The end of the year is approaching, and we want to sweeten the moment. It is a very special moment in which we celebrate that we are starting a new cycle together. I propose an easy healthy and nutritious recipe which deserves a place on any tray of sweets at this time of year.

I propose you to make the classic Ferrero Rocher without sugar using seasonal products and recycling hazelnut and coconut milk pulps. It was a casual discovery experimenting with pulps to make energy bars. The dough I had in my hands asked me for cocoa and a little brandy, and I got inspired by the famous Ferrero Rocher, and voilà! It came out delicious (it doesn’t always happen, hahaha…).

Satisfied with the result, I tell you all the details in this recipe. I hope, as always, that it will inspire you and activate that culinary creativity that is so common when the Vegan Milker comes into our hands. I am sure that similar versions have already been created in more than one kitchen and I will be delighted to hear about them in the comments section of the blog.

Let’s go with the ingredients to make 12 chocolates.

First of all, we are going to separate the ingredients into two groups: dry and wet ingredients.

Dry ingredients (250 g)

• 40 g of coconut pulp
• 60 g of hazelnut pulp
• 50 g of sunflower seeds
• 100 g of sesame seeds to cover the chocolates
• 15 whole hazelnuts

Wet ingredients (250 g)

• 150 g of pitted meyul dates
• 100 g of prunes

Flavoring:

• 35 g of fair-trade cocoa*
• 3 drops of brandy (optional)

*We will hardly sweeten our moment if we are sacrificing the lives of a lot of African and South American families caught up in the big global cocoa mafia.

Preparing the chocolates:

1. Mix by hand in a bowl the plant milk pulps (coconut and hazelnut pulp) with the sunflower seeds. Frozen pulps can be used, but in that case, wait until they are well thawed before proceeding with the mixing.
2. On the other hand, with the help of a grinder or food processor, we make a dough by grinding the wet ingredients: dates and prunes.
3. When they are well crushed, add the cocoa and mix some more. If you use a grinder, be careful not to burn the engine.
4. Then we join the wet mass with the dry mass of seeds in the bowl and knead by hand. It is important to knead well so that the seeds are distributed evenly throughout the dough. This will leave a sticky, fairly solid dough.
5. Spread the dough on a tray and put it in the freezer for 2 hours. After this time, remove the plate and make balls by wrapping a hazelnut in the centre of the ball. The balls should not be too fat so that the mixture of flavours is more intense and the chocolate can be eaten in one bite.
6. Finally, wrap the balls in the toasted sesame seeds. To make it easier, put the seeds in a glass and shake the ball in it until it is well covered with seeds.
7. Keep in the fridge and take out the chocolates for the occasion.

Alternatives:

As we have already suggested in the ingredients, three drops of brandy can be added to give it a different touch.

You can also replace the hazelnut pulp with almond pulp and the sesame in the final coating with peanut or hazelnut pieces.

There is also the alternative of replacing the dry ingredients with other seeds to taste: pumpkin seeds, sesame, pistachio, crushed peanuts, crushed hazelnuts, crushed walnuts… whichever we like best, is cheaper for us or is more to hand.

Let’s enjoy! I hope that the recipe will inspire you to sweeten the celebrations around the new year in a healthy way. Happy 2021 everyone!