These cookies are super scrumptious and sweet and actually have zero Nutella in them. The secret of the famous spread’s magical flavor lies, in fact, within the toasted hazelnuts and cacao combo.

You can easily toast your own hazelnuts by throwing them into the oven at 175°C for about 15-20 minutes. Once they are fragrant and their skins are cracked, take them out and leave to cool completely. To peal the skins the easy way, just wrapped cooled hazelnuts into a kitchen towel and give them a good rub. Most skins will just slide off and you’ll have an easy time peeling off the rest with your hands.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields about 50 cookies / 3.27 EUR)

For the cookie batter:

1 and ½ cup toasted hazelnuts (1.33 EUR)

1 cup pitted dates (0.67 EUR)

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (0.27 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

2 tbsp raw cacao powder (0.27 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

1-2 tbsp plant based milk (0.01 EUR)

For the topping:

2 rows dark cooking chocolate (0.53 EUR)

½ tsp coconut oil (0.02 EUR)

2-3 tbsp crushed toasted hazelnuts (0.13 EUR)

METHOD:

Pulse the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor into a fine powder. Remove and set aside, then add pitted dates to a food processor and pulse until you have a thick paste. Return in the hazelnuts, then add in coconut oil, vanilla, cacao powder and salt. Pulse until a thick dough comes together. Add in the milk bit by bit as needed. Remove the dough from food processor, wrap in cling foil and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 3-4 days in advance.

When ready to bake, remove the dough from fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, so it’s easier to roll out. Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper and cut into desired shapes. Place the cookies on a prepared baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes.

The cookies will still be soft when they come right out of the oven, but don’t worry, they’ll firm up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on their baking tray, then gently move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are completely cool, melt the chocolate with coconut oil and cover each cookie with the mixture. Sprinkle each cookie with a bit of crushed hazelnuts before the chocolate firms up. Place the cookies in the fridge for 15-20 minutes so the chocolate firms up completely, then store in an airtight container in a cool dark place. The cookies should hold for at least a week or two.

---

Ovi keksići su jako bogati i slasni, a zapravo u njima uopće niti nema Nutelle. Tajna okusa, koji jako podsjeća na slavni namaz, je u kombinaciji tostiranih lješnjaka i kakao praha.

Lješnjake lako možete sami tostirati tako da ih ubacite u pećnicu na 175°C na jedno 15-20 minuta. Izvadite lješnjake iz pećnice kada zamiriše i tanka ljuskica im popuca, te ih ostavite da se skroz ohlade. Ljusku ćete onda lako skinuti sa lješnjaka tako da ih umotate u kuhinjsku krpu i dobro protrljate. Većina ljuski će sama otpasti, a rukama ćete lako oguliti ostatak.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 50-tak keksića / 24,41 kn)

Za tijesto:

1 i ½ šalica tostiranih lješnjaka (10,00 kn)

1 šalica odkoštenih datulja (5,00 kn)

2 žlice kokosovog ulja, rastopljenog (2,00 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta od vanilije (0,20 kn)

2 žlice sirovog kakao praha (2,00 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

1-2 žlice veganskog mlijeka (0,05 kn)

Za preljev:

2 reda tamne čokolade (4,00 kn)

½ žličice kokosovog ulja (0,15 kn)

2-3 žlice tostiranih i sjeckanih lješnjaka (1,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Tostirane lješnjake ubacite u multipraktik i pulsirajte dok ne dobijete fini prah. Izvadite iz multipraktika i stavite na stranu, pa u multipraktiku onda sameljite datulje u gustu pastu. Vratite k datuljama i lješnjake, pa dodajte još i kokosovo ulje, vaniliju, kakao i sol. Pulsirajte sve dok se ne formira gusto tijesto, a po potrebi dodajte u tijesto malo po malo mlijeka. Maknite tijesto iz multipraktika, zamotajte u prijanjajuću foliju i ostavite u hladnjaku da miruje barem sat vremena, ili do 3-4 dana.

Kada ste spremni za pečenje, tijesto 10-15 minuta ranije izvadite iz hladnjaka da malo otpusti kako bi ste ga lakše razvaljali. Zagrijte pećnicu na 175°C i obložite protvan papirom za pečenje. Tijesto tanko razvaljajte između dva sloja papira za pečenje i režite u željene oblike. Keksiće raširite po pripremljenom protvanu i pecite 8-10 minuta.

Keksi će još biti mekani kada ih izvadite iz pećnice, ali ne brinite, budu očvrsnuli kako se hlade. Ostavite kekse da se jedno pet minuta hlade na protvanu, a onda ih pažljivo preselite na rešetku i tako ohladite do kraja.

Kada su keksići ohlađeni, rastopite čokoladu sa kokosovim uljem i time premažite kekse. Posipajte sjeckanim lješnjacima prije nego se čokolada stvrdne. Kekse na 15-20 minuta stavite u hladnjak kako bi se čokolada do kraja stisnula, a kasnije čuvajte u hermetički zatvorenoj posudi na suhom i hladnom mjestu. Keksići bi trebali držati barem tjedan do dva.