Frangelico Hazelnut Butter Truffles

Well, I thought I would sneak in a cheeky little Valentine's Day post for you....although, truth be told - these aren't really truffles! I just didn't know what else to call them :-) Think peanut butter cups but with hazelnut instead and shaped differently (calling them hazelnut butter balls just wasn't going to happen!) I actually made these last year for Easter and shaped them into eggs but I didn't get around to blogging them. So for Valentine's day this year I wanted to make them heart shaped but seriously overestimated my heart shaping abilities....it wasn't working. If you have a silicone heart mould, the type for chocolates or ice cubes, that would be perfect here. Or, just take the easy route and roll them into balls like I did :-)

I have based these on my peanut butter cup recipe where I have swapped the peanut butter with hazelnut butter and threw in some delicious Frangelico to fancy them up a bit ;-) They are super easy to throw together and so delicious. As you can see, the chocolate coating is pretty thin so feel free to double coat if you prefer. Furthermore, rolling them in some finely chopped hazelnuts wouldn't go amiss either if that's your thing - play around with them! An almond version with almond butter and Amaretto I'm sure would be great as well. 

Frangelico Hazelnut Butter Truffles:

Yields about 28 small "truffles"

¼ cup hazelnut butter (all natural, no salt or sugar)

1 Tbsp vegan butter
pinch of salt
1¼ cups icing sugar
1 Tbsp Frangelico
100g dark chocolate, chopped

Measure the butters into a small bowl and soften with a spoon, mixing well. Add the salt, icing sugar and Frangelico. Mix well until you have a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for a couple of hours. Roll into small size balls, I used a measured teaspoon, and place on a plate lined with baking paper. Chill in the fridge until firm – a couple of hours will do.

Melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave in 20 second spurts until smooth. Using 2 forks dip the truffles into the chocolate, turning over until well coated. Let the excess chocolate run off then place them on a chopping board lined with baking paper. If you want to roll them in some chopped hazelnuts do this now before the chocolate sets (unless you want to coat them twice, in which case roll them in hazelnuts after the second coating). Chill until set – a couple of hours. If you wish you can coat them again then chill again. Store in the fridge. Lovely with a sip of Frangelico alongside!

♥

Nutritional Information: per "truffle"

Calories: 62

Protein: 0.4g

Fat: 2.1g

Sat Fat: 0.2g

Fibre: 0.3g

Carbs: 6.1g

Sugar: 5.3g

Sodium: 1.7mg

Some more Valentine's Day Treats:

Raspberry
White Chocolate
Mousse Cake

Raspberry Bakewell
Tarts