hazelnut 'praline' truffles

I love praline (crushed, caramelised nuts). But making praline unfortunately involves A LOT of sugar. So I came up with these truffles, which have a praline vibe thanks to the use of hazelnut butter, the caramel-like flavour of rice malt syrup and vanilla. The truffles are high in good fats, low in sugar and fructose-free.

Hazelnuts can be expensive (and sometimes hard to find), so I have used raw cashew nuts as the base. Cashews have a really mild flavour, so they work well as a base. The hazelnut element comes from the use of hazelnut butter. I use Mayver�s brand Hazelnut & Cacao Spread because I always have some at home (it�s delicious). It�s simply hazelnuts ground to a paste with a bit of added cacao power (that�s it - no sugar, no added oils). If you can�t find this brand, you could simply use plain hazelnut butter with a tablespoon of cacao powder (or just leave out the cacao powder, as it�s just a background flavour). I roll the truffles in ground hazelnuts at the end, but you could roll them in another ground nut or some shredded coconut if you prefer.

I usually make small batches of stuff like this (to avoid eating too many), but I made these for a friend�s birthday so the recipe yields about 35 truffles. If you�re like me and struggle with moderation, I recommend making these when you know you�ve got people to share them with!

ingredients

• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• � cup coconut flour
• � cup Mayver�s Hazelnut & Cacao Spread (or � cup plain hazelnut butter)
• � cup rice malt syrup *
• � cup raw virgin coconut oil, softened
• � tsp vanilla powder or vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Ground hazelnuts for rolling

preparation

1. Process the cashews and shredded coconut in a food processor until you get fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a large bowl and stir through the coconut flour, Hazelnut & Cacao Spread (or hazelnut butter), rice malt syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt.

2. Roll the mixture into balls, then roll the balls in the ground hazelnuts and set them in the fridge. Store them in the fridge, as the coconut oil in the truffles may start to melt at room temperature.

Makes about 35 truffles. 

* I use rice malt syrup because it's fructose-free. But you could substitute raw honey or pure maple syrup if you prefer.