One night last week I was in the mood for chocolate orange truffles. With hazelnuts. I've been seeing gorgeous hazelnut goodies everywhere lately and thought something hazelnutty needed to happen. Do you get specific "moods" like that too?
Well I got to work and realized I had a slight problem... no orange extract, nor oranges to zest, and no, not even dates on hand (a typical no-bake candy and bliss ball ingredient).
Jar of orange marmalade to the rescue!
The texture of these came out perfect -- even without dates or another dried fruit, oils, coconut, etc. The marmalade worked a treat. And I loved the added orange flavor of course.
If you're not an orange marmalade fan on its own, I'd say give this a try anyways -- it's not marmalady. It just adds texture, moisture, binding, and a beautiful orange flavor. Or you can just swap for another jam if you prefer. I bet apricot would be great. Just make sure the marmalade / jam you use is on the thicker side.
If you are an orange marmalade fan though, you might like this super easy galette recipe as well.
The flavor of these is slightly on the "dark chocolate" side. There's a lot of cocoa in there! If you prefer your truffles sweeter, use a bit more coconut sugar. The marmalade has a slight bitter edge to it generally too, so if you go with a different jam that would sweeten them a bit more. I loved mine as they are as I love the bittersweet contrast.
P.S. If you love chocolate and orange together, this oldie bundt cake recipe might interest you. And if you like dark chocolate and orange, you might like this chocolate bark too.
I've missed hazelnuts. I used to work with them a lot more in the past (nutella, chia, tapioca, milk, etc.), but somehow they slipped my mind entirely for the longest while now. I did make a beautiful raw hazelnut cake a few months back and just typing this now it occurred to me I never put it up on the blog either. Total hazelnut amnesia going on here.
Well, these little truffles brought me out of my hazelnut neglecting situation pretty quickly. They pair so well with chocolate, and orange, and a million other things. Oh, that reminds me -- I really restrained myself from adding a pinch of espresso powder to these because I have a general tendency to add it to everything chocolate but feel free to add that if you want to take these to the next level. Espresso truffles with espresso make a lot of sense to me ☕️.
Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Truffles
Beautiful, rich vegan dark chocolate orange truffles, with hazelnut center. Coated in chopped hazelnuts for perfect finishing texture. Gluten-free and super delish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 15-18 truffles
- Category: Candy
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Truffles:
- 1 ½ cups hazelnuts (I used raw)
- ½ cup orange marmalade (I used a fruit sweetened version by St. Dalfour | can use another jam flavor if you prefer)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
Coating:
- ½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts (I ran mine through a food processor) or extra cocoa powder
- 15-18 extra hazelnuts for center
Instructions
- Process hazelnuts into a meal in a food processor. Add all remaining truffle ingredients, except coconut sugar, to the processor and process to combine. Add coconut sugar and process once more. The mixture should be slightly balling up at this point (you can test if it's ready by picking up a small amount of it and see if you can roll it into a ball -- if it's too wet, add a bit more cocoa, if too dry add a bit more maple syrup or jam and process again).
- Spread your coating (chopped hazelnuts or cocoa powder) out in a bowl. Line a plate or a tray with parchment paper and set aside. Have the hazelnuts reserved for center handy.
- Pick up 1-2 tablespoon of the mixture (a big spoonful) and roll into a ball with your hands. Press a hazelnut into the center and roll the ball up again to seal it in. Roll the truffle in the coating mixture and set on the prepared lined tray. Repeat with remaining mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and enjoy. Keep in a sealed container either at room temp, refrigerated, or freeze for later use (I prefer mine refrigerated for best texture).
Hazel says
Hi! Can the coconut sugar be omitted or substituted with dates?
Audrey says
Hi Hazel, it can be, but it will completely change the texture of these and you'd need to likely adjust a few things as dates add a stickiness and moisture into the recipe, whereas the coconut sugar is dehydrated.
Ellen Lederman says
Absolutely fantastic! So deep and satisfying. I used Trader Joe's orange marmalade, which isn't sickeningly sweet like some orange jams. Truly wonderful. easy to make. As cheap as I am, I will be making this again and again...and not fretting about the cost of hazelnuts! Can't wait to make more stuff from your blog.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Ellen. I'm so happy you liked these :)
I wish we had a TJ's here -- I bet their jam is delish. Love that store!
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy says
Oh wow...I've actually never had orange marmalade but love orange and dark chocolate together! I've always loved those hazelnut chocolate truffles growing up, so whenever I see those two words together i need to check them out. These may be my newest addiction along with your hemp chocolates!
Audrey says
Orange marmalade happens to be a typical love it or hate it kind of ingredient -- the British tend to love it best :) I love it too. It's like jam, but includes orange rind and so is sort of bitter / sweet. But orange anything is so good with chocolate, and I like the slightly bitter edge of the marmalade in these.
Natalia says
Mmm, orange marmelade hazelnuts in chocolate? OMG, this sounds insane, Audrey!
★★★★★
Audrey says
It's definitely a winning classic combo :)
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
The unforeseen benefit of being out of usual staple ingredients and finding forgotten jars of fruity things deep in the pantry! To be honest once I realized I was out of dates I probably would've given up on no-bake anything, but despite the date-less-ness the texture of these little guys looks wonderful! Orange, deeply dark chocolate, and hazelnuts--how sophisticated. Considering it was night and all, good call on the no-espresso thing, but the sound of that addition sounds deliciously EXTRA sophisticated too!
Audrey says
Yep, jars of fruity things to the rescue yet again ??