This is my homemade, healthier version of a Ferrero Rocher chocolate. These Ferrero Rocher Energy balls haven’t got the crispy wafter inside but they still taste amazing. A whole hazelnut encased in a date and nut mixture that’s covered in dark chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. What’s not to love?
They are super easy to make too. Simply blend medjool dates with some hazelnut butter, cacoa powder and raw, unsalted hazelnuts and you have yourself an addictive treat.
You can eat them just like this or for added indulgence you can mix some melted dark chocolate with some chopped hazelnuts and dip each one to fully coat. Amazing either way!
The list of ingredients for ferrero rocher energy balls is:
- Hazelnuts
- Medjool dates
- Chocolate hazelnut butter
- Cacao powder
- Dark chocolate chips
- Sea salt, optional
Give them a try yourself and let me know what you think in the comments.
Recipe Tips
- I use a homemade chocolate hazelnut butter for this recipe. You can find the recipe here. If you don’t have time to make this, a shop-bought one is fine. Try to find one with minimal additional ingredients and low sugar if you can.
- If you prefer another nut or seed butter then please substitute with that. Just keep the quantities the same. I’ve tried them with almond butter as well as peanut butter and they both taste amazing (just a little less chocolatey!).
- I have used dark chocolate chips in this recipe, but any dark chocolate will do. Just try and make sure it is at least 70% cocoa solids and that way it’s more chocolatey and less sugary!
- The same goes for the cacao powder– try and use a high quality, organic one if you can. Cocoa powder will work too, if you can’t find cacao.
- I don’t add maple syrup or any additional sweetener to these energy balls as I think the dates are sweet enough with the dates. If you have a particularly sweet tooth, feel free to add a tbsp or two of maple syrup.
If you liked this ferroro rocher energy balls recipe, why not try:
Ferrero Rocher Energy Balls
With only 5 simple ingredients, these easy Ferrero Rocher energy balls are a fun, healthier take on the traditional chocolate truffle. With a hazelnut in the middle and surrounded by a layer of dark chocolate, they are a great alternative to shop-bought, high sugar treats.
Equipment
- Magimix food processor *affiliate link
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts (140g)
- 1½ cups soft medjool dates pitted (225g)
- ¼ cup chocolate hazelnut butter (60g)
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- Pinch sea salt optional
- ½ cup dark chocolate (75g)
- ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts (35g)
- 15 hazelnuts for the middle
Instructions
- Add the pitted dates, 1 cup hazelnuts, cacao powder, salt and hazelnut butter to a food processor. Blend until sticky. If your dates are harder, add 1 tbsp of water and blend again.
- Separate the mixture into 15 equal pieces and push a hazelnut into the centre of each one. Roll into a ball and refrigerate whilst you melt the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Mix in the chopped nuts and coat each ball in the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate again until the chocolate is hard.
Notes
- I use a homemade chocolate hazelnut spread. It only has 3 ingredients. You can find the recipe here. If you use a shop-bought one, try and find one with minimal sugar and high in nuts and cacao.
- These energy balls will keep for about a week in a sealed tub in the fridge.
- They can also be frozen.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 20.2gProtein: 3.5gFat: 13.8gSaturated Fat: 2.2gFiber: 3.4g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Wondering about the 1/4cup chocolate hazelnut butter that’s in the recipe. Must not be Nutella if you’re implying that these energy balls are healthy. The first ingredient in Nutella is sugar. In other words, there is more sugar in that jar than nuts or any other ingredient. So, please, do tell… what healthy chocolate hazelnut butter are you recommending?
Not it’s not Nutella! I use a homemade one (it’s on the website under vegan Nutella) or in the UK there a few good ones you can buy with minimal ingredients. Let me know if you want the details.
Hi Helen I made these with nut butter. I froze them prior to chocolate coating . They were delicious and very festive as did for Xmas. . Definitely worth the effort for entertaining.
Hi Sally, so pleased you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to let me know x