Hazelnut and Cacao Slab
 
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Hazelnuts are a delightful nut to use in deserts and pair especially well with chocolate – think Nutella a classic hazelnut and chocolate combination that everybody loves.  Hazelnuts not only make a delicious desert they also make a great healthy nut milk, they are high in good fats, vitamin E and vitamin B along with other minerals to help your skin glow and regulate a healthy blood pressure.
Author:
Eat for: Dessert, snack
Cuisine: Raw, gluten free, paleo, dairy free, vegan
Serves: Makes: 1 medium slab – 12 portions
INGREDIENTS:
  • Base
  • ½ cup dried activated hazelnuts (or lightly roasted)
  • ½ cup cashews
  • ½ cup dried coconut
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
  • Pinch sea salt
  • Pinch vanilla bean powder (I used vanilla paste, about 1 teaspoon)
  • 2 tbsp melted cacao butter (I used coconut oil in place of all cacao 1 for 1)
  • Filling
  • ¾ cup dried activated hazelnuts (or lightly roasted)
  • ½ cup hazelnut milk (or almond milk, or water)
  • ¾ cup organic maple syrup
  • ¼ cup raw cacao powder
  • Pinch sea salt
  • ¼ cup cacao butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil, melted
  • Optional - 1 tsp of hazelnut extract (I skipped this!)
  • Topping
  • 1½ cups activated hazelnuts (or lightly roasted)
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. For the base: In a food processor, blend hazelnuts, cashews and coconut into a coarse couscous texture.
  2. Add the dates, cacao, salt and vanilla powder and blend until combined and until mixture is slightly sticky.
  3. Add the melted cacao butter and pulse a few times until well incorporated.
  4. Line a small rectangular container or tin (approximately 12 x 15 cm) with plastic food wrap.
  5. Press mixture firmly into the tin - it will need to be approximately 4 - 5 mm thick on the bottom to maintain the structure.
  6. Place in refrigerator while you're making the filling.
  7. For the filling: Place hazelnuts, hazelnut milk, maple syrup, salt and hazelnut extract if using in high speed blender (like a Vitamix), blending well until very smooth.
  8. With the blender still running, slowly pour in the melted coconut oil and cacao butter and blend until completely combined into the mixture.
  9. Lastly add the cacao powder and blend until completely incorporated.
  10. Pour into the prepared base, spreading well with the help of a spatula.
  11. For the topping: Top with the activated hazelnuts, pressing them down slightly into the cream.
  12. Leave to set in the refrigerator for approximately 6 hours.
  13. Once set cut into 3cm x 6 cm rectangles and store in the fridge
Notes
When we call for dried activated nuts on a recipe we mean the nuts have first been soaked to remove the phytates (enzyme inhibitors), then we rinse and dry them until really crispy in our dehydrator. If you don’t have a dehydrator you could lightly roast your hazelnuts in the oven first before using. Being careful not to overheat or burn them and damage all those wonderful healthy oils – lightly roasting also removes some of the phytates and is preferable to using un-soaked raw nuts.
Recipe by The Unimpossibles at http://www.theunimpossibles.com/raw-off-the-unbakery-app-hazelnut-and-cacao-slab/