Everyone loves Ferrero Rocher, right?

Creamy chocolate, crunchy hazelnuts and silky cream – all that in little ball of guilty pleasure.

But then they’re not really healthy and they’re definitely not vegan.

So how about a little twist in the form of Ferrero Rocher tart? 100% plant-based, 100% good for you and 100% still tasting very, very guilty.

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 120g raw hazelnuts
• 160g oat flour (you can simply make it by blending oat flakes in a food processor)
• 5 tbsp. maple syrup
• 4 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

For the filling:

• 300g raw hazelnuts
• 200g Medjool dates, or other soft variety
• 100g dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. cacao/cocoa powder
• 100ml plant-based milk

For the chocolate coating:

• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 100g dark chocolate
• 20 roasted whole hazelnuts (optional)

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lay a bottom of a round 22-cm cake tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
2. Put 300g raw hazelnuts on a tray lined with baking parchment and roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the skins start coming off and the colour turns into golden. Be careful not to leave them for too long not to burn them. Remove from the oven and let cool. Do not turn the oven off.
3. In the meantime start making the base by putting 120g raw hazelnuts in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until meal forms. Place the ground nuts in a mixing bowl, add the rest of the base ingredients and mix until dough forms; it should have a consistency of wet sand.
4. Transfer the base mix to the prepared cake tin and using your hands form the base, making sure that the sides are at least 1.5 inch tall. Spike the bottom of the base with a fork and put the tin in the oven. Bake for 13-15 min or until golden-brown, then take out of the oven and set aside.
5. Put the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel and roll around with your hands to remove the skins. Try to remove as much as possible, it will never be perfect, but it should take some time.
6. Place 2/3 of the peeled nuts in a food processor and bled until hazelnut butter forms. This will take some time so be patient and keep blending; it should ideally become a little runny.
7. In a saucepan melt 2 tbsp. coconut oil and 100g dark chocolate on low heat stirring frequently not to burn the chocolate. Add it to the food processor as well as dates, cacao powder and almond milk and blend all until smooth and creamy. This again will take some time to ensure there are no leftover bits of dates.
8. Chop the leftover 1/3 of peeled hazelnuts into small pieces and add to the prepared filling and mix thoroughly using a spoon.
9. Transfer the filling on top of the baked base and even out the surface using a spatula.
10. In a saucepan melt 2 tbsp. coconut oil and 100g dark chocolate on low heat stirring frequently not to burn the chocolate. Transfer the chocolate on top of the tart and spread evenly using a spatula. Decorate with roasted hazelnuts and place in the fridge for at least an hour to set.
11. Take out of the fridge and serve right away or store in room temperature for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

Julia x