Have you ever heard of the Italian chocolate hazelnut paste called ‘Nutella’? I bet you probably have! Like most children in Belgium, I grew up eating tons of Nutella sandwiches for breakfast. They were my favorite weekend treat ☺ They even inspired me to create this super simple recipe for Mini Nutella Donuts with Salted Coffee Caramel (don’t worry: there’s no real coffee in them). I love enjoying these guilt-free chocolate treats with a nice cup of green tea. I hope you will like them too!
Mini Nutella Donuts with Salted Coffee Caramel
SERVES: 4 small donuts
EQUIPMENT: food processor, rubber spatula, small mixing bowl
INGREDIENTS:
Chocolate Donuts
½ cup of hazelnuts
½ cup of cashews
½ cup of almonds, soaked for 8 to 12 hours and dehydrated until crisp (or extra cashews)
¼ cup of date paste
3 tablespoons of cacao, unsweetened
1 tablespoon of carob powder (or extra cacao & sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon of coffee extract (or 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground coffee, optional)
2 large pinches of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt (or more to taste)
Coffee Caramel
6 tablespoons of date paste
1 teaspoon of orange or lemon juice
1 teaspoon of coffee extract (or more to taste)
2 large pinches of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
Garnish
1 teaspoon of orange zest, finely chopped
1 small piece of star anise, grated
DIRECTIONS:
Chocolate Donuts
- Combine hazelnuts, cashews and almonds in a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Process until finely ground.
- Add date paste, cacao, carob powder, coffee extract and salt. Process again until everything is well combined. Taste and add more sweetener or cacao if needed.
- Shape the sticky dough into small donuts. Leave a hole in the middle of each donut but cover the bottom of each hole with chocolate dough so the coffee caramel won’t just drip out.
- Place the donuts in the refrigerator so they can firm up while you prepare the coffee caramel.
Coffee Caramel
- Combine date paste, orange juice, coffee extract and salt in a small mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until well combined.
- Fill every donut hole with coffee caramel.
- Garnish with finely chopped orange zest and grated star anise for extra flavor.
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
- These chocolate donuts will stay fresh for at least 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Replace the almonds with extra hazelnuts if you prefer chocolate donuts with a really strong Nutella flavor.
- Not so fond of the orange anise combination? Try garnishing the chocolate donuts with finely chopped cacao nibs & goji berries.
Now I would love to hear from you! What are your favorite baked treats? Muffins, cupcakes, Danish pastries… Share your favorites by leaving a comment down below & I might just create a raw vegan version for you!
