 dates! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Ahh so excited to try these!! I love energy bites and can’t wait to try this version…love how fancy they look with the whole hazelnut in the middle 🙂