Move over holiday treats, this is the only recipe you will need this year. These truffles are easy to make and oh so delicious! You may want to double the ingredients and make a double batch because they sure didn’t last long in the Food Matters Headquarters!

Ingredients

150g organic & fairtrade dark chocolate  (at least 70% cacao, Green & Blacks is a good option)
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup maple syrup
Pinch of fine pink salt
¾ cup all natural, smooth, nut butter (try almond, ABC, or peanut butter, peanut will have a stronger flavour)
1 cup roasted hazelnuts*
1 tsp hazelnut extract or vanilla extract

Method

1. Boil a pot of water.

2. Roughly chop the chocolate and place in a glass bowl over the hot water bath. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the pot from the heat but keep the bowl over the hot water.

3. While you melt the chocolate, place the coconut milk in a small pot and warm it up a little bit. Add in a generous pinch of sea salt.

3. Slowly add warm coconut milk to the melted chocolate while continuously whisking over a low heat.

4. Whisk in the maple syrup, hazelnut butter and hazelnut or vanilla extract.

5. Allow the mixture to cool and place in the fridge overnight for it to harden.

6. Before taking the mixture out of the fridge, put aside at least 20-25 hazelnuts and chop the rest finely.

7. Spread the chopped hazelnuts on a tray or clean baking sheet.

8. Scoop portions of the ganache mixture into ‘eyeball’ portions. Flatten ball into your hand, place a hazelnut in the middle and then close over the truffle mixture around the hazelnut.

9.Roll between the palms of your hands and then roll the truffle in the chopped hazelnuts. Continue until all of the mixture is gone.

10. Store in the fridge… If they last that long!

*Method for roasting hazelnuts 

1. Preheat an oven to 180°C.
2. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast nuts for 15 minutes, stirring them every 5 minutes or so. They are done when they are fragrant, with cracked skin. Because the husk is pretty dark, it can be hard to tell if it’s starting to turn black and burn, so if you’re unsure, it’s best to err on the side of under-roasted.
4. Drape a clean kitchen towel over a large bowl, and pour in the nuts (they may over-roast if left on the baking sheet). Allow to cool.
5. Close the towel up into a bundle.
6. Give it an energetic massage so the hazelnuts will rub against one another and the skin will come off in little flakes.
7. Transfer the hazelnuts to a big jar, collecting them delicately from the towel with cupped hands and making sure you leave the skin flakes behind.