Raw Nutella Bliss Balls (Hazelnut-Cacao Truffles)

Rich, fudgy little truffles made with real hazelnuts and raw cacao, sweetened with just a little honey or maple. They taste like the real thing, with nothing artificial.

Yield: 12–15 bites · Active: 20 min · Total: 1 hour, including chilling · Year-round (hazelnuts are harvested in fall in Oregon and Piedmont) · Best eaten: midday or early afternoon

For a bigger, sliceable version, see my Raw Avocado Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart.

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth hazelnut butter (made from just hazelnuts)

• ½ cup raw cacao powder

• ¼ cup raw honey or maple syrup

• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

• Optional: ½ cup finely chopped Medjool dates (to bind and sweeten, if the mixture is loose)

• Optional: ¼ cup chopped dried cherries, for a fruity twist

For rolling: raw cacao powder, finely chopped toasted hazelnuts, or unsweetened shredded coconut

Method

1. Mix. Stir together the hazelnut butter, cacao, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until smooth, then fold in the dates and cherries, if using.

2. Chill 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll.

3. Roll into 1-inch balls, then roll each one in cacao powder, chopped hazelnuts, or coconut.

4. Chill until firm.

Storage: Refrigerated up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 3 months.

Nourishment Notes

Hazelnuts — vitamin E, manganese, copper, oleic acid, and proanthocyanidins.

Raw cacao — magnesium, iron, flavanols, and theobromine.

Coconut oil — lauric acid.

Dates — potassium and fiber.

Raw honey — keeps its enzymes in this no-bake recipe (avoid it for babies under 12 months).

Sourcing

• Hazelnut butter — organic, made from just hazelnuts, or homemade from organic Oregon hazelnuts or Nocciola Piemonte IGP

• Raw cacao powder — organic, ideally tested for heavy metals

• Raw honey or maple syrup — organic, local, and unfiltered raw honey; organic Grade A dark maple syrup

• Coconut oil and shredded coconut — organic, virgin coconut oil; organic, unsweetened, sulfite-free coconut

• Medjool dates and dried cherries — organic and unsulfured, with no added sugar

• Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract

• Baja Gold sea salt

— Anna aka Food Marshall