I am so excited to finally have Alessandra from The Foodie Teen as a guest blogger on my site! This girl has it going on! Not only does she come up with fantastic recipes that you thought were no longer possible on paleo, but she has absolutely beautiful photography. She deserves an applause for her amazing work. With recipes like Coconut Lemon Cheesecake Bites, Pumpkin Spice Macaroons, and Breadsticks, she will leave you wondering what the hell you were doing at 16 years old and why you didn’t have your life together like she does. Try out these fudge layers ASAP and leave all of your comments and questions for Alessandra below!
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I know, I know, four layers in one little bite-sized square may sound excessive, but being asked to guest post by one of your absolute favourite people and food bloggers definitely calls for a celebration!
And when there’s chocolate and hazelnuts involved, there can never be enough layers..
There’s the dark, dense, nutty base layer, which is smothered in a thick, fudgy, buttery, decadent mixture of silky smooth hazelnut butter, rich cacao powder, fragrant vanilla extract, coconut oil, almond milk, and maple syrup, then sprinkled with a smattering of toasty, fragrant chopped roasted hazelnuts and finally, generously drizzled with silky dark chocolate.
In one bite, you’ve got the toasty crunch of hazelnuts, the fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth, dark chocolate hazelnut truffle mixture, and a hint of the slightly chewy, nutty base… perfection!
These were inspired by my Ferrero Rocher Truffle Recipe, which, although extremely delicious, are a little time-consuming. Considering the rate at which they mysteriously disappear whenever I make a new batch, I needed to find a way to make them a little faster and easier to make. Well, mission accomplished!
These freeze really well too, so they’re great to make in advance for when you need a sweet treat or for when you’re expecting guests! Just keep them in an airtight container and let them defrost in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Thank you so, so much to Juli for letting me guest post here today, and I hope you all enjoy these!
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Squares
Ingredients
For the Base Layer
- 1 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp cacao powder
For the Fudgy Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Layer
- 1/2 cup hazelnut butter
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (I use the deodorised version here, which has no coconutty smell or taste – this means it doesn’t distract from the subtle hazelnut flavor)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Crunchy Hazelnut Layer
- 1 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts
For the Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- To make the base layer, place all the ingredients in a food processor and combine for 10 seconds, until it’s combined but still has visible chunks of hazelnuts in it. Transfer to a foil-lined 5×3″ container (it doesn’t have to be oven-proof as this recipe requires no baking!). Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
- To make the filling, place all the ingredients in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (a double boiler), then stir well when everything’s melted to form a smooth, dark mixture. Taste and add more maple syrup if necessary (this will depend on things like how sweet your cacao powder is and what level of sweetness you’re used to!). Remove the base layer from the fridge, then pour the filling over the base and smooth over with a spatula. Transfer to the fridge for 10 minutes to let it firm up just a little.
- To create the crunchy hazelnut layer, sprinkle the chilled filling evenly with the crunchy roasted chopped hazelnut pieces. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in double boiler or in the microwave, then drizzle the chocolate evenly over the hazelnut pieces. Finally, transfer the container to the fridge and let firm up for at least 8 hours.
- Using the foil, remove from the container. With a sharp knife, cut into sixteen small squares. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them – they melt fast! Enjoy!
Alessandra is a 16-year-old recipe creator and blogger behind the award-winning blog The Foodie Teen. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and taking photographs of the successful endeavours! Alessandra has Coeliac disease along with over 70 food allergies, which is how she found the Paleo diet, healed her leaky gut through real food, and now chronicles her journey on her blog in an attempt to help others heal themselves. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!
I just made these, using all almonds in place of the hazelnuts. Very delicious! One thing, though. The pan size needs to be fixed! I made them in a 4×8″ loaf pan, which obviously is much larger than the 3×5″ called for in the recipe, and it could have been even larger (but probably not as large as an 8″ square). The layer of nuts on top is entirely too thick and just falls off of the base layer, and the chocolate drizzle isn’t enough to hold the nut layer together. Even made in the 4×8″ pan, the finished truffles are too thick to be eaten in a single bite. But then, who’d want to?!?
Does anyone know the nutritional info on these? I am new to Paleo, but still am tracking my food. I did make these and they are unbelievable!!
Hi, can i sub the coconut oil with a different kind of oil?
you could use butter or ghee!