Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Candy

So I had lots of hazelnuts laying around (and clearly lots of time on my hands too ;) ) and I decided to make some gluten-free vegan chocolate hazelnut candy balls. I was in the mood for something like Ferrero Rocher, but (obviously) without the added gluten and dairy, and also something a (very little) bit more grown up — like a bit less sweet and milky. The result was this chocolate hazelnut candy, which goes extremely well with a nice cup of joe.

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Candy

Print Recipe

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: approx. 10 - 12

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups hazelnuts, finely and roughly chopped (do a bit of a mix)
• 1 cup krispie rice cereal (I used Nature’s Path)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 cup gluten and dairy-free chocolate chips

Chocolate Coating Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten and dairy-free chocolate chips
• ½ tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Melt coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add in all remaining filling ingredients, except chocolate chips. Mix everything together thoroughly and fry for 5-10 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken a little. Stir continuously to prevent burning (especially towards the end). Add in chocolate chips and allow them to melt into the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly once again and remove from heat to cool slightly.
2. While the mixture is cooling, use a double boiler (or the microwave) to melt together all the chocolate coating ingredients. Mix everything thoroughly and remove from heat.
3. Line a cutting board with a sheet of parchment paper. Once the filling mixture is just cool enough to touch, begin forming the mixture into roughly 1 ½ tablespoon size balls with your hands (it’ll be a little bit sticky, but you should be able to press the mixture into ball shape). Don’t wait for the mixture to cool off entirely, as it’ll be less manageable — it should be just cool enough for you to touch it without getting burned, but still somewhat warm. As you form each ball, dip it into the chocolate coating (reheat and mix again if coating mix hardened up), roll it around briefly to coat the entire ball. Pull out using a fork or some tongues and set on the parchment paper to cool off and harden. Once all the balls are ready, place the entire cutting board into the fridge and let them chill for about an hour to harden the coating. Once they’re ready (not sticky when touched), transfer into a glass container or serving dish and keep at room temperature (they taste much better this way).