Guilt-free chocolate hazelnut truffles recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes 12

• 125g Hazelnuts 
• 75 g dates
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds or flax seeds
• 1 Tbsp Pea Protein powder or Coconut flour
• 1 Sachet VITL Greens 
• 100 g raw chocolate

1. Lightly roast the hazelnuts by either placing them on a baking parchment over an oven proof tray for 8 minutes at 180C. Alternatively, pop them in the microwave at high for 2 minutes. They need to be lightly golden with a crunch.
2. Set aside 50g of the hazelnuts and 12 whole hazelnuts. Lightly blitz the rest of the hazelnuts into rough pieces in a food processor. These will form the coating of the truffles so it should not be a powder, nor should it be too big. I find pulsing it for 3-4 times in the food processor works well. Keep these hazel nut bits as well as the whole hazelnuts aside.
3. Soak the dates in hot water for 2-3 minutes. If you soak any longer they'll be too wet and will be difficult to work with. Drain completely and set aside.
4. While the dates are soaking, blitz 75g of the roasted hazelnuts to a fine powder in a food processor. Get it down to as fine a powder as possible. Remove it from the food processor and set aside.
5. Now blitz the soaked dates and coconut oil till completely broken down.
6. Add the hazelnut powder, protein powder, chia seeds and VITL Greens. Blitz it in the food processor till it all combines and becomes a dough-like consistency. This may take a few minutes. Remove from the food processor and set aside
7. Now for the assembly. Bring out the whole hazelnuts, rough hazelnut powder, the green date mix, and the raw chocolate.
8. Melt the raw chocolate in a bowl. Be careful if it is raw then over heating will reduce the nutrient level. I like to put it in the microwave for 20 seconds on high and then keep stirring till it melts completely. Or melt it in a double boiler but keep an eye that the temperature does not increase above 42C.
9. Make 12 equal balls with the green date & hazelnut mixture. Press into each of these balls with a whole hazelnut. The hazelnut must be in the center of these balls. Reshape them in case the balls collapse.
10. Now for the coating, place the rough hazelnut powder on a plate. Dip each superfood ball using a fork into the melted raw chocolate bowl and then roll it in the hazelnut powder. Leave to set on a separate plate. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the balls.
11. Place superfood balls into the fridge and let it set for half an hour.

These last easily for two weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. They also freeze easily.