Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
May 7, 2010
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
This was an experiment. Well, an experiment on an experiment. A food experiment raised to the second power? So comforting to know I remember exponential algebra.
A couple of months ago I bought a bag of raw cocoa nibs. I don’t remember what possessed me to buy them, though it was likely a general curiosity because they seem to be popping up everywhere. Cocoa nibs are basically the cocoa bean without its husk. I’d compare biting into a raw nib to biting into an unsweetened chocolate flavored coffee bean. Intense.
So after some internet surfing, I happened upon David Lebovitz’s recipe for chocolate-hazelnut spread, which calls for cocoa nibs. Homemade Nutella? Winner! I adapted his recipe by incorporating whole roasted hazelnuts (he uses hazelnut oil). And it was good. Spoon lickin’ good. No further experimentation necessary. Except I couldn’t help but notice that after being stored in the fridge the spread resembled chilled chocolate ganache. Light bulb. Good things can always be improved upon. Truffles were born. Heavy whipping cream-free truffles. Vegan chocolate hazelnut truffles. Mega chocolate. Subtle hazelnut. Slight nibby crunch. Winner squared!
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
(Originally inspired by David Lebovitz)- 1 cup raw cocoa nibs*
- 1 1/2 cups blanched hazelnuts (skins removed)
- 1-2 T vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (more or less to taste)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread the nibs and hazelnuts on two separate baking sheets and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until fragrant.
Transfer nibs and nuts to a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to pulse. Depending on the oil content of your hazelnuts you may need more or less vegetable oil here. Add powdered sugar and run the motor until the mixture comes together and forms a spread (about 3 minutes). Your spread will be smooth, but still contain tiny bits of nibs. If it’s a bit runny, that’s ok. It’s likely from the heat of the oven and the motor. It will firm up in the fridge.
Spread mixture in a shallow baking pan and refrigerate until set, about 1-2 hours. Once set, form the chocolate into 1-inch balls (I found running my hands under very cold water every so often kept them from sticking/melting) and roll in unsweetened cocoa powder to coat.
Store in the refrigerator until serving time.
Makes about 1 1/2 – 2 dozen truffles.
*If you find nibs pre-roasted, skip the roasting step and toast them in a dry skillet for about 3 minutes, or until they are shiny.
Estela @ Weekly Bite
May 7, 2010 at 8:22 am
Oh My Word! These look insane!!!
Stephanie
May 7, 2010 at 8:43 am
Oh sweet peaches those look good.
Springfield is home to Askinosie chocolates, where we get our cocoa nibs. He even has chocolate bars with the nibs in them. I’ll send you a bar next time I get over there.
http://www.askinosie.com/
Tracy
May 7, 2010 at 8:43 am
How decadent. I want one.
Danna
May 7, 2010 at 8:50 am
Another weakness of mine — chocolate hazelnut! These look phenomenal!!! :)
M.
May 7, 2010 at 12:07 pm
oh, nooooo!!!!
what a torture to look at these decadent beauties!!!! I want to eat them right off the screen!!!
Lentil Breakdown
May 7, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Yum! I love that choco-hazel combo! I had seen David’s blog post of this spread and mentally bookmarked it. I just bought hazelnut oil last week to make this insane chocolate hazelnut cake I had at Batali’s Babbo. You have to make unsweetened hazelnut paste from the nuts and the oil. I posted a picture of the Babbo version a few posts back.
Sara
May 7, 2010 at 1:32 pm
wow… can i describe these as dreamy? No, seriously, the pictures have this heavenly glow to them. Love the combo!
Laura
May 7, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Yum^2
allison from "a for aubergine"
May 7, 2010 at 9:20 pm
My mouth is watering!
Cherine
May 8, 2010 at 2:49 am
Lovely! A fabulous treat!
Katie @ Cozydelicious
May 8, 2010 at 9:51 am
Oh yum! I love cocoa nibs, I love hazelnut… how awesome. I want one now!
Jamie | My Baking Addiction
May 10, 2010 at 6:54 pm
These look fabulous!
Kaitlin
May 10, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Wowwww…. I made truffles yesterday and wasn’t too happy with them. These sound WAY better. Great idea!
{JulieMorris.net}
May 15, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Cacao nibs are a dessert lover’s secret weapon. Love them. And they are surprisingly nutritious too!