Recipe characteristics
- No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes combine a hazelnut crust sweetened with dates with a rich hazelnut layer and a delicious chocolate ganache on top.
- Rich and creamy texture
- No oven required
- Perfect to serve up for holidays, birthdays, or any other special occasion
- Dietary requirements: vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free, and soy-free
Notes on ingredients
- Dry roasted hazelnuts: Roasting hazelnuts deepens their flavor and gives them a crisper texture. Check How to roast hazelnuts for more info.
- Coconut flour: Coconut flour is made from coconut flesh that has been dried and finely ground. It’s not the same as shredded or desiccated coconut.
- Cacao powder: I used raw cacao powder as it provides more nutrition but regular cocoa powder works just as well.
- Dates: Use any variety as long as they’re soft and moist. If you only have dry dates, put them in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until soft.
- Cashews: They provide rich and creamy texture. Make sure to soak them at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
- Coconut cream: Always use full-fat canned coconut milk or the cupcakes won’t turn out creamy. Chill it in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil gives a nice flavor and texture to no-bake recipes.
- Dark chocolate: Choose a good quality dark chocolate with 85 percent cocoa solids.
- Agave syrup: You can substitute it with maple syrup.
- Lemon juice: It adds a little extra flavor.
How to make it
Soaking cashews: Put cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
Soaking dates: Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Note: To ensure an ultra-smooth texture of the cashew cream, it’s important to use a high-speed blender.
Note on coconut cream: Always use full-fat canned coconut milk or the cupcakes won’t turn out creamy. Chill it in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon.
Crust
- Drain dates really well after soaking them – you can use a fork to remove any excess water.
- Place dry roasted hazelnuts, coconut flour, cacao powder, and dates into the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together.
- Once it’s all combined and the mixture is nice and sticky, spread the mixture into 12 small cylinder cupcake silicone molds 5-6 cm diameter and press down firmly to form the base.
Hazelnut layer
- Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender.
- Add coconut cream, agave syrup, lemon juice, and coconut oil and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add ground hazelnuts and blend again until all is well combined. Adjust sweetness if needed.
- Using a spoon, layer the hazelnut cream on top of the crunchy base, ensuring you leave a 2 mm gap at the top for the chocolate layer.
- Place the cupcakes in the freezer to set for at least 4-5 hours or until firm.
Chocolate topping
- Melt dark chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Set aside and let it cool down a bit.
- Put coconut cream, melted chocolate, and agave or maple syrup into a high-speed blender and process briefly until smooth. Adjust sweetness if needed.
- Put the chocolate ganache on top of the each cupcake (pour it on top of each cupcake or use a spoon to create drips).
- Place the cupcakes in the fridge for half an hour to allow the topping to firm up.
Storing
Store leftover cupcakes in the fridge or store in the freezer for up to 3 months for optimal flavor.
Tips and how-tos
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No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes
Ingredients
Crust
- 100 g roasted hazelnuts
- 100 g dates soaked in water for a couple of hours or until soft
- 25 g coconut flour
- 10 g cacao powder
Hazelnut layer
- 250 g cashews soaked in water for min 4 hours
- 150 g coconut cream the thickened coconut cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk
- 30 ml coconut oil
- 100-120 ml agave syrup
- 30 ml lemon juice
- 100 g ground roasted hazelnuts
Chocolate topping
- 100 g coconut cream the thickened coconut cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk
- 100 g dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids)
- 50-60 ml agave or maple syrup
Instructions
Crust
- Drain dates really well after soaking them - you can use a fork to remove any excess water.
- Place dry roasted hazelnuts, coconut flour, cacao powder, and dates into the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together.
- Once it’s all combined and the mixture is nice and sticky, spread the mixture into 12 small cylinder cupcake silicone molds (5-6 cm diameter) and press down firmly to form the base.
Hazelnut layer
- Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender.
- Add coconut cream, agave syrup, lemon juice, and coconut oil and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add ground hazelnuts and blend again until all is well combined. Adjust sweetness if needed.
- Using a spoon, layer the hazelnut cream on top of the crunchy base, ensuring you leave a 2 mm gap at the top for the chocolate layer.
- Place the cupcakes in the freezer to set for at least 4-5 hours or until firm.
Chocolate ganache
- Melt dark chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Set aside and let it cool down a bit.
- Put coconut cream, melted chocolate, and agave or maple syrup into a high-speed blender and process briefly until smooth. Adjust sweetness if needed.
- Put the chocolate ganache on top of the each cupcake (pour it on top of each cupcake or use a spoon to create drips).
- Place the cupcakes in the fridge for half an hour to allow the topping to firm up.
Notes
Nutrition facts
* The nutritional information provided is calculated automatically and should be used as an estimate.